Converting a Rigid PCB and Wire Assembly into a Flexible PCB Solution
Challenge
An OEM for laboratory instruments and accessories approached Epec initially through our sales team, from one of our sales managers who had worked with the customer on previous projects. The customer brought to our attention a “challenging part” that they were assembling in-house and asked if there was an opportunity to convert this into a fully integrated flex circuit design.
This product was still in the early design and development stage for the customer. Their initial solution was based on the very common scenario of multiple printed circuit boards interconnected with hand-soldered wires, which served their purposes during the prototyping and the initial production release.
As they moved into higher volume production, they came to realize that they had both a reliability concern, due to some of the parts failing due to wiring issues, and that the manual assembly process was more costly and time-consuming than they originally anticipated.
Solution
The main reason they approached us was for support, as they were aware of flex circuits and what flex circuitry could accomplish, but had no in-house experience with flexible PCB designs or with the process of converting an existing cable assembly design into a flex circuit product.
Their initial question to us was: "This is what we have. Is it worth considering a flex solution for it?" During our initial review, we quickly identified that it was a good candidate that merited further investigation.
From the preliminary information supplied by the customer, we created a budgetary quote. This provided them with a relatively accurate cost for the flex solution. From the customer’s review of our quote, they quickly realized that they were able to achieve both of their goals of eliminating the reliability issues and cost-savings on the final assembly.
In this specific case, the flex circuit solution was more expensive than the cost of the original individual rigid boards and wires, but once the assembly costs were included, it resulted in the flexible PCB solution being more cost-effective with the added benefit of eliminating reliability concerns.
The process moving forward was a common one for this type of application. The customer supplied us with the drawings of their final assembly and pictures of their existing wired solution. The customer was also able to create a “paper doll” sample part to confirm form, fit, and function. We were then able to take that information and create the Gerber data for the flex-based solution, which eliminated all wiring.
We initially reviewed their inquiry, determined that it was a viable solution, and provided them with a budgetary quote for their internal cost analysis, which resulted in a positive response. The project is currently in process and is approximately 50% complete. A mock-up of the design was sent to the customer to confirm the dimensions of the flex circuit. We also created the circuitry that replaces the wired connections, so the customer can perform the final component assembly in-house.
Result
All the customer's targets were achieved. Their concerns with the original design were twofold. It was a 50/50 balance between the excessive costs of the assembled wired solution and the reliability issues that they had come to experience. The flexible circuit board solution reduced their total costs and eliminated all reliability concerns.
Looking To Convert a PCB and Wire Harness Into A Flexible PCB?
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