Designing Flexible Printed Circuit Boards - Miracle Electronics
Flexible printed circuit boards are PCBs that are flexible, and are made of insulating polymer film that provides an electronic interconnection. While there are many ways to achieve a good circuit design, even some smallest mistakes can cause a design failure. It is thus better to be aware of such mistakes, and learn from them so that any potential errors can be avoided.
The bend
The bending capabilities of the board will be decided upon by two factors – the number of times the board will be turning, and the bendability of the council. For proper functioning of a flexible PCB, it is important that the bending area is set right in the initial stages itself. Thus, understanding the required bendability early on in the design is important to help manufacture the right parts that can fit well into the board. The minimum and maximum bendable limits should be known in regards to the bend radius and the bending tolerance.
Conductor arrangement
Because flexible circuit boards can twist and bend, any incorrect conductor arrangements can lead to hazardous consequences. You need to thus be very cautious while designing conductor arrangement. Also, you must make sure that the conductors pass through curved areas, in order to minimize the stress on them during flexing.
Stacking of conductors
Stacking conductors onto a board can result in a thicker circuit that may lead to an “I beam” effect, which is observed when the line pairs are staggered, to minimize the impact from electromagnetic reduction. You must thus avoid stacking conductors when designing a flexible PCB.
Slots and gaps
You need to create the right bridging sections to place the slots. Every gap and curved area in a flexible PCB is critical. Preparing for a manageable arrangement with the right bridging sections can avoid any bottlenecks in the design, by helping to achieve better edges and making it easy to fit the deserved curved PCB.
Quality of cover material
The quality of material you choose for the cover of the circuit boards will also determine, on a huge scale, the overall performance and life of the board. You must thus choose only the most suitable material, never compromising on the quality.
Layer placements for multi-layer boards
When using multi-layer flexible circuit boards, you must take care of the layer placement. As these boards are used in high circuit density applications, one mistake can hamper the entire functionality of the board. You thus need to make accurate placements by avoiding circuit parts on the solder side of the circuit board.
Through-hole mounting method
When using the through-hole mounting method, you must make sure that the holes are well within a safe distance from areas that bend or flex, to avoid any possible risks. Also, pay attention to the surface finish on both sides of the board, as they need to be of the same quality, for the best performance. Another good suggestion is that you must avoid using holes near the bend areas.
With these 7 design elements kept in mind, you can design a quality PCB having the best performance. However, there are many other minute details that need to be worked on. This is why it is recommended that you have your PCBs designed and manufactured by professionals who have enough experience to know what they are doing, with every minute detail of the board taken care of in regards to the application they need to be installed in. Miracle Electronics is one such PCB assembly manufacturer in India you can rely upon to have the most perfect PCB designed, with attention paid to every detail like the circuit traces, hole sizes, landing patterns, and more.
