Flexible and Rigid-Flexible PCBs

Flexible and rigid-flexible printed circuit boards usually cause difficulties in handling. To fix the boards on a work surface can cause some problems. To make the handling easier almost all LPKF systems can be equipped with a vacuum table. Reason to equip the circuit board plotter with a vacuum table is not only a safer positioning of the material, it is also to make the handling of the machine faster and more simple.

Since the base material of flexible printed circuit boards is always softer, HF tools are primarily used for the milling process. Another advantage of the HF tools is that they do not penetrate deeply into the material. Structuring a flexible printed circuit board is based on the same milling process of rigid base materials.

With rigid-flexible printed circuit boards, flexible PCB’s are connected together with rigid PCB’s. The production of rigid-flexible printed circuit boards is similar to the production of multilayer boards. The rigid PCB’s are structured in a panel, the area where the flexible portion is to be inserted remains unstructured in the panel, and is covered with a protective foil. The flexible PCB is then pressed upon the already structured rigid areas. Finally, the unstructured area beneath the flexible printed circuit board is milled away.

For manufacturing rigid-flexible boards, standard LPKF systems can be used. Flexible and rigid-flexible PCBs are easily manufactured in your own electronics lab by plotters of the LPKF ProtoMat S-Series and H-Series.

Flexible and Rigid-Flexible Board Examples