Flexible printed circuit boards — Design

The printed circuit board is an interconnection medium that supports electronic components and connects their leads.

In general, the conductor tracks of a printed circuit board are supported by a rigid material (see specific article ), made of glass fabric coated with thermosetting resin. If this material is replaced by a flexible film, we speak of a flexible circuit. If the printed circuit board contains rigid zones while other parts are flexible, it is a flexible-rigid circuit.

This article deals with the fields of application and specific design aspects of flexible circuits and flexible-rigid circuits. Their base material consists partly or entirely of a flexible material to ensure a connection between moving parts of the system. The flexible material is chosen because of its reduced thickness or weight, or to facilitate mounting of the circuit in a narrow or complex box.