Rigid Flex, or printed circuit board technology, has given designers the flexibility to expand on the types of applications whose cost or space once posed a limitation. Designers can replace the multiple printed circuit boards that were interconnected with connector wires and ribbon cable and produce products with improved performance and reliability. Rigid Flex gives designers the freedom to take advantage of recent manufacturing techniques that require cables to remain flexible over time.

You can experiment with applications that range from high performance assault weapons to lower end items, such as digital cameras. Your electronic circuits will take up less space in their design, and the overall weight of the finished product is reduced. This advance in technology has made it possible to increase the effectiveness and lifespan of smaller medical implants, such as pacemakers and hearing aids. The flexible wires in newer hearing aids has extended their life and reduced their failure rates due to its wiring not bending. With Rigid Flex, you can give consumers a better quality product at a more affordable price.

The possibilities of products made with Rigid Flex have more engineers adopting it for their consumer products. The combo-multilayer product can improve the attractiveness dependability and economy of your products. You can produce products that have complex designs, make use of interior volume and make use of intricate routing of wiring to switches and I/O devices.

Using Rigid Flex will eliminate your worries about fragile wires and soldered joints. And, without these worries you can improve the overall appearance and performance of items.

Our passion is manufacturing high-end printed circuit board products and services that are set in a highly competitive price point. This allows clients to seek viable and affordable solutions for their PCB board needs. We offer a wide collection of products, such as PCBs and aluminum boards that are used by various commercial brands of the latest applications on the market, including in the telecommunication, compute, and automotive industries.

Finpo houses an expert team of R&D experts who are working to solve each and every client’s technical problems and issues that may arise with their purchased aluminum board or PCBs. In addition, we set an extremely low minimum order value and low tooling fees that make our company a much better option for PCB prototyping within mid-volume production necessities. On top of that, Finpo is capable of rendering the lowest costs for immediate requests. T

Our primary objective is to become the most sought after company and top choice for PCB requirements and needs. We believe that we provide all of our products with much better design checks and problem-solving plus better customer support services than other PCB board manufacturers, from initial acquisition of quotes to delivery of the product right to your doorstep. Should you have any printed circuit board needs, never hesitate to contact us! We look forward to working with you.

What is a Prototype PCB?

A prototype PCB is just like your regular PCB board. However, unlike mass-production, only one or a few are made. This gives you the chance to really test out the PCB to see if there are any errors, and to ensure that it matches your needs. If the PCB is too slow, faulty, or doesn’t work to your standards, then you can head back to the drawing board to find a design that is better suited for your needs. This is much cheaper than the full manufacturing process and it keeps you from making errors down the line.

People don’t like to get faulty or improperly working hardware. Selling thousands of products with PCBs that don’t work could be a death sentence for your company. You will have to make a recall, which is very costly, and your customers will be understandably upset. This leads to a huge cost and a large decrease in loyal customers. To avoid this, you should always make a prototype PCB before mass-producing them.

Choosing the Right Manufacturer

Finpo is one of the most experienced and reliable prototype PCB manufacturers in the business. With 33 years of experience, Finpo knows exactly what to do and will always build your PCB according to your standards. Not only that, but we have the best parts to select from. This ensures that you can easily customize your PCB to your exact liking. This is great for people who are making their first PCB or for those that want to try out new technology.

Ordering a prototype PCB is one of the many things you have to do before your hardware will be ready to sell; this gives you to opportunity to really test out the board before deciding to use it. We have the experience and skill to make your PCB prototype a reality, so don’t hesitate to contact us for all of your printed circuit board needs.

According to DesignWorld Online, flexible PCB boards have been on the rise recently, helping mobile prototype designers squeeze more computing power into thinner, sleeker packages. With thin films carrying all the computational connections of a traditional PCB board, flexible PCB boards can protect the circuitry from thermal threats. As internal parts heat up during operation, circuit connections are in danger of becoming damaged. Thick, composite materials like glass fibers and fiberglass cloths served to prevent damage. But flexible boards work as well, offering more space to designers and keeping projects manageable for PCB manufacturers.

Flexible boards do have their drawbacks. The more flexible these boards become, the more prone they are to shortcomings. Ingredients used to improve flex performance often result in a companion reduction in thermal stability and even electrical performance. Make sure your PCB team is watching these risks closely to ensure that you are getting the most secure design you can.

Once you have double checked the thermal stability, you can rest easily knowing that product manufacturing will be a breeze. Flexible circuit boards offer easier installation and can allow for greater computing power and a more feature-rich user experience in your finished product. No wonder these boards are on the rise.

PCB manufacturing often forces many hard choices. From leaving out critical features to stacking components to save space, printed circuit board companies are often working on a time crunch and space is always at a premium. A flexible PCB board that can be fit into tight spaces and can add another type of housing for these critical components may be a major innovation for technology creators.

