Name: Rigid-Flex PCB
Brand: PCB Printed Circuit Board and PCBA manufacturing
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

Description
Data Sheet

1. Definition of Rigid-Flex PCB

Derived from the development of Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) and Rigid Printed Circuit (PCB), Rigid-Flex PCB is a composite circuit board that integrates FPC and PCB. Through lamination and other professional processes, FPC and PCB are bonded in accordance with technical requirements, forming a single board that possesses both the flexibility of FPC and the structural stability of PCB.

2. Manufacturing Process & Quality Control

2.1 Equipment Requirements

The production of Rigid-Flex PCB requires both FPC and PCB manufacturing equipment, due to its composite structure of flexible and rigid layers.

2.2 Core Manufacturing Process

1. Material Selection;
2. Production Process Design & Key Process Control;
3. Inner Layer Single-Sheet Pattern Transfer;
4. Flexible Material Multi-Layer Positioning;
5. Lamination; 6. Drilling;
7. De-drilling & Protrusion Etching;
8. Electroless Copper Plating & Electroplating;
9. Surface Solder Mask & Solderability Protection;
10. Shape Processing.

rigid flex PCB manufacturing process

1 Material selection

2 Production process and control of key parts

2.1 Production process

2.2 Graphic transfer of the inner monolithic

2.3 Multi-layer positioning of flexible materials

2.4 Laminating

2.5 Drilling

2.6 De-drilling and protruding corrosion

2.7 Electroless copper plating, copper electroplating

2.8 Surface solder mask and solderability protective layer

2.9 Shape processing

2.3 Key Lamination Process Notes

• Alignment Control: Even with OPE positioning hole punching, single-sheet processing before lamination significantly affects inter-layer alignment accuracy.
• Glass Cloth Direction: Ensure consistent warp and weft directions of glass cloth during substrate or prepreg lamination, and eliminate thermal stress to reduce warpage.
• Rigid Layer Thickness: The rigid PCB layer should have an appropriate thickness (0.8~1.0mm is recommended) to avoid warpage caused by thermal shock and environmental factors, ensuring welding reliability without excessive weight or cost.
• Flexible Window Processing: Adopt pre-milling or post-milling according to the board structure and thickness;
Maxipcb adopts laser cutting for flexible window waste removal after pre-process completion, ensuring processing accuracy without affecting welding and deflection.

2.4 Quality Inspection

Due to the high process difficulty, high precision requirements and high product value of Rigid-Flex PCB, strict pre-shipment inspection is implemented to avoid benefit losses for both suppliers and customers.

3. Core Advantages of Rigid-Flex PCB

• High Environmental Adaptability: Excellent impact and vibration resistance, suitable for high-stress environments to ensure stable equipment performance.
• High Reliability: Ideal for high-precision applications where reliability is prioritized over cost, avoiding failures caused by cable or connector defects.
• High Density: Saves installation space, solving the problem of insufficient connector and cable surface area in compact components.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Replaces multiple rigid PCBs (more than 4 connected boards) with a single Rigid-Flex PCB, reducing assembly complexity and overall costs.

rigid flex pcb

4. Application Fields

4.1 Industrial & Medical

Applied in industrial control and medical equipment, requiring high reliability, precision, low impedance loss, stable signal transmission and durability, with relatively high cost due to complex processes.

4.2 Automotive Electronics

Widely used in steering wheel button-to-motherboard connection, in-vehicle video system, door-side audio/function key connection, reversing radar, image system, sensors (air quality, temperature and humidity, etc.), vehicle communication, satellite navigation, and front-rear control panel connection.

4.3 Consumer Electronics

• DSC & DV: Focus on performance and structural optimization.
• Mobile Phones: Applied in folding hinge, camera module, keypad and RF module, realizing component integration and stable signal transmission.

4.4 Rigid-Flex PCB Adapter

A transition product for PCB connection testing, widely used in LCD, in-vehicle TV, industrial control, medical equipment, computers, communication devices, audio, home appliances and digital cameras.

5. Design Guidelines for Rigid-Flex PCB

5.1 Layer Stackup Design

• FPC layers should be designed on the same sheet and as close to the middle as possible.
• 8-Layer Rigid-Flex PCB: Top/Bottom as single sheets; 2/3, 4/5, 6/7 layers, with FPC layer priority: 4/5 > 2/3=6/7.
• 10-Layer Rigid-Flex PCB: T, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7, 8/9, B layers, with FPC layer priority: 4/5=6/7 > 2/3=8/9.

