Flexible printed wiring board with molded component and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To provide a flexible printed wiring board with molded components and a manufacturing method thereof that can suppress the load in the post-process after molding the molded components.SOLUTION: An FPC 100 with molded components comprises an FPC 110, a mounted component 130 mounted on the FPC 110, and a molded component 120 provided on the FPC 110. The molded component 120 has a molded component body portion 121 integrally molded into the FPC 110 and having an opening 121a surrounding the sidewall surface of the mounted component 130, and a gasket portion 122 attached to the mounted component 130 so as to be brought into contact over the entire circumference of the sidewall surface of the mounted component 130 and over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the opening 121a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flexible printed wiring board with a molded part and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technique is known in which molded parts such as gaskets are integrally molded with flexible printed circuit boards (hereinafter referred to as "FPC"). Depending on the product specifications, mounted parts to be mounted on the FPC may be disposed at the position where the molded parts are provided. A method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board with molded parts according to such a conventional technique will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board with molded parts according to a conventional technique. In this figure, a schematic cross-sectional view of the state during integral molding (insert molding) is shown.

[0003] As shown in Fig. 10(a), an FPC 510 on which a mounting component 530 is mounted is placed in a mold having an upper mold 50X and a lower mold 60X. A gap needs to be provided between the upper mold 50X and the mounting component 530 so that a large load is not applied to the mounting component 530 during molding. For this reason, in the illustrated example, a recess 51 is provided on the inner wall surface of the upper mold 50X. After the mold is clamped, a molding material (elastomer material such as rubber) is filled into the cavity c1 of the mold, and a molded component 520 is molded integrally with the FPC 510 (see Fig. 10(b)).

[0004] As described above, a gap is provided between the upper mold 50X and the mounting component 530, so that a part of the molding material leaks out from the cavity c1. In the figure, 520X indicates the leaked part. Therefore, in the past, after the mold is opened and the integrally molded product is taken out, the leaked part 520X is removed. This requires a large number of work steps, which is also a cause of increased costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5354281 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4797713 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component, which is capable of suppressing the load in post-processing after molding of the molded component, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems.

[0008] The flexible printed wiring board with a molded part of the present invention is A flexible printed wiring board; A mounting component to be mounted on the flexible printed wiring board; A molded part provided on the flexible printed wiring board; A flexible printed wiring board with a molded part, comprising: The molded part comprises: a molded component body portion that is integrally molded with the flexible printed wiring board and has an opening portion that surrounds a side wall surface of the mounted component; The mounting component is in contact with the side wall surface of the mounting component over the entire circumference, and the opening is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the opening over the entire circumference. a gasket portion attached to the mounting component so as to be in contact with the mounting component; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0009] According to the present invention, by providing the gasket portion, it is possible to prevent the material of the molded component body from adhering to the mounted component.

[0010] The gasket portion may be attached to the mounting component in advance in order to prevent the material of the molded component main body from flowing toward the mounting component during the integral molding.

[0011] The molded part body and the gasket portion may be made of the same material.

[0012] The method for producing a flexible printed wiring board with a molded part of the present invention includes the steps of: A first step of attaching a gasket portion to a component to be mounted on a flexible printed wiring board; a second step of placing the flexible printed wiring board on the mold that forms an enclosed space for enclosing the mounted component between the gasket portion and an inner wall surface of the mold; a third step of integrally molding a molded component body with the flexible printed wiring board by filling a material into a cavity of the mold; The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0013] According to the present invention, since a sealed space in which the mounted components are sealed is formed between the gasket portion and the inner wall surface of the mold, the material is prevented from leaking into the sealed space when filling the cavity with the material, and thus it is possible to prevent the material from adhering to the mounted components.

[0014] The gasket portion is attached to the mounting component in a state before the cross-linking reaction is completed, and the cross-linking reaction is preferably not completed when the third step is started.

[0015] This makes it easier for the molded part body and the gasket to be compatible with each other, and makes it easier to integrate them.

[0016] The molded part body and the gasket portion may be made of the same material.

[0017] This makes it easier for the molded part body and the gasket to be compatible with each other, and makes it easier to integrate them.

[0018] The above configurations may be combined as much as possible. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, according to the present invention, the load of post-processing after molding of a molded part can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus including a flexible printed wiring board with a molded part according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a manufacturing process diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional method for manufacturing a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of the components described in the embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0022] Example 1 A flexible printed circuit board with a molded component (hereinafter referred to as "FPC100 with molded component") according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing method thereof will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus including FPC100 with molded component according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of FPC100 with molded component according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FPC100 with molded component according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 to 7 are diagrams illustrating the manufacturing process of FPC100 with molded component according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] <Device equipped with FPC 100 with molded parts> An example of a device including an FPC 100 with a molded part will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the device 10 shown in FIG. 1, one end of a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as "FPC 110") is arranged inside a case 11, and the other end is configured to be drawn out to the outside of the case 11. In such a device 10, a through hole 11a is provided in the case 11 so that the FPC 110 can be arranged, and the FPC 110 is arranged to pass through this through hole 11a. In addition, in the device 10, a molded part 120 is provided to seal an annular gap between the FPC 110 and the through hole 11a in order to provide a waterproof function and a dustproof function. That is, in the illustrated example, the molded part 120 is a gasket.

