Flexible PCB

The structure can be rigid or flexible to reduce interconnection and incorporate tails directly into the circuit. Flexible PCB can be designed from simple single layer copper flex on polyester(single layer FPCB), to complex double sided on polyimide(double layer FPCB), and even intricate multi-layer composition.

Flexible PCBs are commonly used in digital electronic products, such as smartphones, digital cameras, laptops, LCD monitors, and PDAs.

Material Structure of Flexible PCB

The material structure of Flexible PCB can be categorized into single-layer board, double-layer board, multi-layer board, etc. Traditionally, Flexible PCB is usually composed of several materials. Traditionally, Flexible PCBs are composed of several materials:

Copper Foil Substrate

This is the core layer, usually made of copper foil with a core layer. Copper foil is divided into electrolytic copper and calendered copper. A common core layer is Polyimide (PI).

Protective film

For surface insulation, the common material is polyimide plus adhesive. Traditionally, there are two types of adhesives: acrylic and epoxy resin. Although acrylic has higher flexibility and adhesive strength, its electrical performance is worse than that of epoxy resin and is less resistant to voltage, therefore, the commonly used adhesive is mainly epoxy resin.

Reinforcement materials

To strengthen the mechanical strength of flexible printed circuit boards. Common reinforcing materials include glass fiber cloth, epoxy resin, copper sheet, PI, etc.

Evolution of Polyimide(PI)

As time progresses, the use of traditional Polyimide (PI) has increasingly struggled to meet evolving demands. Consequently, enhanced materials like Modified Polyimide (MPI) and Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) have emerged. These advanced materials surpass traditional PI in key aspects such as low moisture absorption, flexibility, and stability, thereby becoming the mainstream choice in various applications.

Advantages of Flexible PCB

Compared to traditional rigid PCBs, Flexible PCBs offer small size, light weight, flexibility, thin thickness, and bendability. Flexible PCBs are often used when space is limited in an electronic product, such as the antenna in a cell phone. Is it possible to use Flexible PCB in all electronic products? Because of cost considerations, it is usually better to intersperse rugged and reliable rigid PCBs in electronic products to meet the real needs by combining the advantages of both.

Disadvantages of Flexible PCB

Higher Cost

Flexible PCBs are designed for special applications. The cost of circuit design and boards is higher and usually only used for a small number of applications.

Difficulty in modification

It is difficult to modify or repair Flexible PCBs because the surface of Flexible PCBs is covered with a protective film, which needs to be removed before repairing, and then covered after repairing, which is more difficult to achieve.

Susceptibility to Damage

Due to their high precision, Flexible PCBs are more prone to damage. It requires operators to have thorough training and handle them with extra care to prevent any inadvertent damage during handling or operation.

High-quality flexible PCB and efficient OEM/ODM service

As an experienced Flexible PCB board supplier, Elcom is committed to providing high-quality and highly reliable flexible PCB fabrication to our clients. All flexible PCB products pass strict quality control processes. The customized flexible PCB/PCBA are available with our well-established and efficient OEM/ODM procedure. If you are interested in our flexible PCB products, please feel free to contact our service-oriented project managers!