Rigid Flex PCB Manufacturing Capability
Rigid-flex printed circuit boards are boards using a combination of flexible and rigid board technologies in an application. Most rigid-flex boards consist of multiple layers of flexible circuit substrates attached to one or more rigid boards externally and/or internally, depending upon the design of the application. The flexible substrates are designed to be in a constant state of flex and are usually formed into the flexed curve during manufacturing or installation.
Rigid-flexible circuits can have circuit boards both externally or internally. They consist of multiple inner layers of flexible circuits. Advantages in rigid flexible circuits include high reliability and flexibility in design options. Rigid-flexible circuits contain more materials than flat flexible circuits. The materials include rolled annealed copper, electro deposited copper, epoxy, acrylic, pre-preg, pressure sensitive, adhesiveless base material, FR-4, polyimide, polyester, solder mask, flexible solder mask, and photo image-able cover lay. Rigid-flexible circuits are found in electronic products in many areas, such as, in the military and the medical field.
Rigid-flex designs are more challenging than the design of a typical rigid board environment, as these boards are designed in a 3D space, which also offers greater spatial efficiency. By being able to design in three dimensions rigid flex designers can twist, fold and roll the flexible board substrates to achieve their desired shape for the final application's package.

Rigid Flex Capabilities and Advantages
Because of a strong network with the best rigid-flex PCB manufacturers, San Francisco Circuits can provide our customers with rigid flex combination boards with a great variety of technologies, from complex multilayer rigid flex for commercial applications to high-reliability mil-spec printed circuit boards.
Rigid Flex PCB Fabrication Applications
Rigid-flexible PCB offers a wide array of applications, ranging from military weaponry and aerospace systems to cell phones and digital cameras. Increasingly, rigid flex board fabrication has been used in medical devices such as pacemakers for their space and weight reduction capabilities. The same advantages for rigid-flex PCB usage can be applied to military weaponry and weapon control systems
In consumer products, rigid flex doesn't just maximize space and weight but greatly improves reliability, eliminating many needs for solder joints and delicate, fragile wiring that are prone to connection issues. These are just some examples, but rigid-flex PCBs can be used to benefit nearly all advanced electrical applications including testing equipment, tools, and automobiles. Not sure what technology needs to be used for your project? Call our experts and we can help you figure out whether you need rigid flex, flex PCB, RF PCB or HDI PCB technology.
Learn more about JHY PCB by exploring the manufacturing capability of Rigid-Flex PCB below. We can do more than you can imagine.
Item
|
Manufacturing Capability
|
PCB Layers
|
1 - 12layers
|
Laminate
|
Flexible part: DuPont PI, Shengyi PI
|
Rigid part: PI/FR4
|
Maximum PCB Size(Length x Width)
|
406*610mm
|
Board Thickness
|
≤3.2mm
|
Finished board thickness tolerance
|
±2mil(±0.04m)
|
Copper Thickness
|
0.3oz - 1.0oz or higher
|
Min Tracing/Spacing
|
2.5mil/2.5mil
|
Min. Annular Ring
|
4mil
|
Min. Drilling Hole Diameter
|
8mil(0.2mm)
|
Min. hole size
|
8mil(0.2mm)
|
Min. finished via diameter
|
6mil(0.15mm)
|
Tolerance of dimension
|
3mil(0.076 mm)
|
Solder Mask Color
|
Green, White, Blue, Black, Red, Yellow
|
Silkscreen Color
|
White, Black, Yellow
|
Surface Finish
|
OSP
|
HASL(Hot Air Solder Leveling)
|
HASL Lead-Free
|
Flash Gold
|
ENIG (Electroless Nickle/Immersion Gold)
|
Immersion Tin
|
Immersion Silver
|
Special technologies
|
Impedance Control+/-10%
|
Gold fingers
|
The stiffener (PI/FR4)
|
Peelable solder mask
|
Rigid Flex PCB Technology and Production Process
Whether producing a rigid flex prototype or production quantities requiring large scale rigid-flex PCB fabrication and PCB assembly, the technology is well proven and reliable. The flex PCB portion is particularly good in overcoming space and weight issues with spatial degrees of freedom.
Careful consideration of flex-rigid solutions and a proper assessment of the available options at the early stages in the rigid-flex PCB design phase will return significant benefits. It is critical the rigid-flex PCB fabricator is involved early in the design process to ensure the design and fab portions are both in coordination and to account for final product variations.
The rigid-flex manufacturing phase is also more complex and time-consuming than rigid board fabrication. All the flexible components of the rigid flex assembly have completely different handling, etching, and soldering processes than rigid FR4 boards.
Rigid Flex Design and Fabrication Issues
During the rigid-flex PCB design process, certain considerations must be taken into account for final product size variations. In the manufacture of rigid flex boards, the flexible polyimide core will shrink once the bonded copper foil is etched away. This variation must be accounted for in the design process.
The final rigid flex assembly process requires the flex portions to be bent into shape, stressing the flex laminations with the potential to cause stress fractures.
We are experts in rigid flex fabrication.
We have many years experts who have advanced technologies and experience to create Rigid-Flex circuit boards with the best quality as per customer requiement. Our advanced manufacturing facilities safeguard the quality of our products surpasses your expectations, the teamwork with the customer from the start and to the final product is our expertise.
Additional Information
Flex-Rigid PCB Technology
Rigid Flex PCB Design Guidelines
2 Layer Rigid Flex PCB
What is a Rigid Flex PCB?
Rigid Flex Printed Circuits
Rigid Flex PCB Prototype
Flexible and Flex-Rigid PCB Applications
Rigid Flex Printed Circuit Boards