Advantages of Flexible PCBs

FlexiblePCBsupplierChina talk there are several pros of flex circuit boards as compared to conventional electrical connections.  Here are some pros of flex-circuits:

It completely eliminates mechanical connections.
Having the capability to produce a strong and reliable signal.
It tolerates a huge temperature.
Due to its flexibility, it is not breakable easily that makes it reliable.
You can easily bend and fold it, resulting in a smaller size.
It covers a very small area due to its smaller size.
Flex circuits are lightweight.

Disadvantages of flex circuit boards
There are a few disadvantages to this board.  Here are some cons of flex-circuits:

Although it is durable, the initial cost of this circuit board is quite high.
It is extremely difficult to make any change in this circuit board after finalizing it.
Its rework and soldering require a professional team of engineers.

When to use FPC?
Flexible printed circuit boards consist of polyimide or something similar.  They can tolerate extreme temperatures even between 200 and 400C.  So it is important to use a flex circuit when developing a high temperature and density applications.  For example, for borehole measurements in different gas and oil industries, they have good usage.

As they can withstand heats, they have also good resistance for chemicals, radiation and UV exposure.  So it is extremely useful for all such applications dealing with chemicals and so on.

Why not make all flexible PCB?
Flexible circuit boards have many benefits and have priority in several factors from other PCB types.  However, in spite of all benefits, it still can’t replace rigid circuit boards entirely.  Cost is one of the main obstacles in the way of flexible PCBs.

Many companies use flexible circuitry when required.  Otherwise, they use rigid for manufacturing and assembling to keep the cost down.