Flexible PCBs Supporting the New Wave of Electronic Products

The electronics industry is witnessing a new wave of change. A number of miniaturized products are now available. Many commercial products are being designed to be worn by the user. At the same time, there is a demand for better speeds, and small packaging densities. All these aspects have to be taken into consideration by flex PCB manufacturers during PCB assembly. 

A Brief Look at one Application Industry

Let us take the example of the medical device market. This is one of the fast growing markets in the world. In this industry, you have equipment such as wireless healthcare units, and remote patient monitoring systems. Many of the devices used by doctors or patients are now wearable. These devices require miniature components, thinner materials, and custom circuit geometries.

For such requirements, the standard 1 ounce copper will not be equitable. With the reduction in densities, PCBs will need to be constructed with materials between 9 and 12 microns. 

The Solution for the Issue

Flexible printed circuit boards are the answer to this new requirement. Flex circuits can be designed in small sizes, thus assisting in the product miniaturization process. They can be designed in almost any thickness level, depending on the manufacturing materials. They are not limited by the standard PCB thickness ranging from .031 to .062ʺ. 

They can create strong interconnections, while supporting assembly and packaging processes. Overall, they provide a dynamic electro-mechanical solution. Flex PCBs are particularly useful for PCB assembly processes. They can be configured with repeatable conductors that ensure no errors in the assembly process.

These various points are the reasons behind the continual popularity of Flex PCBs. The points justify manufacturers choosing flex circuits rather than rigid PCB designs. With more custom flex designs being created by manufacturers, the new wave of electronics components will be extremely successful.

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4 Mechanical Components That Help Create Reliable PCBs

When designing a PCB, it is important to pay attention to the components and other supportive structures. Every product has some limitations. This takes place due to the raw materials used, technological drawbacks, or human errors. Either way, there are some factors beyond the control of current technologies. Hence, it is imperative that we identify these limitations and include design components that resolve them.

Modifications to Improve on Current PCB Designs

The following components can be included in a Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing to counteract its limitations:

1. Stiffeners

The weak points of any PCB are the soldered joints. Solder is inflexible and it can break when the application is in operation. Hence, stiffeners are used to support soldered components and joints.

2. PSAs

PSAs act as double sided tape helping affix the board within an enclosure. PSAs can be made available to dissipate heat, be electrically conductive, or shield from interferences.

3. RF & EMI Shielding

Some applications are EMI or RF sensitive. Hence, the PCB needs to feature protective layers to shield it from these radiations and interferences. Special films or silver ink layers can be used to shield the PCB effectively. The material can be chosen depending on the magnitude and intensity of these interferences.

4. Epoxy Strain Relief

If a bend is situated too close to the rigid board or a stiffener, there is a high chance that the circuit could break. A drop of epoxy on this interface can help in reducing the strain to a large extent, keeping the circuit intact.

These components not only counterbalance the limitations of materials, components, and technologies but also increase the efficiency and reliability of PCBs. You can incorporate these components to give your PCB a practical edge.

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5 Precautions to Take When Fabricating PCBs

Certain precautions need to be taken when working with Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). These precautions need to be taken at all stages of PCB fabrication.

Precautions to Take When Fabricating PCBs

When working around PCBs, certain precautions needs to be followed for your own safety.

1. The different steps involved in PCB fabrication are complex. Hence, it is important for the fabricator to work in a well-lit place. A visually enhanced workplace will ensure that the technician/ engineer work with maximum efficiency. 
2. Since the PCB comprises many small components. It is imperative to work with forks and pins of the appropriate sizes. This will ensure accurate installation and keep you from causing any damage to the components. 
3. Wearing the right safety gear will ensure that you are protected at all times. Wearing goggles is important to protect your eyes from any undesirable fumes emitted by the acids used, as well as from any parts that may fly off if not handled properly. Hand gloves are also essential during the entire fabrication process. Protective gloves will keep you safe from any harmful effects of chemicals used during the fabrication process. Most gloves will also provide you with better grip. 
4. When checking the connection of the PCB, ensure that the power source is functioning well and is compatible with the voltage required by the PCB. Using the wrong voltage can lead to electric shocks, short circuits, and other such problems. 
5.  As the final step, it is important to check all the connections and installation of the components. Loose connections are the primary source for short circuits. The components need to be firmly installed onto the PCB.

