
This distinction is important as it affects both the material selection and the construction methodology. Dynamic flexible circuits (also referred to as use B) are those that are designed for frequent flexing such as a disk drive head, a printer head, or as part of the hinge in a laptop screen. Static flexible circuits (also referred to as use A) are those that undergo minimal flexing, typically during assembly and service. They are popular today as they not only save space and weight - making them ideal for portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets - they can also: reduce packaging complexity by substantially reducing the need for interconnect wiring improve product reliability due to reduced interconnection hardware and improved assembly yields and reduce cost, when considered as part of the overall product manufacture and assembly costs.įlexible circuits are normally divided into 2 usage classes: static flexible circuits, and dynamic flexible circuits. This combination is ideal for exploiting the benefits of both flexible and rigid circuits - the rigid circuits can carry all or the bulk of the components, with the flexible sections acting as interconnections between the rigid sections.įlexible circuit technology was initially developed for the space program to save space and weight. Rigid-flex is the name given to a printed circuit that is a combination of both flexible circuit(s) and rigid circuit(s), as shown in the image above. What is Rigid-Flex?Īs the name suggests, a flexible printed circuit is a pattern of conductors printed onto a flexible insulating film.

3D Movie Maker Support for Rigid-Flex DesignsĪ rigid-flex circuit, designed to tightly integrate into its enclosure.Displaying and Folding a Rigid-Flex Design in 3D.


