What is a Rigid-Flex PCB?
A Rigid-Flex PCB is a hybrid printed circuit board that consists of a combination of one or multiple rigid and flexible PCBs. The flexible sections of these boards allow it to be folded or continuously flexed offering optimum space utilization & mechanical reliability and making them ideal for minimalistic and high-end electronic products.
Rigid-flex PCBs are built by combining rigid and flexible materials. This allows them to have different structures and uses. FR-4, polyimide, and special Rogers or Teflon-based laminates are some of the materials used for the rigid parts while flexible substrates like polyimide (Kapton) or polyester (PET) are used for the flexible sections. Copper foil is used to create conductive traces; it is laminated onto the substrates using adhesive layers. To bond and protect the circuitry, adhesive and coverlay materials are used, while additional support can be provided by incorporating stiffeners.
Advantages of Rigid-Flex PCBs
- The flexible part of the board has narrow conductor lines that take up less space and together with their flexible properties help to lower the footprint of the board when integrated into a finished product.
- Using flexible PCBs for interconnections also eliminates the need for connectors, which are bulky and heavy making rigid-flex printed circuit boards much lighter.
- Interconnections using flexible PCBs over connectors offer lower losses, accommodate controlled impedance, and eliminate connection problems such as cold joints.
- The reduced number of solder joints and connectors also increases the life of the connections.
- Another major advantage of rigid-flex boards is the use of different substrate materials in different sections of the board.
PCB Directory has listed the leading Rigid-Flex PCB fabricators and manufacturers and made them searchable through their location and capabilities. You can choose a country to filter and find local PCB manufacturers or companies nearby that can develop your Rigid-Flex printed circuit boards. Additionally, you can filter Rigid-Flex PCB suppliers based on specific capabilities such as the number of layers, material, and more. PCB Directory will then optimize the results to display manufacturers that meet your requirements.
