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![altium rigid flex altium rigid flex](https://fhi.nl/app/uploads/sites/39/2014/10/Flex-1.png)
ZIF specifications also define a very tight tolerance for both the width of the outline and the positional accuracy of the fingers. Increasing the entire flex thickness would be costly and significantly impact the bend capabilities and mechanical bend reliability of the parts.
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Rather than unnecessarily increase the thickness of the entire flex to meet the ZIF specs, a polyimide stiffener is attached locally at the finger areas. The two most common ZIF finger thicknesses are 0.3mm and 0.2mm. Connector specifications define that the flex circuit, at the exposed ZIF contact fingers, must be of a specific thickness to engage the connector reliably. Polyimide stiffeners are most commonly used in designs that connect to a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) connector. FR4 stiffener thickness can range from 0.010” to 0.059” thick with 0.020”, 0.031” and 0.039” being very common. Doing so would most likely cause the solder joints to be cracked or compromised. This prevents the flex circuit from being bent at or adjacent to the components/connectors. The two most common stiffener materials used are FR4 and Polyimide.įR4 stiffeners are used to provide support to areas of a flex design that have components and or connectors attached. Thickness Modification to Meet ZIF Connector Specificationsįlex Circuit with Connector Area Support Stiffeners.Stiffeners serve the following purposes in a flex design, each of which have unique material and design requirements: Not doing so may result in a finished part that does not meet your requirements. As a result, stiffeners need to be fully and accurately defined in the data set. Stiffeners are a key design element in most flex designs and have a significant impact on both the performance and reliability of the finished flex circuits.
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