If you are unsure about any procedure, you should consult a manual, professional, or your vendor. Following these steps should help increase your efficiency when designing and fabricating PCBs. Safe and secure handling of the PCB is essential for your own safety as well as to create a well-functioning PCB.

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The Importance of Best Practices in Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing

The immensely growing competition in the printed circuit board manufacturing industry is creating a situation of ‘survival of the fittest’. Quality is still the name of the game, and companies are doing their best to ensure that they stay ahead.

While new technologies and custom designs will provide support, the inherent factor is the manufacturing process that is followed by companies. To ensure that the process always stays at a high level of excellence, best practices need to be followed.

Back to Basics

This is something you may have heard before. However, it doesn’t stop it from being true. Consistent use of practical techniques can provide superior results in printed circuit board manufacturing. Best practices can also be used in process analysis to identify any areas that need improvement.

• Annular Rings: These can be used to help reduce costs when it comes to board thickness and drilled holes. Smaller holes mean that annular rings can be used to maintain performance and durability. The small size can lead to lesser costs for the customers. Generally, the annular ring widths are of 0.005″.
• Greater Spaces and Traces: The smaller the size of the spaces and traces, the higher your costs will be. It is important that the spaces and traces be at 0.007″/0.007″ or higher. There should be space between traces and the ground plane, and the plane should be at least 0.020″ from the circuit board edge.
• Changes in Documentation: Undocumented changes are one of the biggest causes for errors. This can lead to complete cancellation of the orders. When changes occur, your documentation should contain a revision number as a notation of the change. The change should be maintained throughout the manufacturing process.
• Routing Patterns: The general gap between boards is measured at 0.100″. During routing, the hole, position, and patterns for the breakout tabs can be edited to help improve the product’s manufacturability.
• Unplated Slots: Plated slots tend to increase the manufacturing costs, especially when they are specified in unnecessary places. Using unplated slots is better as there are no extra charges for them.

By carefully following these steps at the right time in design and production, one can easily improve the entire printed circuit board manufacturing process.

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Why Design for Manufacturability is Important for PCB Design

If you own a company that provides PCB layout and PCB design services, then you probably use the term ‘Design for Manufacturability’ (DFM) quite a bit. Everyone in the PCB designing industry knows that DFM is a method used to create PCB products that can be easily manufactured. It includes a list of practices that are designed to benefit both the manufacturer and the end customer.

DFM has now become more important than ever. It is been a crucial aspect for creating good turnaround time on PCB designs. However, there is still a disparity between the PCB layout created by the designers, and what the fabricator needs to make a functional and durable product.

IPC has tried to solve this problem by creating DFX – Design for ‘X’. In DFX, the designers are trained to understand all the manufacturing aspects such as materials, processes, steps, etc. so that they create a PCB design that can be easily manufactured.

Why DFX is Vital for PCB Designers ?

While this can be quite a time consuming process, it is extremely important for designers to be aware of the fabrication process and the limitations within the same. This is particularly true when the board may be a flex or a rigid-flex type that is small in size. An example can provide more clarity on this subject.

If a PCB has narrow flex sections, the polyimide coverlay film would have to extend over the entire lamination of the board. This would lead to adhesive layers being used to adhere to the polyimide coverlay. If the PCB has three or more rigid layers, this would amount to an immensely populated PCB. Also, the adhesive layers would expand during the soldering process, thus, effectively covering the vias.

If a fabricator finds this, he would realize that the PCB would work ineffectively due to these problems. This would also lead to overtime as the designer would have to make changes first in his layout and then the PCB would be fabricated.

All of these problems can be reduced when the best practices of Design for Manufacturability are used throughout the PCB layout and PCB design processes.

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Specifications to Create Reliable Military Printed Circuit Boards

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) used in the military are designed in a manner to withstand extreme conditions. Military PCBs are designed in a manner so that they can perform in these conditions, work for extensive periods, and still last a long time.

Steps Taken To Enhance PCB Performance in Military Applications

Some very important specifications need to be kept in mind when fabricating heavy duty PCBs for military operations.