The revelation came out when the US Patent & Trademark Office released Apple’s various patent applications, causing the rumor mills to begin turning. With Apple’s iPhone 4S barely in the rearview mirror, Apple’s next product rollout will likely not come until the second quarter. But blogs like Patently Apple and MacGasm have already begun speculating on what these patents could become. From more advanced cameras to better keyboards, Apple will have a few new ideas to work with.

In keeping with trends seen in previous reports, rigid PCB shipments and bookings increased compared to the previous month. Rigid shipments increased 7.2% and rigid bookings increased 10.7%. Even though Rigid PCB board shipments were down 3.6%, bookings were up 0.1% in December 2011 from December 2010. This small increase is a positive for the industry as 2011paled in comparison to 2010 in most categories. This slight increase over 2010 shows a slight improvement for the sector that, like many industry sectors, has struggled to rebound from global recession.

The book-to-bill ratio was another bright spot, reaching parity in December for the first time since last summer. This shows that quick turn PCB professionals are finding ways to increase production speed, signaling a boon for an industry so based on timing as 2012 begins.

While overall sales ended the year 1.9% below 2010, report authors noted several positive signs for the future.

“North American PCB sales ended the year down 1.9% over 2010, but current indicators point to a resumption of modest growth in 2012,” Sharon Starr, IPC Market Research Director said in a statement.

In order to save time, many product designers look for ways they can speed up the process of submission and PCB manufacturing so no one has to wait around.

Convert All Files: Somewhere between your design team’s autocad and drawing files to the manufacturer’s workbench, a conversion process must occur so that these files can be read more efficiently by the manufacturing firm. By converting these drawings to gerber files in advance, you save precious time that the manufacturer doesn’t have on a quick turn PCB project. Some manufacturers even offer these tools to their customers in advance so everyone is on the same page before the project begins. These tools can often prevent costly errors that can slow down production.

Area Calculation: By ensuring that all components fit in the area provided, you ensure that your printed circuit board will be right the first time. The more calculations you provide, the more control you have over the final product. Manufacturers can make sure that everything works together and that you are getting the best possible materials. But by ensuring the calculations are all correct in the blueprint, you ensure that everything will run smoothly when it is time to build.

Clarity In Direction: A clean, expedited manufacturing process is all about communication. Make sure you, as a designer, have conveyed everything to your manufacturer that you want accomplished and if there are special circumstances. Your manufacturer should know everything you know in terms of what goes where, why it goes there and what, if any, negative outcomes or possible errors they should be on the lookout for.

But now that everyone has had a peak at the iPhone 4S, Apple’s newest iteration of its revolutionary smartphone, consultants at informational think tank TechInsights have taken viewers behind the curtain, into the printed circuit board, the battery housing, the camera, the speakers and the USB connector with an interactive video teardown. This handy tool explores the layout of one of the most advanced technological devices on the market today for engineers looking for ideas for their next project.

With the TechInsights interactive video, viewers get a PCB sample, complete with inside information on the component and PCB manufacturers responsible, the specs of each piece and the layout of all attached chips and wires. Short of voiding your warranty with an in-person teardown, TechInsights does it all.

When creating a prototype PCB, it is important to know what has worked in the past and how you can connect all the working functions of your computer or tech device together. Not only is the iPhone 4S one of the most popular smartphones on the market, it is also Apple’s thinnest yet, utilizing space on the front and back of the board, and creating great economy out of a printed circuit board that barely takes up half of the phone’s internal space.

In addition to the video, TechInsights also explores several of the components in greater depth. The Apple A5 processor, Qualcomm chipset and Broadcom wi-fi and Bluetooth center all get a second look.

No retailers are happier than those in the printed circuit board business.
According to electronics industry trade group IPC, Orders of North American circuit boards and flexible circuits in September declined 18.4 percent from the same month one year ago. But while the whole industry has experienced a down year, the arrival of fall has been kind to PCB manufacturers. Compared to August, circuit board shipments increased 3.5 percent in September, heralding a victory for the industry looking to rebound through the fall as customers return to prototyping and preparing products for 2012.

Flexible circuits also rebounded, the IPC report stated.
Compared to the previous month, September shipments of flexible circuits increased by 20.1 percent, offering a strong statement on the state of the circuit industry for prototype PCBs in 2012.

As the year continues and American demand for electronics rises, many IPC analysts predict that printed circuit boards will continue to rebound this fall.

Whether you’re looking for standard printed circuit boards or multilayer PCBs, we’re here to help. Our job is to support you and your projects, and we want your experience with Finpo to be as smooth as possible. From start to finish, you can be sure that our experienced group of employees has your best interests in mind. We will always do our best to keep up with the timelines on your quick turn PCB or prototype PCB orders because we know how crucial speed and efficiency is to success.

With the PCB board industry experiencing a rise in orders and shipments over the past few months, Finpo is ready to meet your needs. Get a free instant quote on our website, and if your printed circuit board needs fall outside of the scope of our instant quote calculator, we can still help! Simply send us a message and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Thanks for choosing Finpo – we look forward to working with you on your next PCB board project.