[0024] In this embodiment, the molded part 120 is integrally provided with the FPC 110. The molded part-equipped FPC 100 configured in this manner can be handled as a single part, and therefore can improve workability, etc., when assembling the FPC to a device, compared to a case in which the FPC and the gasket are configured separately. Note that, although this embodiment shows a case in which the molded part 120 is a gasket, the molded part in the present invention is not limited to a gasket. For example, the present invention also includes a case in which a molded part is provided on the FPC as a protective member for dustproofing, waterproofing, etc.

[0025] <FPC100 with molded parts> The configuration of the FPC 100 with molded components according to this embodiment will be described with particular reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The FPC 100 with molded components includes an FPC 110 and a The FPC 110 includes a mounting component 130 and a molded component 120 that is integrally provided on the FPC 110. Specific examples of the mounting component 130 include electronic components and metal components. The FPC 110 according to this embodiment includes a base film 111, a plurality of wirings 112, a cover film 113 that sandwiches the plurality of wirings 112 between the base film 111 and the cover film 113, and an adhesive layer 114 that is provided between the base film 111 and the cover film 113. A part of the cover film 113 is opened to expose a part of the wirings 112. The mounting component 130 is connected to the exposed part by solder or the like. Note that, in this embodiment, a configuration in which a so-called single-sided FPC is adopted is shown, but the FPC that can be applied in the present invention is not limited to a single-sided FPC, and a double-sided FPC and a multi-layered FPC can also be applied. In addition, in FIG. 3, in order to clarify the internal configuration of the FPC 110, the thickness direction is expanded compared to other figures.

[0026] The molded part 120 is made of an elastic body, and is made of an elastomer material such as rubber. For example, a thermoplastic elastomer material (more specifically, a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, etc.) can be suitably applied. The molded part 120 includes a molded part main body 121 and a gasket part 122. The molded part main body 121 is integrally molded with the FPC 110, and has an opening 121a surrounding a side wall surface of the mounting part 130. The gasket part 122 is attached to the mounting part 130 so as to be in contact with the entire periphery of the side wall surface of the mounting part 130 and in contact with the entire periphery of the inner periphery of the opening 121a. The gasket part 122 is provided so as to fill an annular gap between the side wall surface of the mounting part 130 and the inner periphery of the opening 121a. This gasket portion 122 plays a role in preventing the material of the molded component body portion 121 from flowing toward the mounted component 130 when the molded component body portion 121 is integrally molded. Therefore, this gasket portion 122 is attached to the mounted component 130 in advance before the integral molding. It is desirable that the molded component body portion 121 and the gasket portion 122 are made of the same material.

[0027] <Method of manufacturing the FPC 100 with molded component according to this embodiment> A manufacturing method of the FPC 100 with molded components according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the manufacturing process diagrams of FIGS. 4 to 7. First, the FPC 110 is produced, and the mounting components 130 are mounted on the FPC 110. The manufacturing method of the FPC 110 and the mounting method of the mounting components 130 on the FPC 110 can be appropriately performed using known techniques, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. The gasket portion 122 is molded using a mold. The molding method of the gasket portion 122 can also be performed using molding techniques for general rubber products, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. However, it is preferable to remove the gasket portion 122 from the mold before the crosslinking reaction is completed. The reason for this will be described later. FIG. 4(a) shows a plan view of the FPC 110 and the gasket portion 122 on which the mounting components 130 are mounted.

[0028] 4(b), the gasket portion 122 is attached to the mounting component 130 to be mounted on the FPC 110 (first step). At this point, it is desirable that the cross-linking reaction of the gasket portion 122 is not yet complete. Note that the gasket portion 122 is not necessarily configured to be clamped against the mounting component 130, since it will be pressed by a mold in a subsequent step.

[0029] Next, insert molding (integral molding) is performed to mold molded component main body 121, using FPC 110, on which mounting components 130 are mounted and gasket portion 122 is attached, as an insert component. Molded component main body 121 is molded in two separate steps, a pre-process in which one portion is molded via FPC 110, and a post-process in which the other portion is molded. It does not matter which portion is molded first. Below, explanations will be given separately for a case in which the side on which mounting components 130 and gasket portion 122 are provided is molded first, and a case in which the opposite side is molded first. For ease of explanation, only the side of molded component main body 121 on which mounting components 130 and gasket portion 122 are molded via FPC 110 will be explained. The portion on the side where the seat portion 122 is provided is referred to as a first molded part main body portion 121X, and the portion on the opposite side is referred to as a second molded part main body portion 121Y.

