Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1533085
76 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2025 is month, I will discuss the most common design errors that fabricators see, typical areas of miscommunication between design and fab- rication, and what designers can do to avoid putting their jobs on hold. is is no simple task, given the many things that can go wrong in flex circuit manufacturing, but many of these issues originate in the design process. I have written or mentioned previously that designers must educate themselves about the commonly employed flex manufacturing processes. However, an alternative is to "design with manufacturing" by tapping into the man- ufacturer's engineering team's experiences to avoid problems before launching a product specification for bid. I also recommend visit- ing a flex manufacturing facility, if possible. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and it will offer an appreciation of the processing and its complexities. e fact that something can be drawn on paper doesn't mean that someone can easily produce it in three dimensions (think of M.C. Escher's out-of-the- box drawings and sketches). e following is a prescription for a manu- facturing document package for a flex circuit. Flexbile Thinking Feature Column by Joe Fjelstad, VERDANT ELECTRONICS The Key to a Successful Flex Circuit Design Transfer