4 layer rigid flex PCB stackup

5.2 Structural Design

• Flexible PCB can be inserted into the board to meet bending radius and space requirements, with a minimum soft-hard gap of 1mm; soft-hard branch spacing ≥0.8mm, rigid-rigid board spacing ≥2mm.
• Flexible PCB length ≥5mm (minimum 4mm to ensure processability), related to bending angle and radius. • Consider 3D structure of bent boards to avoid device installation interference.
• Rigid-Flex junction should adopt arc transition (recommended radius ≥0.5mm, 6.35mm preferred if conditions allow).

5.3 Wiring & Device Layout

• Adjacent layers of flexible PCB use staggered wiring to avoid overlap, improving flexibility and bending life.
• Flexible PCB wiring should be straight; corners use arc transition if limited by structure.
• For non-impedance-controlled cross-flexible signals with copper requirements, grid copper is recommended.
• For impedance-controlled cross-flexible signals, a reference plane must be retained, and impedance line width should be calculated separately to avoid abrupt changes.
• Devices should be kept away from flexible PCB areas; if installed, pads should be set on the corresponding soft layer.
• Devices in rigid areas should be ≥1mm away from the Rigid-Flex junction; rigid area holes should be ≥2mm away from the soft-hard junction.
• Flexible PCB should avoid drilling as much as possible.

2/3=6/7.\n• 10-Layer Rigid-Flex PCB: T, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7, 8/9, B layers, with FPC layer priority: 4/5=6/7 > 2/3=8/9."},"attribs":{"0":"*0|2+5r*0+2v"}},"apool":{"numToAttrib":{"0":["author","3622218637786041"]},"nextNum":1}},"align":"left"}},"Q3n5fY4K7drL6ecnJPacjq1ZnID":{"id":"Q3n5fY4K7drL6ecnJPacjq1ZnID","snapshot":{"type":"heading3","parent_id":"STWlfWxN1dP0oCcabSMcHspLnqf","comments":[],"revisions":[],"locked":false,"hidden":false,"author":"3622218637786041","children":[],"text":{"initialAttributedTexts":{"text":{"0":"5.2 Structural Design"},"attribs":{"0":"*0+l"}},"apool":{"numToAttrib":{"0":["author","3622218637786041"]},"nextNum":1}},"align":"left"}},"O1zBfiExMdhNJkchEBec6l5UnUh":{"id":"O1zBfiExMdhNJkchEBec6l5UnUh","snapshot":{"type":"text","parent_id":"STWlfWxN1dP0oCcabSMcHspLnqf","comments":[],"revisions":[],"locked":false,"hidden":false,"author":"3622218637786041","children":[],"text":{"initialAttributedTexts":{"text":{"0":"• Flexible PCB can be inserted into the board to meet 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6. Cost & Maxipcb Service Advantages

The manufacturing cost of Rigid-Flex PCB is significantly higher than that of single FPC or PCB, mainly due to material differences (thermal expansion coefficient, adhesion) and complex processes. As a professional Rigid-Flex PCB supplier, Maxipcb provides cost-effective solutions, fast quotation responses, one-stop Rigid-Flex PCB assembly services, and focuses on manufacturing high-quality Rigid-Flex PCB prototypes.

7. Supporting Capabilities & Services

7.1 Surface Finishing

OSP, ENIG, Lead-Free HASL, Plated Gold, Flash Gold, Immersion Tin, Immersion Silver, Electrolytic Gold (meeting welding, conductivity and environmental reliability requirements).

7.2 Manufacturing Capabilities

Golden Finger Beveling, Heavy Copper Fabrication, Blind & Buried Via Processing, Precision Impedance Control, Resin-Filled Vias, Carbon Ink Printing, Backdrilling, Countersink Machining, Depth-Controlled Drilling, Half-Plated Holes, Press-Fit Holes, Peelable Blue Mask, Peelable Solder Stop, Thick Copper Circuitry, Oversized Board Customization.

7.3 Service Commitment

One-stop solutions: design optimization, technical consultation, prototyping, mass production and after-sales support. Maxipcb strives to be a trusted partner for global high-end Rigid-Flex PCB needs.

8. Industry Prospect

With the development of smart devices towards high integration, light weight and miniaturization, and the personalized production requirements of Industry 4.0, Rigid-Flex PCB will play an increasingly important role in various high-tech fields with its unique advantages.

Model : 8Layers Rigid-Flex PCB(R-FPCB)

Material : FR4 + PI

Construction : FR4 4L+FLEX 4L

Finished Thickness : 0.2mm+0.8mm

Copper Thickness : 1OZ

Color : Green /White

Surface Treatment : Immersion Gold

Min Trace / Space : 5mil/5mil

Min Hole : Mechanical Hole0.2mm

Application : Equipment switching PCB

Rigid-Flex PCB

Description

Data Sheet