1. Use of Thermal Compound: A thermal compound acts as an insulator by reducing the heat transfer. Application of which, also reduces the vibrations, reducing the formation of cracks on the soldering. Thus, it reinforces the structure by preventing the solder from cracking.
2. Soldering Flange Mounts: Generally, flange mounts are hand pressed onto PCBs. Flanges in military specific PCBs are press-fit and then hand soldered to reduce vibrations and increase reliability.
3. Pre-tinning of Wires:Pre-tinning is conducted to improve the reliability of wires. Stranded wires are dipped in hot melted solder to form a single consistent piece of wire. This makes the wire resistant to electromagnetic interference and increases its life.
4. Resolving Heat Dissipation Issues: If some components dissipate more than one watt of heat, a spacer can be installed or the component can be mounted 20.00 mils away from the board.
5. Application of Conformal Coating: An acrylic based conformal coating keeps dust, water, moisture and other contaminants away from the surface of the board.
6. Increasing Volume of Solder Paste: The solder paste applied to the military PCBs must be 25% higher than the amount applied on commercial PCBs. This increases the reliability of the PCB as well.

Other than the above-mentioned steps, rigorous military level quality checks must be conducted. All divisions of the military use these PCBs. The applications range from land operations to aviation and marine activities. Some specific examples of such applications include temperature sensors, cyber counterintelligence systems, and radio communication systems. The boards designed for the military need to be reliable and have the ability to sustain rigorous applications and environments.

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Role of PLCC Plugs in PCB Interconnections

Numerous components are utilized in the design and production of mainstream and industrial electronic appliances. Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs are one of the vital components. Similarly, some components are used to support the PCB’s performance. Plastic Lead Chip Carrier or PLCC plugs are one such device.

Functions of a PLCC Plug

The PLCC plug is a high density plug, which serves the function of providing multiple electronic and mechanical connections. These connections allow the device and circuit board to communicate, thus providing seamless performance.

Generally, a PLCC plug is constructed from FR4 and plated brass materials. This construction designed to provide superior performance as well as cost-effectiveness. By rule, all PLCC plugs irrespective of size and shape are four-sided so as to allow maximum number of connections.

Micro-Level Functions of A PLCC Plug

One might wonder why a PLCC plug is so important. Well, this plug serves several functions on a micro-level. Some of these are listed below:

• It allows a connection to be made between the printed circuit board and PLCC production socket.
• The PLCC plug connects one circuit board to another.
• It is used for testing, when trying to gain access to signals.
• It decreases stress on target sockets.

PLCC plugs are cost-effective and more efficient in performance when compared to other chip-carrier packages. A PLCC plug is used to connect a PCB and a PLCC socket (where a PLCC circuit is installed). This process is completed using specialized hand soldering solutions like through-hole solder and surface mount solder.

Attention to detail is paid when manufacturing this component so as to enable flawless integration with the PLCC socket or circuit board. The PLCC plug can provide numerous electric connections at a time, owing to its high density.

Here, at A-Flex, we provide high quality, low cost PLCC plugs that ensure reliable interconnections. Along with supplying standard PLCC plugs, we also undertake custom orders of the same.

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Importance of Printed Circuit Board for Telecom Industry

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are the heart and soul of any electronic device. Since they connect and physically support different components within an electronic device, they are one of the most important pieces of technology for various industries. One of these industries is the telecom industry with electronic devices right at its core. This piece of information points us to the obvious assumption that the telecom industry will probably not exist without this brilliant invention. Printed circuit boards for the telecom industry are used in fixed telecommunication systems and also in mobile communications network.

The telecom industry has dynamic needs owing to their prolific growth, thus keeping the PCB manufacturers and researchers on their feet. Additionally, they require their PCBs to be resilient to temperature and weather changes. The PCBs thus designed have the ability to withstand extreme weather conditions when fixed in devices placed outdoors.

Applications of Printed Circuit Boards for Telecom Industry:

PCBs have found several applications in the telecom industry. Some of these are listed below:

• Wireless communication systems
• High speed servers and routers
• Mobile phone tower systems
• Mobile communication systems
• Online signal expansion systems

With the telecom industry growing at an exponential rate, their needs and expectations are growing too. Thus, the telecom industry relies heavily on PCB manufacturers to customize and produce PCBs that can provide support for a variety of products and systems.

For any telecom company looking to purchase PCBs, they must ensure that the PCBs are manufactured using high-grade quality materials and components, while being affordable. Since the demands of any telecom company are large, the PCBs can be customized to fit the needs of your application. Most companies offer assistance to help create PCBs that are tailor-made for your product.

Printed circuit boards are integral to the telecom industry and thus, have assisted the development of the telecom industry. The telecom industry has been able to provide us with exceptional services and products. This in turn has aided our evolution into a more technologically developed era.

