Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1295812
82 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2020 experts understands the materials, material properties, and what can and cannot be done, and their expertise is incredibly supportive to our customers in guiding them to a cost-effec- tive solution that is manufacturable at higher yields and will perform within the given appli- cation. There's no doubt that design support is one of the most critical aspects of what we offer. Finstad: We do a lot of training. I present at PCB West and IPC APEX EXPO every year, and we also do flex design training at a lot of smaller venues. I usually start by telling the class that I have them captive from anywhere from two to four hours, and I hope that they can retain some of what I talk about. But in the end, there's only going to be one person leaving that room as a flex design expert, and that's me. But I will also leave you with a great tool for when you have questions—my busi- ness card with my phone number. If you have a question, give me a call. I still have customers from my military days who call me and have me review their draw- ings, even though we can't build the circuits because they're ITAR. I review the drawings and make sure that everything looks good because I don't want bad flex circuit designs out there. Happy Holden: I was going to ask about LCP, but you mentioned that your new facility would focus on LCP and other new materials. Does that also include materials that would be suit- able for wearables? Finstad: It will include anything required for high speeds and low loss. That really seems to be the key factor there. I wouldn't steer any- body toward those materials if they are not required because they are more expensive. Recently, all of the big flex material manufac- turers have come out with their own mix of low-loss materials, which laminate at more standard pressures and temperatures, allowing us to use existing equipment. If you look at the performance of these materials compared to thermoplastics, they're actually as good as, if not better than, thermoplastics. As far as wearables, we have supported proj- ects where we've used stretchable materials. These materials have not gained widespread acceptance in the industry yet, so processing knowledge is limited. We typically work with the customer in a developmental capacity to determine if those types of materials can be used successfully with an application that they might bring forth. Holden: There are also highly flexible solar cells in the wearables so that they won't be burdened down with batteries, or the batteries will be flat printed electronic batteries. Burkett: For wearables, we have addressed applications from head to toe. Certainly, there are added considerations that must be accounted for when designing for specific wearable solutions. We have utilized certain newer materials (i.e., stretchable materials and stretchable inks), and we are also keeping an eye on advancements that are being made within this space so that we can take appropri- ate steps in support of our customers. Holden: Is the growing area of 3D and printed electronics beginning to be applied as a hybrid between what you're doing traditionally and what they would like to do but can't do yet? Finstad: We do printed electronics, and we've been doing it for decades. Some of our biggest customers are in disposable medical applica- tions for printed electronics. I have one very high-volume disposable medical application right now that uses a regular flex, all polyimide and copper. It's used one time in surgery and then tossed in the garbage. I still have customers from my military days who call me and have me review their drawings.