Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522641
JUNE 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 79 costly, or painful than worker's compensation and surgery. Once imaged, the rolls are effort- lessly reduced to a standard panel. is stack of panels is transported to a single develop, etch, and strip (DES) line, where it is automatically placed and spaced in perfect harmony with the conveyor speed. At this point, you likely are starting to under- stand the importance of standard panels and automation. By having some flexibility in how your parts are panelized and oriented, you will have a better chance of saving money using automation. If your flexi- ble circuit or flexible heater requires a non-standard panel, the level of auto- mation is greatly reduced, and costs could be impacted by as much as 20%. And On It Goes Tooling hole creation, cover lamination, stiff- ener placement, and panel excising have been increasingly automated. As you consider these advances from the past 30 years, you wonder what the future holds. Will we see rolls of raw material loaded onto a line with the finished product coming out the other end? Maybe, but not today. Still, things have come a long way from when I started in the industry in 1989 as a mullet-headed, stone-washed jean-wearing, mustache-proud lad. Even though mustaches are making a comeback, I don't see us ever going back to manually printing panels with a squeegee. Material Specifications and Empowering Your Fabricator In my analogy of building a house, let's say you have always had a predilection for cedar because of its appearance, natural ability to repel insects, and aromatic qualities. Would you really want your builder to use this for wall studs at four times the cost? No, you would want stud-grade materials to help keep costs in check. Structural engineers, architects, and building inspectors have reams of information that allow for the design and construction of safe and sturdy buildings capable of surviving snow loads and significant storm events. Much is the same for flexible circuits and flexible heaters. IPC committees have done a solid job of defining materials and melding the needs of end users, manufacturers, and mate- rial suppliers. Cover materials, as an example, are covered under IPC-4203. is standard details the requirements for many physical and electrical attributes of the different materials that can be used in this capacity and outlines those things that an engineer cares about most, including peel strength, dielectric properties, dimensional stability, thickness tolerances, testing, and certification requirements. It allows for an end user to specify something generic on their drawing and yet is supported by many details in the background. If one fol- lows this through the procurement cycle, a buyer for a rigid-flex manufacturer can eas- ily purchase the proper raw materials for the build that meet requirements and will come with proper certifications backed by industry- established tests. Why would a design engineer want to ham- string their supplier by specifying a certain Mustached Chris Clark in 1989, and today at FCT.