Four common types of flexible circuit boards

Four common types of flexible circuit boards

1. Single sided flexible board

Lowest cost. When there is no high requirement for electrical performance and single sided wiring is possible, a single sided flexible board should be selected. This most common form has been commercially applied, such as inkjet cartridges for printers and computer memory. The single-sided flexible board has a layer of chemically etched conductive patterns, and the conductive pattern layer on the flexible insulation substrate is rolled copper foil. The insulation substrates used for flexible assembly can be polyimide (Kapton), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), aramid fiber paper (Nomex), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

2. Double sided flexible board

A double-sided flexible board is a conductive pattern made by etching one layer on each side of the base film. Metallized holes connect the patterns on both sides of the insulation material to form a conductive path to meet the design and functional requirements of flexibility. And the covering film can protect single and double sided wires and indicate the position of the component placement.

3. Multi layer flexible board

Multi layer flexible board is a process of pressing three or more layers of single-sided or double-sided flexible circuit boards together, forming metallized holes through drilling and electroplating, and forming conductive paths between different layers. This way, there is no need to use complex welding processes. Although the number of conductive layers designed for this flexible type can be infinite, in order to ensure convenient assembly during layout design, the mutual influence of assembly size, number of layers, and flexibility should be considered.

4. Rigidity deflection combination type

Traditional rigid and flexible plates are composed of rigid and flexible substrates that are selectively pressed together. Tightly structured, with metallized holes forming conductive connections. Considering reliability and price factors, manufacturers should try to maintain as few layers as possible.