There you have it. That is very much all you need to know about flexible printed circuits. Hopefully, this guide will be of some help for you going further. To know more, you may do your research.

For those who don't know, the Flexible printed circuits, FPCs, were originally designed as nothing but a replacement for orthodox wire harnesses. And from its early application during the Second World War to date, proliferation and growth for the flex circuits alongside Custom Flexible Printed Circuits boards advances exponentially. In its purest form, the flex circuit is the vast range of conductors that are bonded to the thin dielectric sheet.

Flexible Printed Circuits- What Are They?

The FPC is a lightweight electrical circuit, which conveniently conforms to the small areas and the contoured shapes. But, they are a lot more than just the PCB, which bends. The Flex circuits present distinctive benefits and differences, needing different designs via innovative printed circuit board manufacturers.

This Flexible PCB consists of a conductive metal strip, normally copper, insulated by the solder mask or dielectric material. The critical function of the circuit board is to carry the electronic signal whilst providing the mechanical flexing, which enables the use of a smaller connector and shielding the radiated noise for the EMI.

The printed circuit board is the substrate, or a non-conducting board, which connects the electric components to create the electrical circuit. 

The Benefits

As the connective means, the primary advantages of flexible circuit compared to orthodox cabling and the rigid boards include the following:

1.Lessened wiring errors by Wire Harness Assembly Manufacturer
2.Elimination of the mechanical connectors
3.Much-higher circuit density
4.Exceptional design flexibility
5.Reliable and robust signal quality
6.Further robust operating temp range
7.Weight and size reduction
8.Impedance control & improved reliability 

Basic Kinds of the Flexible PCB

The diversity of available shapes and sizes, alongside the functionalities, highlights the flexible PCB's versatility. The basic kinds of flexible printed circuits include the following.

•Single-Sided
•Double-Sided
•Multi-Layer
•The Rigid-Flex

Some Of The Additional Benefits

The advantages of the flexible circuit are realized in most applications needing higher volume flexing or a higher degree of that needed accuracy. A few of the basic applications include:

a) The Airbag systems
b) Antilock brakes
c) The Automotive engine control
d) Avionics
e) Battery packs
f) The Bar code tool
g) Calculators
h) Cell phones
i) Cameras
j) Pacemakers and heart monitors 
k) Fuel pumps
l) Printers
m) Hearing aids
n) GPS Systems
o) Motion systems
p) Satellites

All said and done; the flexible circuit board goes on to provide incredible electric performance. The low dielectric constant allows the electrical signal transmission; decent thermal properties make the cooling of the components easier.

Author Bio:

The author of this article is a content writer of Electronics Company. He shares his views on custom flexible printed circuits> & wire harness assembly manufacturer.