Flex & Rigid-Flex Manufacturing Process

Below you will find our image gallery from the flex and rigid-flex manufacturing process. Including, material preparations, etch, drilling, plating, to final fabrication. See our blog post what it takes to manufacture flexible PCBs for more information.

  • Material Preparation (Pre-Clean)

    Material Preparation (Pre-Clean)
    Production panels chemically cleaned, prior to application of circuit forming photo resist film, to ensure proper film adhesion. Conveyorised process utilizing thin core handling equipped systems to prevent damage to ultra thin material cores.

  • Circuit Pattern Exposure

    Circuit Pattern Exposure
    Photo resist coated panels, overlayed with circuit artwork patterns, exposed with collimated UV light to transfer circuit image(s) to production panels. Both sides exposed simultaneously if required.

  • Etch Process

    Etch Process
    Circuit patterns chemically etched using specialized thin core handling equipped conveyorized systems. Both sides of panels etched simultaneously if required.

  • Drilling Process

    Drilling Process
    High speed, high precision, small hole capable, drilling systems create required circuit hole patterns in production panels. Laser based systems available for ultra small hole requirements.

  • Copper Plating Process

    Copper Plating Process
    Fully automated electrolytic copper plating systems deposit required additional copper within plated through holes to form layer to layer electrical interconnects.

  • Coverlay Application

    Coverlay Application
    Polyimide Coverlays aligned and tacked into place on production panels prior to Coverlay lamination process.

  • Coverlay Lamination

    Coverlay Lamination
    Coverlays laminated to production panels under heat, pressure and vacuum to ensure proper adhesion.

  • Stiffener Application

    Stiffener Application
    Localized additional stiffeners (if required by specific design) aligned and applied prior to additional lamination process under heat, pressure and vacuum.

  • Electrical Test

    Electrical Test
    100% netlist driven electrical test per IPC –ET-652. Simultaneous testing of all circuits for continuity and isolation. Both grid and flying probe test systems utilized.

  • Final Fabrication

    Final Fabrication
    Individual parts die cut from production panel using high precision male / female punch and die sets. Other methods include laser cutting, mechanical routing, steel rule dies and chemically milled dies depending upon specific design requirements.


Unsure of the Flex PCB Manufacturing Process?

Discover the intricacies of flex and rigid-flex pcb manufacturing to help you navigate your next project with confidence. Contact Epec for a custom solution.

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Over the past 70 years, the electronics manufacturing industry has changed dramatically as the industry continues to adapt to evolving demands and technology. Epec is at the forefront of innovation, with the expertise and agility to move at the speed of today’s businesses. At Epec, the customer comes first, and everything we do must be put through that filter. Whether it is developing e-commerce platforms to make it easier to work with us or creating a new product introduction (NPI) process that helps our customers get to market faster, we must focus on building the new. By doing that every day, and by always making the customer our top priority, we plan on being here for another 70 years and then some.

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