Designing a printed circuit board is not easy, especially if you don’t have much experience in this type of thing. Of course, there are some simple tips and tricks that you can follow in order to create the best possible PCB that you can.
Here, we have put together some tips on how you can improve your flex circuit design process. Keep reading if you’d like some extra help with your next project.
Do Some Research
Our first tip for designing flex circuits is to find out a little more about them. If you can figure out exactly how this type of circuit works, then you can make sure that you are creating something that is going to be effective. One of the best ways to do this is to contact a flex-circuit manufacturer who can give you a bit more information about the manufacturing process and what you need to achieve in the design part of the project.
Create a Mock-Up
When you are working on flex circuits, it can be a good idea to create a mock-up of your design. This way, you can see if your design works effectively before you go onto the next stage of the process. There are many software providers like Altium that offer rigid-flex design tools that can help you with this part of the process. Once you have created your mock-up, you can make the changes that you need to right away.
Try To Keep Costs Low
One of the bad things about creating flex circuits is that they can be expensive due to the number of layers, the feature sizes and the overall circuit size. For this reason, we suggest that you design unbonded areas only when you absolutely need to. Make sure to use standard materials when you can in the design process, and you will find everything a lot easier and more affordable to create.
Consider Minimum Bend Radius
Our final tip for those who are working on a flex circuit design is to consider the minimum bend radius. Many people start to bend their circuits too sharply and this can cause real problems further down the line. Try to keep the radius at least ten times the material thickness. This way, you can be sure that the circuit is going to function reliably. Try to reduce the thickness in the flex area if you want it to have your circuit withstand flexing.
Final Thoughts
If you are going to be working on a flex circuit design in the near future, then you should make sure that you follow all of the advice that we have given you in this article. Try to remember to keep the costs as low as possible and always utilise the best software in order to help create a mock-up of your design. This way, you can create an effective flex circuit and be able to rely on it when it is added to the product.
