Flex PCB Applications

At RushFlex PCB, we make various types of flexible boards to enhance the design of our customers’ products. Flexible boards are also known as flexible printed circuit boards and FPCs or flexible printed circuits. The principle difference as compared to rigid circuit boards is that FPCs can bend and flex, making them particularly useful for different applications. Unlike rigid boards, flex boards are made of materials that can flex. This gives them improved resistance to movement and vibrations. Additionally, we make them in miniature designs also, thereby decreasing their package weight by as much as 75%.

Another advantage of flexible circuits is they help to minimize connection points, thereby eliminating interconnection defects common with solder joints. Being significantly lighter than their rigid board counterparts, they can fit into restricted spaces and in unusual shapes.

As a major PCB manufacturer in the industry, we are seeing increasing demand for more powerful computing technology with each passing year. Moreover, industrial consumers expect smaller size, and lower weight, but better performance. This poses a problem with us as we have to fit more electronics into increasingly smaller boards. However, we are using flex PCBs technology to lead us out of this quandary, and our customers are not only satisfied, but they are increasingly using our flex boards in their projects.

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Types of Flex PCBs We Offer

According to the IPC, a flexible printed circuit board is an arrangement of printed circuitry and components in a pattern utilizing flexible base materials with or without a flexible coverlay. Our products conform to the IPC definition, and we offer our customers FPCs that are made of flexible film.

We have been fabricating flex PCBs for the past two decades, and as demand from industries has grown, we are now making boards that have become increasingly more complex over the years. The most common types of flexible printed circuits we make today are:

Single-Sided Flex Circuits

This is the most common and simple flex PCB in the market. Made of a flexible dielectric film, these boards are printed only on one side with a single conductor layer. As the most affordable flex PCBs in the market, these boards are relatively easy to fabricate. Most calculators use this type of printed circuit because of their simplicity and low weight.

Double-Sided Flex Circuits

Just like single-sided flex circuits, double-sided flex circuits also consist of a single flexible dielectric film. However, instead of a printed conductor layer only on one side, the double-sided flex circuit has two printed conductor layers on both sides of the dielectric, offering double the circuit density and enhanced power handling capability. This increased capability makes them more popular, despite their increased cost of production as compared to the single-sided type.

Multi-Layered Flex Circuits

Flex circuits can also have three or more conductor layers, separated by additional dielectric layers. Because of the complex nature of their construction, they are more expensive to fabricate as compared to single- and double-sided flex circuits. Military and aerospace applications most often use multi-layered flex circuits.

Rigid-Flex Circuits

This is a special type of circuit, as it is a hybrid of standard flex circuits and a rigid PCB. A rigid-flex PCB arrangement incorporates several rigid circuit boards mounted with components, and flexible circuits linking them. Commercial electronic equipment and smart devices are the major users of these circuits. Also, because of their superior reliability, strength, flexibility, and consistent performance, the aviation and military sectors use them.

Applications of Flexible Circuit Boards

Most applications of flexible circuit boards are in areas where it is impossible to use rigid circuit boards. These include:

Commercial Electronics

The commercial electronics industry is our biggest customer for flex circuits. Among them, we make the largest number of flex circuits for the computer industry, starting from printers, scanners, displays, and keyboards, to smart devices. With the market demanding smaller and more advanced technology for handhelds, flex PCBs are becoming essential because they offer greater computing power without increasing the weight.

Automotive Electronics

Our second-biggest customer for flex circuits is the automotive electronics sector. With the average car using significantly more electronics than its counterpart from a decade ago, flex circuits are in great demand. Cars now incorporate more sensors and electronics for everything from air-conditioning, GPS, electronic dashboards, and information systems, flex PCBs allow not only space management but also offer a better thermal performance.

Wearable Electronics

The proliferation of wearable electronic devices owes at least half of its success to flexible PCBs, with miniature components contributing to the other half. The development of innovative and user-friendly devices like the Fitbit fitness tracker was possible because of flex PCBs allowing integration of sensors, display components, and wireless connectivity within a slim and comfortable wristband. As the PCB is flexible, the user can wrap the device around their wrist, making it a seamless and ergonomic wearable.

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Aerospace Industry

With their extraordinary ability to handle vibrations and the stress due to extreme temperatures, our flex PCBs are well-suited for aerospace applications, especially satellites. Additionally, our PCBs can take on unusual shapes well-suited for restricted spaces within a spacecraft.

Medical Industry

With the evolution of medical technology, many devices are becoming smaller, to the extent of becoming wearables. Our flexible printed circuits offer high durability, especially with their requirement for mirroring human body shapes. Most hearing aids, vital sensors, and more use our flex circuit boards to leverage high performance despite the heavy wear and tear.

Advantages of Using Flex PCBs

Compared to rigid PCBs, flexible circuit boards offer numerous advantages. Despite their higher cost and complex assembly process, the electronics industry prefers our flex PCBs, mainly due to their advantage in size, weight, and robustness. Some of these advantages are:

High flexibility, allowing for extended use in many industries
Lower risk and higher reliability, especially for wiring replacements
Size and weight reduction, in comparison to rigid boards
Improved temperature range, making flex PCBs more suitable for harsh environments
High Circuit Density

Contact us today with the details of your flex PCB specifications and requirements. We will send you a comprehensive quote within 24 hours.

Customers reviews

What people say?

I am really satisfied with my PCB. RUSH FLEX PCB saved my time.

Janean I.

Thank you so much for your help with our PCB board. Great job, I will definitely be ordering again!

Rachel U.