Do you see flexible circuitry as a conceivable design solution for your application, but absence evidence with circuitry suppliers? Being new to flexible circuit technology doesn't mean that you are destined to climb a steep learning curve and spawn expensive supply chain mistakes. However, it does require that you choose the right partner to meet your requirements.
Choosing a flexible circuit supplier can be a hit or miss proposition for companies inexperienced with flexcircuit technology or the supply chain. lots times companies view flex circuitry as a "commodity" and award the occupation to the lowest bidder. that can be a costly inaccuracy. To cause the nonpareil choice, you exact to understand that very few circuitry suppliers are stupendous at each thing; rather, they serve to to thrive a specialty. Ideally, you thirst your supplier to have a developed capability that dovetails with the requirements of your product.
There are five critical consideration! s to keep in mind throughout the selection process to ensure the "cool fit". With these criteria in mind, you can initiate an informed decision with confidence.
1. Design and Applications Engineering Capability: Does your conceivable supplier have the technology and expertise to support your design requirements?
Each circuit must vigor in a lone environment so it is determining to identify key product characteristics for the application. that will be short to enclose any manufacturing processes it must withstand. Key product characteristics will number:
Mechanical: If bent, what is the radius of the bend, the position of the bend, the fraction of cycles, and what direction? Is mechanical abrasion snap?
Chemical: What chemical exposure will that see both pending assembly and while operation?
Thermal: What thermal exposure will the sector see both amid assembly and meanwhile operation?
Electrical: How lots in is being carried? Is there shie! lding or controlled impedance? Does the circuit rest against a! conduct ive surface?
Dimensional: How big is it? What size are the conductor traces and spaces? What is the cutline to edge tolerance? Maximum or minimum thickness?
Surface finish: How will that be connected to the rest of the terrene? What assembly processes will be employed?
The above info will allow the flex supplier to conceive high-priced recommendations for tooling, processes and materials so the product meets the end use requirements. Various films, adhesives, and metal types perform foremost in unperturbed applications, driven by key product characteristics
profuse customers will supply the flex circuit manufacturer with completed Gerber files or a detailed schematic for the electronic design. Some of the more sophisticated suppliers can take a net contents and convert it into a circuit lay out or redesign a wire bundle into an alternative flexible circuit design. The customer suffer privation for design assistance will vary considerably and is a key ! consideration when choosing a flexcircuit supplier. dream up steadfast your abeyant flexible circuitry supplier has the design software and engineering expertise to support your design requirements.
2. Volume Capabilities: Do your volume requirements match with your supplier's capacity?
With initiatives to adopt lean manufacturing, suppliers are claiming to reduce cycle age, minimize waste, and improve set-up lifetime. Are you seeing for very big volume, quick-branch low volume, or something in betwixt? Manufacturers of huge volume circuitry be disposed to be highly automated, using processes and materials geared toward lowest on costs in very sky-scraping volume consumer dimes store. eminent volume tends to be roll to roll, with specialized equipment to handle continuous rolls of thin, flexible material. These suppliers minimize labor gist and may get better pricing on raw materials. Tooling costs are just upraised and production run sizes are based on minimum ! roll sizes. Capital equipment costs are big, so square foot th! roughput is a necessity. These suppliers provide low volume and quick-tack circuits to support programs on the path to lanky volume serial production.
Low to medium volume suppliers process flexible circuits in rectangular shaped panels and employ equipment designed to support a wider variety of process flows and materials. Low cost tooling and compressed cycle times are more available with panel processing while the machine operations conduce to be more flexible and operator intensive. These suppliers are more imaginable to physique a diversified range of flexible circuitry. Extended length circuits, multiple plating surfaces, reverse bared flex and multilayer flex are examples of parts that largely require panelized processing.
3. Fabrication Capabilities: Can your supplier routinely handle your fabrication requirements?
There are four broad types of flexcircuits: solitary sided, double sided, multilayer and rigid-flex. These types are characterized by the IPC (I! nstitute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits), as variety I, classification II, group III and standard IV respectively. Definitions from the IPC are:
explicit-sided (flexible printed wiring containing one conductive layer, with or outwardly stiffener).
Double-sided (flexible printed wiring containing two conductive layers with plated-through holes, with or out stiffeners).
Multilayer (flexible printed wiring containing three or more conducting layers).
Rigid flex (rigid and flexible material combinations containing three or more conductive layers).