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Factors to be considered in the PCB Layout Design Process

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout design is the core process in the manufacturing of circuit boards. The designing process provides a graphical representation of the circuits and thus gives reference to the manufacturers to work with. Further processes like placement and soldering of electronic components and PCB assembly are all dependant on the layout design. Thus, it is highly important to consider certain factors while designing a circuit board.

Which Factors should be considered in the PCB Layout Design Process?

The main aspect of designing process for circuit boards is the manufacturability value of the layout. Thus, as a designer, one must consider every factor involved in the manufacturing and assembly process of PCBs. Let us have a look at such factors.

1. Thickness and Width of the Circuit Board Conductor: A circuit board conductor provides path for the transmission of current. Thus, its width and thickness matters a lot in determining the amount of current that will pass through the tracks (current carrying capacity) of the PCB. As a designer, you will need to take into consideration the desired current carrying capacity and based on that, establish the width and thickness of the conductor of PCB.


2. Electromagnetic Interference and Electrical Clearance: PCB layout design has to be in accordance with the electromagnetic interference between the components and tracks of the circuit board. In order to make the PCB safe for use, there should be a minimum of 8mm electrical clearance between the main as well as isolated signal tracks. 


3. Number of Layers in the Circuit Board: A printed circuit board could consist of a single layer or multiple layers based on its type and number of components present. For a designer, it is essential to develop a PCB layout that thoroughly describes the layers, components, their position, etc. 

        Excellent PCB Layout Design Services by A-Flex

A-Flex is a service provider for simple as well as intricate PCB layout designing. Our dedicated and experienced team of designers provides you with high-end layout solutions at competitive prices. 

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Understanding Printed Circuit Board Layout

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout is a critical aspect when it comes to the creation of high speed circuitry. There are many factors that have to be considered to accomplish this. By paying attention to certain salient details, one can ensure that the layout is accurately completed.

Important Aspects of PCB Layout :

Addressing the following key points can provide results such as improving circuit performance, reducing design time, minimizing revisions.

• Schematic: A good layout always begins with a well-designed schematic. It is important to design the schematic in a manner that there will be a natural and steady signal flow on the board. Make sure that you fill important information regarding the layout as the designers and engineers will depend on it during PCB manufacturing process. This will include thermal information, controlled impedance lines, component value information and tuning ranges.

• Circuit Location: The location of the circuits on the board is a critical step. This will help you to decide on the location of the individual components. The only components that have clearly defined locations are the input, output, and power.

• Component Fixing: When deciding the location of the components, begin with the most critical components of the PCB. This will allow you to easily mark the signal routing paths and provide for better operation. Then decide the location of the other components, after which, mark the lands and vias.

• Bypassing the Power Supply: Minimizing noise is another critical aspect that may affect the PCB’s performance in an application. There are two way to accomplish this task. The first is to use multiple parallel capacitors, which need to be connected directly to the power supply pins. This ensures a low AC impedance across frequencies. Another configuration is to tie a bypass capacitor between the supply rails of the op amp. This method improves PSR and distortion performance.

Understanding the PCB layout can be of great help when choosing PCBs for industrialapplications. 

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Design Considerations for Flexible Circuits in Dynamic Applications

The importance of flexible circuits in industries is increasing every day. This is due to the constant changes taking place in the electronic device manufacturing industry. As electronic device designs continue to become smaller and lighter, the requirement for flexible circuits will continue to grow. This also means that the circuits can be used in varied electronic applications in markets such as consumer, industrial, military, medicine, and aerospace.

Most of the above mentioned markets will have dynamic applications that require effective flexible circuits boards products. That is why it is important for an electronic designer to understand the technology and know when and where it needs to be used.

Design Considerations for Flexible Circuits

In dynamic flex applications, the designer needs to incorporate certain design practices that will help to enhance the flex circuit’s service life

•  Use only Rolled Annealed Copper: This is an important point to consider when creating panels. Rolled annealed copper allows for the flexing motion to be lateral with the grain direction of the copper. 

• Create Neutral Copper Traces: The term ‘neutral’ here means that the amount of copper has to be equivalent to the dielectric on either side of the traces. This will prevent the copper from compressing during flexion.

•  Maintain a Gentle Bend Radius: In dynamic applications, the bend radius should be 10 times the thickness of the material.  For example, if a single sided circuit has a thickness of .005", then the appropriate bend radius would be .050".

