Flexible Circuit Design Guide.
Flexible Circuit Design Guide.
Copper is primarily used for circuit traces due to its cost-effectiveness, with thicknesses ranging from 0.0007" to 0.0028". Polyimide film serves as a common insulator. Specialty metals like stainless steel, BeCu, and Cupronickel are available for specific applications.
Tech-Etch offers plated through vias, blind vias, and buried vias for connecting different layers of flexible circuits. Laser drilling technology enables vias as small as 0.001" in diameter.
The coverlay, typically made from polyimide film, insulates conductors. For high-density applications, a Photo Imageable Coverlayer is used, eliminating the need for adhesive or lamination.
Finishing is essential for corrosion resistance and assembly compatibility. Options include electroplating and electroless finishes like ENIG and immersion tin, with RoHS compliance achievable through appropriate finish selection.
Stiffeners rigidize circuit areas, using polyimide film for thicknesses of 0.002"-0.009" and FR-4 for greater thicknesses. Metal or molded plastic stiffeners are also available.
Tech-Etch provides design guidelines for circuit layers, including line width, line spacing, and PTH dimensions, and offers assembly services for surface mount and through-hole components.
Flex circuits can be up to 16" long with up to 6 conductive layers. Shielding options include additional copper layers or conductive ink. Specifications for minimum bend radius and temperature limits are provided for different circuit types.
Tech-Etch offers design assistance and can accommodate various file formats for manufacturability feedback.
Tech-Etch employs polyimide etching, additive processes, and selective plating to create fine line circuits and contoured circuits with integral contact fingers.
Tech-Etch serves high-reliability applications in the medical, telecommunications, and industrial sectors, emphasizing customer service and engineered solutions.
Tech-Etch is a leader in precision parts manufacturing, offering processes such as photoetching, metal finishing, and flexible circuit production. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified and operates multiple facilities in the USA.
Catalog excerpts
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SINGLE LAYER FLEX CIRCUIT SOLDER ACCESS HOLE MATERIALS CONDUCTOR Copper is the most commonly used material for circuit traces and offers the most cost effective solution. Thickness typically ranges from .0007" to .0028". Tech-Etch works with both adhesive based and adhesiveless substrate materials. Tech-Etch also has the capability to manufacture circuits from specialty metals to support specific applications. Some examples are stainless steel for corrosion resistance, BeCu for spring properties, Cupronickel for high resistance applications, and selective tungsten segments when radiopacity is...
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FINISH Exposed pads will typically need a finish for corrosion resistance or compatibility with the assembly process or application. Electroplating is the most common finishing process. However, it can only be accomplished when all the conductors are connected to a common external bus during fabrication. Tech-Etch offers in-house electroplating of Tin, Tin Lead, Copper, Nickel, Soft Gold, and Hard Gold. Beryllium Copper Circuits Windowed Leads For designs where the traces cannot be bussed into the panel, electroless finishing options such as hot air solder leveling, immersion gold over electroless...
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ASSEMBLY / TEST MECHANICAL PROPERTIES Optimum Sizes Tech-Etch provides circuits up to 16" long. Multi-layer circuits up to 6 conductive layers are available. Consult factory for larger sizes. Shielding For designs requiring shielding, additional layers of copper can be added in solid or grid patterns. Conductive ink shield layers are also available. Tech-Etch offers value added assembly to provide turnkey solutions. Surface mount component package sizes down to 0201 and leaded components down to .4mm pitch are attached using our automated pick & place equipment. Tech-Etch also offers through...
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MARKETS Tech-Etch has specialized in the manufacture of high reliability flexible printed circuits for over 25 years. Our focus is on customer service and manufacturing Flex Circuits to your exact specifications. We have a proven history of providing value engineering support and supplying engineered solutions to customers in the most demanding applications. Flex Circuits manufactured by Tech-Etch can be found in Medical, Implantable, Telecommunications, Industrial, and other high reliability Electronics applications. FLEXIBLE CIRCUIT SPECIALTY PROCESSING Polyimide Etching By using our unique...
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A TOTAL CAPABILITY World Technology Leader Tech-Etch manufactures precision parts for the electronic, telecommunications, measurement and control, and medical device and equipment industries. Using the latest etching, metal fabrication and metal finishing equipment, Tech-Etch specializes in photoetching, forming and laminating engineered components, in addition to flexible circuits. The company has a long history of technological innovation, quality products, excellent customer service, and growth. From its beginnings as a research firm in 1964, Tech-Etch has expanded its product offerings, acquired...
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Flex Circuit Brochure6 Pages
