Advantage of Flexible Print Circuit Board

Today’s technology consists of complex internal pieces that transmit numerous signals between the user commands and the system memory. As devices become smaller and more advanced, manufacturers require materials that can handle the stresses and demands of various conditions and uses.

In decades past, technology was limited by rigid inner-parts that could buckle under intense levels of stress. In settings where there was too much heat or vibration, any device that contained a printed circuit board (PCB) could easily cease to function. Recently, however, technology has greatly improved thanks to the introduction of flexible substrates.

Flexible substrate materials offer numerous benefits to PCB manufacturers and the businesses and organizations that use these boards in vast arsenals of complex computing equipment. Flexible substrates render boards less cumbersome and easier to handle, install, uninstall and repair. Moreover, such components are more cost-friendly and less cumbersome to manufacture in the first place. The advantage of flexible print circuit board can be summarized as follows:

1. Reducing Weight and Space

The reduced size and weight of a flexible substrate make it easier to slot into a vast array of electronic devices. Flexible substrates can be installed in some of the tiniest computing equipment on today’s market. Thanks to the lightweight nature of a flexible substrate, it’s ideal for motherboards in laptops and all-in-one devices. Overall, PCBs made of flexible substrate cut space volume by 50% and reduce weight by up to 90%.

Flexible substrates are also ideal for devices used in the aerospace and medical industries. In hospital equipment, the lightweight quality of a flexible substrate makes it easier to construct more compact yet elaborate devices that can be transferred from one room to another. The lightweight, compact nature of a flexible substrate also makes it the best choice for devices used in the air.

2. Easier Installation and Service

Flexible substrates are easy to install because they can be flexed and bent into place on a printed circuit board. For some of the tiniest boards and devices, the flexibility of the substrates reduces vast amounts of difficulty and labor throughout the assembly process. As such, the costs involved with manufacturing are generally lower when you opt for flexible substrates.

When maintenance or service work is needed, the task becomes a whole lot easier if the device in question consists of parts that are covered with flexible substrates. Just as the material is easy to set into place, it can also be plied when necessary for repairs and modifications.

3. Increasing Reliability

Flexible substrates are more reliable than the earlier options on the market because they require little or no interface connections. With a flexible substrate, you do not have to cope as much with connectors, solder joints, contact crimps and other interface components. Thanks to the massive reduction in connectors, there are fewer possibilities of failure with flexible substrates.

Flexible substrates also have the strength to resist the impacts of vibrations, heat and shocks. As such, the substrate is suitable for boards used in devices meant to cope with extreme temperatures and turbulence. With flexible substrates, most devices will generally have the strength to withstand grueling military and medical uses.

4. Managing Heat

Flexible substrate materials resist heat and also offer vastly superior flexibility to all the competing options. As such, device components equipped with flexible substrates are more suited to withstand the stresses of high temperatures in industrial settings and humid environments. Flexible substrates can also resist the effects of temperature changes that often cause other materials to expand and contract over time.

Due to the temperature resistance of flexible substrates, the material is also largely resistant to the effects of gas, oil and acid. Additionally, flexible substrates are mostly resistant to the effects of UV exposure and radiation.

5. Improving Aesthetics

Flexible substrates have a sleek and transparent appearance that makes the pieces inside of electronic and computing devices more aesthetically pleasing and easier to identify. In older components, the internal parts were often encumbered with wires and other components, making them hard for the typical layperson to identify.

In newer components, the sleek appearance of flexible substrates renders components less intimidating to the average users. In various organizations throughout the industrial sector, computing staff and IT personnel can instantly identify various pieces that use flexible substrates because the parts are not covered with wires and through-hole components.

6. Eliminating Connectors

Flexible substrates largely eliminate the need for interface connections on computing or electronic components. At the same time, flex circuits can accommodate most types of components, as long as the pieces are applicable to rigid PCB design. Integrated zero interface force (ZIF) contacts offer easy small-part interfaces that work in system infrastructures.

Boards that are layered with flexible substrates are generally flat in nature and sleek in appearance. Due to this flatness, PCBs with a flexible substrate can more easily be inserted into narrow slots in some of the tiniest devices imaginable thanks to the lack of complicated connectors.

7. Reducing Assembly Costs

Due to the thin nature and lightweight quality of flexible substrates, the material is easy to apply in a confined area. Therefore, the cost to manufacture components with flexible substrates requires relatively little in the way of overhead. Moreover, the costs associated with materials and packaging are also reduced when flexible substrates are used for the components at hand.