• Incorporate Pads only Plating: This is used only for double sided circuits. The bend regions of the circuits should be fabricated with only a single layer of copper, and not with electroplated copper. This will allow for neutral flexing of the axis.

These are some important guidelines that any electronic designer can use as rule of thumb when designing flexible circuits for dynamic applications. 

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What are the Benefits of Flexible Printed Circuits

Flexible printed circuit boards are widely used in a wide array of applications that require compactly assembled electronic components such as cell phones and cameras. The flexible plastic substrate (such as PEEK, polyester or polyimide) makes a great flex mounting surface for electrical components.

Useful in simple as well as complex applications, flexible printed circuits are an integral part of various industries, like:

•         Electrical Devices Manufacturing
•         Automobile
•         Medical Devices Manufacturing
•         Telecommunication
•         Electronics

Benefits of Flexible Printed Circuit Boards:

As compared to rigid printed circuit boards, the flexible PCBs are rather efficient for different applications. Flex PCBs have several benefits, such as:

• Suitable for Complex Designing Options: Imagine how it would be to design a circuit board with only two dimensions. Doesn’t that sound too constraining? Well, unlike rigid PCBs, the flexible printed circuit boards are ideally suited for complex design patterns and configurations. This way you can design a high performance electrical device with aptly designed flex PCB. 

•  High Performance Even in Hostile Conditions: Electric and electronic devices often work in strenuous applications that are of demanding nature. Overheating, high voltage or voltage fluctuation, sparking, etc. are common issues seen with such devices. A flexible printed circuit board can withstand such hostile environment and it shows uninterrupted high performance even in such conditions.

• Minimized Wiring/ Assembly Errors: Automated production processes of flex PCBs along with highly precise design help in minimizing the wiring or assembly errors. As there is little or no human/ manual work involved in the assembly of flex PCBs, the level of accuracy in these boards is very high.

• Easy for Installation and Repair: Connection between the electrical components of a flex PCB is ingeniously established to reduce the package size and make the installation of circuit board highly efficient. This feature also makes the repair of such PCBs easy as well as reasonable.

Smartly Designed, High Performance Flex PCBs from A-Flex :

A-Flex is the leader in manufacturing superior quality flexible printed circuit that can perform exceptionally well in various demanding applications. We provide cost-effective yet excellent flex PCBs thatcan be used in board-to-chip, board-to-board, and chip-to-chip connections in compact packages.

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Steps Involved in Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used in a wide variety of electric and electronic products. The manufacturing of circuit boards is an intricate process that is carried out in several steps. While some PCBs can be manufactured in house by assembly of essential material, in other cases the process of manufacturing is outsourced to experts.

Material needed for printed circuit board manufacturing:

For successful printed circuit board manufacturing, you will need:

•       Epoxy resin base laminate
•       Conductive material for coating (copper or aluminum or nickel)
•       Drilling machine
•       Computer software for designing the PCB (Auto CAD)
•       Forks for assembly of small electrical components
•       Adhesives
•       Lamination devices

Steps involved in printed circuit board manufacturing:

In order to make a printed circuit board, you will need to follow certain steps:  

1. Prepare a layout of your PCB : With the help of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) system, make the design of your circuit board. You can take help of the standard output format developed especially for the PCB manufacturing industry 


2. Print the epoxy resin laminate: In order to print the inner epoxy resin layer, at first you will need to clean the metal (copper) coating and print the laminate in a dust-free, clean room. Later you need to cover the panel with a photoresist (thin film of photosensitive material).


3. Remove unwanted metal and etch the layer of PCB : In this step, with the help of a concentrated alkaline liquid, you need to remove the remove/ etch away the unwanted metal. Special care is to be taken while etching the exposed copper to avoid the thinning of conductor layers 


4. Drill holes in the circuit board : With the help of a drilling machine, you will need to drill holes on the metal (copper coated) laminate sheet) for the assembly of leaded components .


5.  Solder the PCB: In order to avoid any unwanted contact between the components of the circuit board, you have to apply a printed epoxy-ink solder mark on each side of the metal surface.


6. Profile the PCB : In order to profile the PCB, you need to cut out the production panel on a scoring machine or a V-cut system (cutter).

After the final assembly of PCB, it is always essential to inspect the board for any loose connections or detached connections.