Fabrication of any printed circuit consists of 20-40 sequential processes. As layers are added, the manufacturing complexity goes up significantly, as do the cardinal of process steps. Multilayer circuitry hurting fors process specialization with fixturing, plasma etching, registration, and inspection capability. Material stability is a key consideration in both tooling design, trace pattern layout, plating compass and thru hole drilling processes.
Density requirements can be a significant consideration. umpteen flex manufacturers struggle as conductor features approach .003" lines and spaces. that proportion of feature density is ofttimes supplied by "running for yield", but limited capability will involve added costs and inconsistent vendor performance. Specialty equipment is available to handle such requirements and precision imaging systems with clean room manufacturing areas are musts.
An ability to accurately align features from among sequential processes ! is another critical requirement as density increases and circuit sizes shrink. Tooling to produce precision features for zero insertion force connectors (ZIF) is critical as feature to feature requirements at <.004" are specified. that can be accomplished through the use of optical registration equipment, precision die tooling or laser ablation. Understanding vendor capability is wonderful insurance against disheartening performance.
Circuit outline dimensional capability is imperative with extended length flexcircuits. Effectively architecture a 10 foot deep flex circuit lacks a lithography process that can accurately father an oversize conductor pattern. colossal format die cutting, laser cutting or CNC cutting may be prerequisite to define the circuitry cut line. The flex circuit supplier that specializes in community hall circuits for hand held electronic devises may not be capable of the vast format. lousy with flex suppliers have a range of circuit sizes that! they can do well; procreate unfaltering that the size you are! appeari ng for is not outside their normal capability.
4. Post Fabrication Assembly: Has your flex supplier invested in the technology and expertise to adequately handle your component assembly requirements?
numerous purchasers of flexible circuitry are conjointly appearing for a supplier to do component assembly. A flex circuit fabricator further providing assembly eliminates supply chain handoffs. Several manufacturers assemble circuitry requiring low component counts. As volume increases, pick and lay automation, reflow soldering, wire bonding, through-hole assembly and functional evaluating are condign to cost effectively provide assembly services. Key variables for process direction are absolutely weird for assembly versus fabrication. In upsurge, supply chain management and storage guidance of electronic components become increasingly critical. Does the supplier understand ESD and reliability issues? Are they able to supply RoHS compliant assemblies? Assembling on ! a flex circuit is lots deviating than assembly on hard boards primarily due to exclusive material handling and fixturing characteristics. Fabricators craving to invest in the equipment, systems, and expertise to effectively assemble as well as fabricate.
5. Certifications and Quality Systems: Has your flex supplier demonstrated its capability and commitment by achieving certifications that are significant in your industry?
calm applications and industries may require adherence to outright protocols and requirements. While in some cases, the sub component supplier does not require to meet all the requirements and protocols that the end producer must meet, it still is vital that the supplier understand the end requirements.
Companies that achieve certifications have demonstrated the ability to design and physique product with quality and manufacturing systems adequate for a unique showroom. Probably the big end common certification is ISO 9000 and ISO 9001. ! Below is a enumeration of other certifications that a supplier! may hav e or demand:
ISO 13485:2003- Medical device
AS9100, AS9110 and AS9120- Aerospace
ITAR- Military
ISO/TS 16949, QS 9000- Automotive exchange
FDA Registrations- Medical Device
TL 9000 - Telecommunications
Achieving the above certifications is not a trivial matter; it means that the flex supplier meets cocksure quality standards and is audited to those standards. The standards require a common discipline from the quality, operations and management functions of certified suppliers
Other Criteria There are rife other criteria to flirt with when choosing a flex supplier. While it may seem allying common sense to ask these questions, they can be extremely populous considerations.
Is the supplier willing to pageantry you their customer memorandum or share propaganda about targeted shoppings mall? The industry and booths that encompass their existing customers is customarily revealing.
Does the supplier have numerous years of real doing home flexible circuitry, or are they a printed circuit board manufacturer "dabbling" in flexible circuits?
Is it hopeful to have a direct loop to personnel within the manufacturing facility? Are you buying with the fle! xcircuit manufacturer, or is the supplier buying the product and reselling? Touring the facility can inform you a fat deal about capabilities.
Dave Becker is the Director of Sales and demanding at All Flex. Dave has passé in the flex circuit industry for the accomplished 30 years with a variety of positions in Quality Engineering, Product Management, and Sales Management. All Flex designs and builds flex circuits, including double sided flex circuits, odd sided flex circuits, multi layer flex circuitry and flex circuit assembly.
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