Use Of Rigid Flex Circuit Boards In Aerospace, Medical And Military Industry

Rigid flex boards: a perfect blend of rigidity and flexibility

As per the current market statistics, the stakes of rigid-flexible circuit board are expected to reach a magnanimous amount of US$ 5316.3 Mn by the fiscal year 2026. The expected CAGR growth rate in the period from 2018-2026 for these boards are around 4.3%.

Usage

This paradigm growth is enough to prove the vitality and inevitability of these boards in domains like aerospace, medical and defense, etc. Here are some of the properties and usage of Rigid-Flex Circuit Boards that you must know about:

·         Light-weighted

The lightweight of Rigid-Flex Circuit Boards make it inevitable for space crafts and military devices. These boards can fit in where no other device fits. For space crafts, a reduction in packaging size is a crucial target. Flex PCBs are perfect for lightweight packing ratio. They can be folded, contoured and fitted in smallest of areas. They can very well be packed by using 3D geometry, leading to a substantial reduction in space. Flex circuits lead to a reduction in wiring lengths.

·         Durability

The flex PCB boards are highly durable, especially in extreme conditions.

ü  Due to the elimination of various soldering, joints, and many other forms of connections the reliability of circuits increases

ü  As the number of interconnecting circuits and wires are less the risks of power failures is minimised. This acts as a USP for spacecraft’s and biomedical devices

ü  Due to the low mass of circuit the chances of shock, vibration or other more of stress is low. Also the performance is improved to a great extent

ü  The use of polyimide and thermal the compliant base film makes the flex boards thermostable in even extreme temperatures conditions.

·         Cost saver

The reduced space along with use of thin polyimide films and also the cross cutting in the use of extensive wires, pins, solders etc. reduces the overall board cost to a great extent. Also assembling and testing for flex boards are much easier than traditional soldered boards. Considerable amounts are saved in that front as well

·         High temperature and high density

Here’s how flex PCBs combat the issue

ü  The base material of polyimide have higher rate of heat dissipation than other dielectric materials

ü  Generally the substrate materials can be exposed to extreme temperatures as high as 200 to 400 degree Celsius without any potential threat to circuit.

ü  The thermal expansion and contraction phenomenon due to frequent temperature changes are minimal in flex circuits

ü  Flex circuits are generally resistant to oil, acid, gases, UV as well as offers excellent radiation abilities.

ü  Flex materials and substrates have better control over impedance as they have been seen to work very well in high speed impedance controlled designs.

·         Shielding

Flex boards can be very well used in shielding applications like for EMI and RF shielding along with multiple other options including silver ink, copper layers, EMF shielding etc.

Thus to conclude, it can easily be stated that as rigid flex boards are light in weight and has flexible abilities to withstand wide range of stress and conditions, they are perfect for usage in latest equipment used in spacecraft, biomedical engineering and defence engineering.