68 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2020
mand for consumer electronic goods, the in-
crease in the popularity of Internet of Things
(IoT), and the adoption of FPCBs in automo-
tive applications drive market growth.
SEMI-FlexTech Launches Six New Projects
to Accelerate Flexible Hybrid Electronics
Innovation E
SEMI-FlexTech announced the launch of six
projects to accelerate sensor and sensor sys-
tem innovations for new applications in indus-
tries including healthcare, automotive, indus-
trial, and defense. In collaboration with the
U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Flex-
Tech, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, will
provide more than $2.3 million in funding for
the projects aimed at maturing the flexible-hy-
brid electronics (FHE) technology ecosystem.
HON-Flex Selects MKS Flex PCB Laser
Processing Solution E
MKS Instruments has announced that HON-
Flex Xiamen Hongxin Electron-tech Co. Ltd.
(also known as HON-Flex) has selected the ESI
RedStone system for its high-volume flex PCB
processing. The ESI RedStone system provides
HON-Flex with the capability to deliver high-
volume processing of through vias, with the
added versatility to address their requirement
for blind via processing.
NextFlex Honored With FLEXI Award for
Its FlexPro Professional Development
Education Program E
NextFlex, America's Flexible Hybrid Electron-
ics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, was award-
ed the FLEXI Technology Leadership in Edu-
cation Award for its FlexPro program yester-
day at the SEMI Flex Conference in San Jose,
California.
American Standard Now Offers
Bookbinder Rigid-flex PCBs E
American Standard Circuits is now offering
high-technology bookbinder rigid-flex PCBs.
Bookbinder rigid-flex technology is a special
rigid-flex design where the outer flex layers are
increased in length, compared with the inner
layers, by enough to keep them from interfer-
ing with each other and buckling.
Catching up With Flexible Circuit
Technologies E
Dan Beaulieu catches up with Troy Koopman,
president and co-founder of Flexible Circuit
Technologies (FCT), and Carey Burkett, the
company's VP of business development. FCT
is a full-service flex and rigid-flex supplier.
Flex Talk: Additive PCB Technology for
Next-generation Electronics E
Semi-additive PCB processes help to enable
very fine features, with trace and space down
to 25 microns and below, significantly reduc-
ing space and weight for next-generation elec-
tronics. Tara Dunn speaks with Todd Brassard
and Meredith LaBeau from Calumet Electron-
ics about how the company is the first domes-
tic PCB manufacturer to license Averatek's A-
SAP™ process and will be presenting informa-
tion on the industrialization of this process at
this year's IPC APEX EXPO.
Flexible Printed Circuit Boards Market—
2026: Industry Growth, Opportunities,
Applications, Trends, and Revenue
Strategies E
FPCBs are widely used across applications,
such as LCD displays, mobile screens, connec-
tivity antennas, and flexible circuitry used in
rechargeable batteries. The growth in the de-
