Flexible Circuit Design Guidelines

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Flexible circuit designs share many of the same challenges of rigid PCB designs, but there are also many differences and additional challenges. The very nature of a flex circuit being able to bend and flex make it as much a mechanical device as an electrical one. This creates a special set of requirements unique to flexible circuitry. Understanding how these requirements interact will allow the PCB designer to create a flex circuit that balances the electrical and mechanical features into a reliable, cost-effective interconnect solution.

Overview
Scrutinize your design for stress concentration features. Stress concentration features are the single predominant cause for mechanical failures in flexible circuits (i.e., cracked/broken conductors, torn insulating material, etc.). To avoid stress concentration points, the construction of the circuit should not change in, or immediately adjacent to, the bend area. In a bend area, there should be no change of conductor width or thickness or direction, no termination of plating or coatings, no openings in covers or outer insulating materials, and no holes of any kind in a bend zone.

Bend Ratio
Determine and evaluate the minimum bend ratio of your design. This will be your single best indicator of whether your flex circuit may experience problems in service. Bend ratio is bend radius: circuit thickness.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the January 2020 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.

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