Flex Circuit Design Options

All of 's Flex Circuit Design Engineers are IPC Certified Interconnect Designers (CIDs) . Contact us so our engineers can help optimize your application.

   

Rigid-Flex
Hybrid hardboard/flex circuits can have up to 16 layers.

Circuit Forming
Factory formed circuits follow tight curves to save space.

   

Stiffeners
An inexpensive alternative for rigidizing component areas.

 

Selective Bonding
For better flexibility along circuit arms, individual layers are unbonded and allowed to flex freely. Each layer has its own substrate and cover.

   

Wave Solder Carrier
Stiffener material frames the circuit to hold it flat during wave solder.
After soldering, just clip out and fold.

Fine Lines
0.003" conductors and spaces are possible.

   

Surface Mount
Combine the space and weight savings of surface mounting with those of flex circuits for the ultimate in high-density packaging.

Shielding
Solid or patterned shield planes reduce noise and control impedance of signal lines. Photo etching ensures repeatability.

   

Pins
can braze or solder pins to circuits, either through holes or as extensions to conductors. 0.003" conductors and spaces are possible.

Coils
has the unique ability to wind flat inductive coils and laminate them within flex circuits. Applications include pacemaker antennas and eddy current generators.

 

Connectors
Built-in connectors speed your assembly. Optional epoxy potting seals between the circuit and connector.


Flex circuits save space, maintain reliability

Flex circuits represent an advanced approach to total electronics packaging. They occupy a niche between ordinary printed circuit boards and round wire, and take on many of the uses and benefits of each. In essence, flex circuits give you unlimited freedom of packaging geometry while retaining the precision density and repeatability of printed circuits.

Benefits for your application:

Space and weight savings - Flex circuits can save 75% on space and weight. A single flex circuit can replace several hardboards, cables and connectors to give you more room for optimal product design.

Repeatable installation - Because they fit only one way, flex circuits offer a customized repeatable routing path within your assembly to eliminate wire routing errors. You save testing time, rework, and rejects.

Harsh environments - Standard practice for flex circuits is to cover the conductors with polyimide. This dielectric layer protects your flex circuit far beyond the capability of simple soldermask so that it performs in all types of harsh environments.

Long duty cycles - By design, a flex circuit can be made very thin, yet robust enough to withstand thousands to millions of flexing cycles while carrying signal and power without a break. This saves you maintenance costs and down time.

High vibration - Under vibration and/or high acceleration, a flex circuit's ductility and low mass will reduce the impact upon itself and solder joints. Therefore, flex circuits provide the ruggedness needed for high reliability applications.

Superior packaging options - Flex circuits can be shaped to fit where no other design can. Learn more about flex packaging options:

  • Flex vs. wiring harness
  • Flex vs. hard board (PCB)
  • Types of Flex Circuits
  • Flex-Coils™

Quality Assurance

circuits excel in applications where quality is the primary consideration. We define quality as conformance to customer requirements and specialize in accepting and meeting the most difficult of requirements.

All of 's Flex Circuit Design Engineers are IPC Certified Interconnect Designers (CIDs).


You'll find our circuits in:

  • Space shuttle engine controls
  • Cardiac pacemakers
  • Implantable defibrillators
  • Trident II missile
  • Military radio
  • Mark 46 torpedoes
  • Laser gyros
  • Cochlear implants
  • Nerve stimulators
  • Surgical tools
  • Chemical detectors for homeland security
  • Radar systems
  • Heads up displays

policy is to document, monitor, and verify all processes. We visually inspect all circuits. When required, we can also provide:

  • Microsections
  • First-article inspections
  • Thermal shock and stress testing
  • Solderability testing
  • Conductor continuity testing
  • Measure flexibility and peel strength
  • Simulate rework
  • Moisture resistance and dielectric strength testing
  • Insulation resistance
  • Inductance
  • Resistance
  • Ringer
  • Impedance (TDR)
  • Dimensional
  • Ionic cleanliness
  • Thermal cycling
  • Humidity cycling
  • Flex endurance
  • X-Ray fluorescence
  • Tensile strength
  • Elongation