How is Flex PCB Stiffener applied?

Flexible circuits are widely used in electronic products. FPC is a highly reliable flexible printed circuit board made of polyimide or polyester film as the base material. Because Flex PCB has low mechanical strength and is easy to crack, it is necessary to add the stiffener to strengthen the strength of FPC.

Stiffener includes steel, FR4, PI, and aluminum., to solve the flexibility characteristics of FPC, improve the strength of the plug-in part, and facilitate the overall assembly of the product.  So, what are the mounting methods of the FPC flexible circuit board stiffener? The following article will explain in detail.

1. Manual method 

Due to the wide variety of FPCs, different sizes, and various types of bonding reinforcements, manual methods are currently the main method, but manual hand-attaching methods are slow and inaccurate, which can no longer be used for FPC flexible circuits boards to meet production needs.

2. Stamping method 

Use stamping equipment to stamp the reinforcement board, and attach the stamped reinforcement board to the FPC flexible circuit board. In order to realize the bonding process, the FPC needs to be transported to the stamping equipment. In the prior art, the FPC needs to be placed on the transfer tray, and the transfer tray is transported to the stamping equipment through linear motion. In order to make the FPC align with the reinforced plate that has been stamped and formed, multiple linear motions are required to complete the alignment process. , The adjustment steps are more complicated and time-consuming.

3. Suction method 

The gantry structure is adopted, and the FPC flexible circuit board is transported to the placement position by means of a jig through rail transportation, the placement head is positioned at the MARK point, and the reinforcing sheet is sucked on the automatic feeder, and the compensation is performed through visual recognition. The strong film is compensated for precise placement. This method has high placement accuracy and fast speed, and can fully meet the needs of mass production.