As a PCB designer, you need to make sure that you are always staying up to date with the best practices in order to create the best possible design. Rigid flex circuits are one of the most popular forms of PCB but how can you create an effective one?

Here, we are going to tell you about some of the best practices of designing a rigid flex circuit. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more.

Keeping It Flexible

When we talk about a rigid flex circuit, it may seem obvious that you need to keep it flexible but how much flex do you need? The amount of flex needed depends entirely on the product that you are creating and how often it is going to need to be folded or bent. If you are creating a product that will involve your circuit bending a lot, then you might need to reduce some of the layers. This will ensure that the rigid flex circuit stays intact.

Don’t Bend At Corners

Another best practice that you should keep in mind when working on a rigid flex circuit board design is to avoid bending at the corners. You should try to keep your copper traces at right-angles as this will help with the overall design. Of course, this is not always possible, as some designs require you to bend your traces at the corner. In general, try to follow this best practice and you will see your design improve over time.

Try To Avoid Width Changes

When you are working on your rigid flex circuit design, you might need to change the widths of the traces. While this is acceptable you should make sure that you avoid abruptly changing your widths as this will cause a weak spot to form on the circuit. You should try your best to taper down the pads on your circuit in order to avoid this and keep it functioning for longer.

Use Hatched Polygons

The final best practice that you should know about when working on a rigid flex design projects is that you should always try to use hatched polygons. If you do this then you will be able to retain a high level of flexibility in your circuit and won’t have to worry about things not going right. Make sure to have a look at some guidance on how you can do this as you will want to get it right in order to create a perfect circuit board.

Final Verdict  

In any sort of circuit board design, there are some best practices that you need to know about. If you are tasked with designing rigid flex circuit boards then you should make sure to take on board all of the advice that we have given you in this article. This way, you can create an effective PCB and be sure that your design is going to last the test of time.