Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Comments on Rigid-Flex vs Flex with stiffeners - What is the practical difference?

Post

Rigid-Flex vs Flex with stiffeners - What is the practical difference?

+3
−0

Looking at Flex-Rigid PCB technology vs Flex PCB with added stiffeners under sections with components I struggle to see the advantage of Flex-Rigid for low layer counts, as it seems more complex to manufacture and is more expensive as a result.

There is a lot of information online explaining what Flex and Flex-Rigid is, but I could not find many discussions about the advantages for one over the other, just some claims like 'Flex-Rigid is more reliable' without explaining how or why.

The only thought I had was that rigid allows for high layer count. Is there more to it, could someone please explain with some real world examples when one is more appropriate than other and why?

Edit: Let me expand on the definitions of Flex-Rigid and just Flex with stiffener.

Flex-Rigid:

diagram cross-section of a flex-rigid PCB photo of a flex-rigid PCB

Flex with stiffener: diagram cross-section of a flex PCB with a stiffener photo of a flex PCB with a stiffener

So in the Flex-Rigid case flex part is integrated in rigid part, whereas Flex with stiffener is just a polyimide with FR4 or similar material to reinforce certain sections, but the stiffener itself does not provide electrical connections.

History

1 comment thread

Please link to the definitions you are using for "Flex-Rigid" and "Flex PCB with added stiffeners". ... (1 comment)
Please link to the definitions you are using for "Flex-Rigid" and "Flex PCB with added stiffeners". ...
Olin Lathrop‭ wrote 8 months ago

Please link to the definitions you are using for "Flex-Rigid" and "Flex PCB with added stiffeners". I've had flex circuits made that included small sections of rigid, but don't remember either of those terms being used. They sound more like marketing to me, rather than some universally agreed terms.