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Design and Configurations of Flexible Printed Circuit Boards for Industrial Applications

Flexible printed circuit boards are widely used in a variety of industrial applications. The industries include but are not limited to aerospace, automotive, electronic devices, telecommunications, and maritime.  As these industries are looking out for printed circuit boards that are light weight and agile, flexible circuits are replacing rigid circuit boards in many applications. The reasons for this change are the many advantages that flexible printed circuit boards in terms of their design and configurations.

Design, Configurations of Flexible Printed Circuit Boards for Industrial Applications :

Flexible printed circuit boards are able to meet the main criteria of industrial applications – electrical, environmental, and mechanical performance as well as reliability and durability. Flexible circuit boards also allow for the reduction of the overall size and layers of the circuit board while increasing the number of panels. As a long term initiative, flexible circuits have been proven to be extremely cost competitive.
As industrial requirements and applications continue to change and grow, printed circuit board manufacturers also have the opportunity to design custom flexible printed circuit boards to meet specific requirements such as:

• Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
• Different types of circuit geometry (micro strip, dual-line, strip-line)
• Shielding
• Controlled impedance
• Increased thickness with dielectric layers
• Circuit signal control

Each type of the below mentioned flexible printed circuit boards is configured to meet specific needs in applications.

• Single Sided: These can be used in simple as well as dynamic applications. They generally consist of a copper foil layer, which is laminated to a dielectric material layer. These laminated foil layers are designed to withstand innumerable flex cycles. Single sided flexible printed circuit boards provide the desired performance while being cost-effective in terms of the number of processing steps and manufacturing cycles.

• Double Sided: This type of flexible circuit is able to generate more electrical signals in an application due to the larger number of conductors. Like the single sided circuit boards, these also consist of copper foil and dielectric material layers. Double sided flexible printed circuit boards are particularly adopted by the automotive and computer product manufacturing industries. This is partly due to the introduction of coverlays, which have helped to create high volume and cost-effective production cycles. High chemical resistance, strong thermal properties, and mechanical flexibility are a few other reasons for their popularity.

• Multi-layered: These are meant for applications that comprise populated designs. They usually consist of flexible layers that are unbounded in bend areas, although there are other layer options. PTH technology is used to create interconnections between the layers. Multi-layered flexible printed circuit boards are widely incorporated in commercial applications. This is thanks to the use of advanced military grade flex technologies and specialized adhesiveless flex materials.  

Distinctive designs and configurations have helped flexible circuit boards to become the favorable solution for many industrial applications.

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Application Benefits of PLCC Plugs

Plastic Lead Chip Carrier (PLCC) plugs are designed to create connections between the printed circuit boards and the PLCC production socket. The PLCC plug was a result of research and development in an effort to provide a cost-effective option for the Ceramic Leadless Chip Carrier (CLCC).

The plug is generally designed for surface mounting, although it can be installed in a PCB socket. The idea for the surface mounting was devised to support devices that are unable to withstand high temperatures. The surface mounting solution also allowed for easier part replacement without the need to reworking the electronic intricacies of a device. That is why PLCC plugs are generally found in PCB applications related to flash memory devices and stand-alone programming. 

Benefits of PLCC Plugs

As one can see, PLCC plugs are powerful and versatile devices. They can provide a number of benefits to printed circuit board applications. 

·   Small Size and Shape: Like other lead chip carriers, PLCC plugs are smaller in size as compared to dual-line packages. They utilize all four sides of the package, allowing for a greater pin count and stronger connections. As a result of the CLCC product evolution, PLCC plugs are designed with rectangular plastic housings. All these aspects allow for easier integration in a PCB application.

     Creation of Multiple Electric Connections: The high density of the plug as well as the large pin count allows for creation of multiple electric connections. For example, PLCC plugs can be used by a designer to create multiple connections between a motherboard and a daughterboard. The dimensions of the final PLCC plug are constructed as per the regulations laid down by JEDEC. This eliminates any undue stress on the PLCC socket.

Option of Complete Assembly: With the influx of new technologies, today, PLCC plugs can be manufactured as complete assemblies rather as a small, singular product. The plug ends are shrinking wrapped along with machined contacts to provide ruggedness and higher tolerances. 

      Miscellaneous Benefits: Apart from the above mentioned points, PLCC plugs benefits are    as follow :

• They reduce overall material and production costs
• The use of Surface Mounting Technology allows for faster assembly
• They are immensely useful in applications that deal with aspects like high vibration rates

All the above mentioned points prove that PLCC plugs are anextremely beneficial product in printed circuit board applications. 

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