Rigid-Flex PCB Solution for Portable Devices

Challenge

OEMs often approach us to help them develop integrated solution(s) for portable devices across a broad range of industries. Imagine what a design for a military or commercial application would be subject to. It could need to withstand harsh shock and vibration conditions and needs be built so that the device is not easily broken. Each end product we manufacture needs to meet specific requirements depending on where and how the device will be used. As new technologies are developed, revisions are made so the existing products become slimmer, smaller, and lighter.

It is common to see packaging requirements for devices of this nature become an issue. With the decrease in size, the internal electronics need to be redesigned to fit the available space. For example, inside the molded plastic case, there may be a battery pack and a two button user interface. That wouldn't leave much space for multiple circuit boards and a type of interconnecting solution.

Solution

Once the engineering team has reviewed a customer's engineering data and the blueprint, the molded plastic casing process would proceed. Working directly with customer engineers, we are able to provide solutions that best fit for the minimal packaging requirements, like implementing a 6-layer rigid-flex circuit board.

6-Layer Rigid-Flex Circuit Board for a Portable Device

This rigid-flex PCB consisted of 4 high layer count rigid circuit board areas and 3 flexible circuit areas. The application required the flexible regions to be a "Bend Once to Fit" design, so we needed to take into consideration the bend radius for the flex portions once assembled.

Result

Having the engineering team work closely with customers early on in the design stage, allows us to eliminate all problems or even specific spacing issues that were a concern. Sometimes customers need a new product revision which is smaller, has a sleeker look and feel, and is truly a 100% integrated solution that removed all possible interconnects in design.

Looking For a Rigid-Flex PCB Manufacturer?

From design to production, our team of experienced engineers at Epec is here to help you design a production ready rigid-flex circuit board for your portable device.

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America's Oldest. A History of Innovation.

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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