Within one of the presentations last week at the IPC Technology Interchange in Washington D.C., the question was raised of whether printed circuit board technology will reach a plateau or whether it will continue to keep pace with the technological demands and innovations to come.  Restated, the question could be:  as trace widths get smaller, nanotechnology improves, and demand for greater performance continues to increase – when/where/will PCB technology hit a plateau?
This is a complex question with a large number of factors.  One focus of the discussion could be on …

The printed circuit board (PCB) industry is vital to manufacturers of computing components, automotive parts, cellular phones, flat-screen television displays and other devices considered essential to our modern lifestyles.
In addition to a large number of PCB enterprises in Taiwan, many PCB operations are located in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.
Among them are leading PCB makers earning hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues and employing thousands of workers.
They also spend huge sums on environmental protection, including the disposal of manufacturing wastes from production processes and everyday operations.
The major pollution …

A San Francisco Native, but Southern California raised, John Cardone has experienced the westernmost land of Promise that so many of us only dream about.   Such a geographic setting is perfect for a man who is passionate about natural beauty, backpacking, and trekking into the wilderness alone to enjoy the quiet that only solitude can provide.  Living now in Grenada, CA (less than 40 miles from the California/Oregon border), he and his wife, Darla, operate Forward Farms breeding and raising registered Dutch Warmblood (KWPN) horses.  They also raise registered, grass …

Flex Circuits Overview

APPLICATIONS

Static v. Flex to Fit:

Static; the flex circuit is installed flat between two or more stationary parts.

Flex to fit; the flex circuit is bent or molded into position then installed between two or more stationary part.

Dynamic:

The flex circuit is installed between one or more moving parts.

Bend radius:

Single-sided flex 6X circuit thickness.
Double-sided flex 10X circuit thickness.
Multilayer flex 10-15X circuit thickness.
Dynamic Application 20X circuit thickness.

FLEXIBLE CIRCUIT MATERIALS

Pyralux LF Military/Commercial Adhesive Based.

IPC CERTIFIED CLASS 3
FC 241/1 CLADS
FC 232/1 CS/BP
FC 232/18 ADHESIVE
…

Every day we read or hear about how a healthy life is about balance.  There are only two things my dad critiques me about when it comes to my health: “sit up straight and stretch more”.  I find that amusingly ironic.  The same desires my dad has for me have made their way into the PCB Industry.  As designers have sought to develop longer lasting and more complex electronics, circuit boards have been forced into a regimen of balancing traditional rigidity with the ability to bend, twist, and essentially be …

It is amazing how flexible circuits allow intricate and complex electronics continue to decrease in size.  As flex and rigid-flex are developed, unique applications will continue to arise.  This picture really makes you wonder how complex in the inner workings of our most common, taken for granted, electronics are.