[0030] First, a case where the first molded component main body 121X is molded first will be described. The mold used for this molding includes an upper mold 50X and a lower mold 60X. After the step (second step) of disposing the insert component in the mold is completed, the mold is clamped (see FIG. 4(c)). Here, it is necessary to provide a gap between the upper mold 50X and the mounting component 130 so that a large load is not applied to the mounting component 130 during molding. For this reason, in this embodiment, a recess 51 is provided on the inner wall surface of the upper mold 50X.

[0031] In a state where the mold is closed, one end (lower end) of the gasket portion 122 contacts the FPC 110, and the other end (upper end) contacts the ceiling surface of the upper mold 50X. As a result, an airtight space that seals the mounting component 130 is formed between the gasket portion 122 and the inner wall surface (ceiling surface) of the mold (more specifically, the upper mold 50X). Since the mounting component 130 is mounted on the FPC 110, it can be said that the FPC 110, the gasket portion 122, and the mold form an airtight space that seals the mounting component 130. Note that it is preferable to configure the mold so that the gasket portion 122 is compressed by the upper mold 50X and the lower mold 60X (the FPC 110 arranged in the lower mold 60X) by the mold closing, thereby increasing the adhesion of the gasket portion 122 to the upper mold 50X.

[0032] After the mold is closed, a third step is performed in which the cavity c1 of the mold is filled with material to integrally mold the first molded component body portion 121X with the FPC 110 (see FIG. 4(d)). It is desirable that the cross-linking reaction of the gasket portion 122 is not completed when the third step is started.

[0033] After the first molded component body 121X is integrally molded, the second molded component body 121Y is molded as shown in FIG. 5. The mold used for this molding also includes an upper mold 50Y and a lower mold 60Y. After an insert component with the first molded component body 121X already molded is placed in this mold, the mold is clamped (see FIG. 5(a)). Thereafter, the cavity c2 of the mold is filled with material, so that the second molded component body 121Y is also integrally molded with the FPC 110 as shown in FIG. 5(b). When this molding starts, it is desirable that the cross-linking reaction between the first molded component body 121X and the gasket portion 122 is not completed. Through the above steps, the molded component body 121 is integrally provided with the FPC 110.

[0034] Next, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a case where the second molded part main body 121Y is molded first will be described. The mold used for this molding also includes an upper mold 50Y and a lower mold 60Z1. After the insert part is placed in this mold, the mold is clamped (see FIG. 6(a)). After clamping, the cavity c2 of the mold is filled with material, so that the second molded part main body 121Y is integrally molded with the FPC 110 (see FIG. 6(b)). It is desirable that the cross-linking reaction of the gasket part 122 is not completed at the start of this process. Note that, during this molding, it is desirable to fix the FPC 110 to the mold at a position where the molded part main body 121 is not provided so that the FPC 110 is not deformed by the molding pressure. Specifically, the FPC may be fixed to the mold by a positioning pin, or the FPC may be sucked toward the lower mold by air.

[0035] After the second molded part body 121Y is integrally molded, the first molded part body 121X is molded as shown in Fig. 7. The mold used for this molding also includes an upper mold 50X and a lower mold 60Z2. The upper mold 50X has the same configuration as the upper mold 50X described when the first molded part body 121X is molded first, and is provided with a recess 51.

[0036] After the insert part in which the second molded part main body portion 121Y has been molded is placed in the mold (second step), the mold is clamped (see FIG. 7(a)). 7(b), the first molded part body portion 121X is also integrally molded with the FPC 110 (third step). When this molding starts, it is desirable that the cross-linking reaction between the second molded part body portion 121Y and the gasket portion 122 is not completed. Through the above steps, the molded part body portion 121 is integrally provided with the FPC 110.

[0037] <Advantages of the FPC 100 with molded part and its manufacturing method according to the present embodiment> According to this embodiment, during integral molding (insert molding), a sealed space is formed between the gasket portion 122 and the inner wall surface of the mold in which the mounting component 130 is sealed. This prevents the material from leaking into the sealed space when filling the cavity c1 with material, and prevents the material from adhering to the mounting component 130. This eliminates the need for an operation to remove the leaked material, and reduces the load of the post-processing after molding the molded component.

[0038] Furthermore, during insert molding, when the molding material of the molded component main body 121 is filled into the cavity c1, molding pressure acts on the mounted component 130 via the gasket portion 122. This makes it possible to reduce the molding pressure acting on the mounted component 130. Therefore, there is also the advantage that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of insufficient filling, since there is no need to lower the injection pressure of the molding material during insert molding.

