Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

Flex circuits have many unique capabilities to solve design challenges. One of these is a lap joint capability that allows a flexible circuit board to be directly attached to another circuit or component eliminating the need for any type of connector.

Contrary to some customers’ perspectives, flex circuits are not indestructible. As with any part that contains a metal if it is bent or handled beyond its physical capabilities it will break. In this blog, we will cover the 3 main causes of fractured or cracked circuits in a flex design and how to prevent them from occurring. We’ll also review how to determine the minimum bend capabilities of a flexible circuit board design.

When bringing a new project to market that involves an injection molded enclosure, there will be critical design and sourcing decisions that can have a tremendous impact on the overall project.

While PCB layout typically has played the leading role in high-speed printed circuit board (PCB) applications, the role of the PCB fabricator becomes more and more important as the trend to faster, higher integrated, smaller form factors, and lower power electronic circuits become more prevalent.

Heat dissipation is the ability of a part, whether a circuit or any other component, to take the heat that's being generated by a component or an element of the design and to distribute it, dissipate it, and make the heat go away, for lack of a better phrase. This prevents the temperature of the part from continuing to elevate as the device is operated.

A membrane switch is a particular type of custom switch assembly built to either open or close an electrical circuit's conducting path. Each layer in the assembly serves its own unique purpose. Custom features can easily be added with the design considerations.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems and software began replacing drawing boards during the 1980s. Today, there’s hardly an engineer anywhere who uses pencil and paper to produce engineering drawings. Everyone uses CAD, for the simple reason that it offers many advantages.

When designing a custom cable assembly, it can be more in-depth than you would initially think. All you have to do is make connections, right? What could be intricate about that? If care is not taken during the design process, it could lead to unintentional failures or incorrect functionality down the line.

Flexibility is a critical element in most flexible circuit board designs. Whether it’s to meet a tight “one-time bend-to-fit” application or a “dynamic” infinite bend cycle application. To meet these requirements, a flex circuit design must be kept as thin as practically possible, use the correct copper type, and utilize the correct copper plating process.

Magnetism is such a fascinating and important phenomenon that our world quite literally would not exist without it. Magnetic fields, electromotive force, and electromagnetism are wildly complex subjects while at the same time and at a high level, somewhat simple to understand. What is important is that these principles help electric motors run, earth’s magnetosphere shield civilization, and refrigerator magnets stick unless, of course, your appliances are stainless steel.