Designing High-Temperature Flex PCBs: 6 Challenges with Solutions

Originally published at: https://www.protoexpress.com/blog/designing-high-temperature-flex-pcbs-challenges-with-solutions/

Designing flex PCBs for high-temperature (>125°C) applications presents challenges like thermal stress and trace delamination. You can overcome these issues by selecting materials with compatible CTEs and using reinforcing elements like stiffeners. In this article, you will learn 6 common challenges in building heat-resistant flex PCBs and ways to overcome them. Highlights: Use thermally conductive adhesives and consider adhesiveless laminates. Choose dielectric materials with high-temperature stability. Maintain proper bend radius, stagger traces, use cross-hatched ground planes, and incorporate stiffeners wherever necessary. Perform thermal shock, burn-in, and mechanical stress tests to validate flex PCB performance under extreme conditions. A quick guide…