The Advantages of Rigid-Flex Circuit Boards in Modern Electronics

It's awe-inspiring to think I was able to easily do a full split my youth, only to struggling to retrieve the pen that fell from the floor. Age or more specifically the lack of exercise can take away any flexibility that you experienced in your younger years. I am left wondering how electronic devices were able to be constructed so safely while remaining as solid as they have always been. I remember the huge tanks of television sets in the 1990s and how, for the majority of time, hitting them helped to get their signal back in the right direction.

What Is a Rigid-Flex PCB

Like the name implies rigid flex circuit boards are made up of flexible and rigid substrates. Flexible circuits are utilized to connect the sub circuits of rigid PCBs. Flexible PCBs made of rigid flex are typically constructed using flexible polyimide with copper cladding and are connected directly to a robust FR4 boards.

The flexible portion that makes up the PCB with rigid flexibility generally includes a multilayer with padded through holes that ensure the interconnection between layers. The rigid flex PCB has evolved from utilizing the flexible surface as a substitute for wire harnesses, and has evolved to being able to build sub circuits within the flexible surface.

Advantages Of Rigid-Flex PCB

1.      Increase Reliability

Connectors are useful in situations where it's necessary to eliminate cables from the board frequently. In the case of designs that require several interlinking circuits within an enclosure connecting connectors on the PCB can only increase the possibility that the PCB will fail.

The use of a rigid flex design eliminates the need for boards- to-board connectors. This results in less solder joint joints that can be vulnerable to fail.

2.      Space Saving

Most often, the designs that require rigid flex PCBs is one in which space is an issue. For instance, handheld thermal scanners could profit from the rigid PCB since there's not enough space to accommodate wiring harnesses and high-profile connectors. Instead with the interconnecting circuit integrated into the flexible PCB, there is more room to move the lines around.

3.      Reduce Cost

Flexible PCBs that are rigid in nature are typically less expensive than rigid PCBs since the latter are more difficult to make. An excellent function of rigid PCBs with flex can be beneficial for the product price Since wired interconnects are replaced with those conductive layers of flexible materials, you'll reduce the expense for assembly which, in certain cases requires manual labor.

Since a rigid flex PCB is a circuit in its own right and doesn't require for wiring a harness within the enclosure it's placed on. The wiring process is time-consuming and adds a cost per piece of product.

4.      Ease Of Testing

It is also simple to automate testing on rigid PCBs because all of the circuits are connected when the PCB is built. The ability to remove connectivity issues prior to the components are assembled will further, preventing unnecessary waste and costs.

PCBAndAssembly- one of the most recognized printed circuit board services-creates PCBs that meet your requirements in every stage. We can ship your PCB boards within 2 days up to a week for the majority of orders. With more than 12 years of experience in PCB fabrication, we've dealt with many thousands of PCB projects.