As the demand for electronic performance continues to rise, the application scope of flexible PCB (FPC) is expanding rapidly. Professional organizations predict that the market share of flexible PCB will grow by over 8% in the next decade. However, due to factors such as substrate materials and manufacturing processes, the flexible PCB cost is much higher than that of rigid boards. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce the overall project cost through more reasonable flexible PCB panelization designs.
Reducing Costs through Panelization
In PCB projects, starting from the design phase and conducting Design for Manufacturability (DFM) after completion to reduce iterations between design and manufacturing is crucial for saving time and labor costs. However, some costs are fixed and difficult to avoid, especially for high-density devices that may require more layers of PCB to improve performance, or specific materials required for certain projects. Therefore, achieving true cost-effectiveness requires optimizing PCB panels to increase material utilization.
Panelization refers to combining individual flexible PCB into a single panel during production, which is then cut into individual boards after production is completed. By carefully designing the panel layout, the given space can be maximally utilized to accommodate more circuit boards of the same size, thereby increasing material utilization and reducing manufacturing costs.
Principles of Flexible PCB Panelizatiox
Early determination of the PCB outline is crucial, as it is difficult to make changes in later stages. Therefore, a regular outline shape should be adopted in the design phase, with specific pitches set to ensure efficient repetition of manufacturing process units.
Generally, the price of a panel per unit area is fixed. For example, the price of a 1-square-meter FPC panel placed on the top side is $100, meaning that the price within this area is fixed regardless of the number of boards. Under the premise of being able to produce in each process, the panels should be “squeezed” as much as possible, meaning that the distance between adjacent boards should be minimized to reduce the overall size of the panel and ultimately lower the unit price of flexible PCB.
The spacing between individual boards should be at least 2.5mm, and positioning holes should be added to the four corners of the panel, with different holes marked at one corner for consistency in subsequent processes, avoiding issues such as offsetting during lamination and die-cutting. The width of the panel should be fixed at 250mm, and the length should be controlled within 250mm to avoid excessive offsetting, which may reduce production accuracy and increase the rate of defective products. Finally, etching characters should be added to the panel to indicate dimensions, quantities, etc., for subsequent production verification and validation.
For flexible PCB with rectangular or square contours, they can be directly arrayed in the direction of a single board, while for those with curved or folded contours, the single board should be tilted to a certain extent before arraying.
Steps for Flexible PCB Panelization Design
- Determine Design Requirements
Determine the flexible PCB design requirements, including circuit structure, dimensions, and layout.
- Draw Circuit Schematics
Based on the design requirements, draw circuit schematics, label signal lines, power lines, and ground lines in the schematics, and determine pin assignments.
- Perform Layout Design
Based on the circuit schematics, perform layout design by placing various modules or components in appropriate positions. CAD software can be used for layout design to better control wiring and space utilization.
- Conduct Wiring Design
Based on the layout design, perform wiring on the flexible PCB, paying attention to parameters such as the direction, length, and width of signal lines, as well as the crossing and interference issues with other lines.
- Complete Connections
Based on the pin assignments, connect multiple boards together to form a whole, which can be achieved through soldering or pressure bonding.
- Inspection and Validation
After completing the panelization design, it needs to be inspected and validated. Check for errors or omissions, and verify that it functions properly.
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