Designing Flexible Printed Circuit Boards - Miracle Electronics

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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
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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
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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.