[0039] As described above, it is preferable that gasket portion 122 is attached to mounting component 130 before the cross-linking reaction is completed, and that the cross-linking reaction is not completed when the third step is started. In this way, molded component main body portion 121 and gasket portion 122 can be easily made compatible with each other, and can be easily integrated. Furthermore, if molded component main body portion 121 and gasket portion 122 are made of the same material, it can be made even easier to make molded component main body portion 121 and gasket portion 122 compatible with each other.

[0040] However, in cases where compatibility is not required, gasket portion 122 can be attached to mounting component 130 in the first step after the cross-linking reaction of gasket portion 122 is completed. Also, molded component main body portion 121 and gasket portion 122 can be made of different materials.

[0041] Example 2 Fig. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a configuration related to mounted components is shown which is different from that of the first embodiment. Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same components are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0042] 8 is an explanatory diagram of a flexible printed circuit board with a molded component (hereinafter, referred to as "FPC100A with molded component") according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of FPC100A with molded component, and Fig. 8(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which an insert component is placed in a mold and the mold is clamped.

[0043] In the above-described first embodiment, the mounting component 130 is configured to protrude from the surface of the molded component 120, whereas in the FPC 100A with molded component according to this embodiment, the mounting component 130A is provided inside the surface of the molded component 120. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0044] 8(b) shows a mold for molding the first molded component body described in Example 1. In this example, even if no recess is provided on the inner wall surface of the upper mold 50XA, a gap can be provided between the upper mold 50XA and the mounting component 130A when the mold is closed. In this example as well, when the mold is closed, one end (lower end) of the gasket portion 122 is The gasket portion 122 comes into contact with the FPC 110, and the other end (upper end) comes into contact with the ceiling surface of the upper die 50XA. As a result, a sealed space that seals the mounted component 130A is formed between the gasket portion 122 and the inner wall surface (ceiling surface) of the die (more specifically, the upper die 50XA).

[0045] Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in Example 1. Note that, like Example 1, it is desirable that gasket portion 122 is attached to mounting component 130A in a state before the cross-linking reaction is completed, and that the cross-linking reaction is not completed when the third step is started. Also, like Example 1, it is desirable that molded component main body portion 121 and gasket portion 122 are made of the same material.

[0046] (others) The gasket portion 122 shown in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments can be molded by molding techniques for general rubber products, etc., and therefore can be applied to mounting components of various shapes. For example, when the mounting component 130B is a columnar member, as in the FPC 100B with molded components according to the modified example shown in FIG. 9(a), the gasket portion 122B may be cylindrical. Even if the mounting component 130C has a complex shape, as in the FPC 100C with molded components according to the modified example shown in FIG. 9(b), the planar shape of the inner peripheral surface of the gasket portion 122C may be similar to the planar shape of the mounting component 130C. The planar shape of the outer peripheral surface does not have to be similar to the planar shape of the mounting component 130C. In FIG. 9(b), the solid line shows the case where the outer peripheral surface is similar in shape, and the thick dotted line shows an example where the outer peripheral surface is not similar in shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10: Equipment 11: Case 11a: Through hole 50X, 50XA, 50Y: Upper mold 51: Recess 60X,60Y,60Z1,60Z2: Lower mold 100, 100A, 100B, 100C: FPC with molded parts 110: FPC 111: Base film 112: Wiring 113: Cover film 114: Adhesive layer 120: Molded parts 121: Molded part body 121X: First molded part body 121Y: second molded part body 121a: Opening 122, 122B, 122C: Gasket part 130, 130A, 130B, 130C: Mounting parts c1, c2: Cavity

Claims

1. A flexible printed wiring board; A mounting component to be mounted on the flexible printed wiring board; A molded part provided on the flexible printed wiring board; A flexible printed wiring board with a molded part, comprising: The molded part comprises: a molded component body portion that is integrally molded with the flexible printed wiring board and has an opening portion that surrounds a side wall surface of the mounted component; a gasket portion attached to the mounting component so as to be in contact with an entire periphery of a side wall surface of the mounting component and an entire periphery of an inner periphery of the opening; A flexible printed wiring board with a molded part, comprising:

2. The flexible printed circuit board with molded components according to claim 1, characterized in that the gasket portion is attached to the mounting component in advance in order to prevent material of the molded component main body portion from flowing toward the mounting component during the integral molding.

3. 3. The flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the molded part body and the gasket part are made of the same material.

4. a first step of attaching a gasket portion to a component to be mounted on a flexible printed wiring board; a second step of placing the flexible printed wiring board on the mold that forms an enclosed space for enclosing the mounted component between the gasket portion and an inner wall surface of the mold; a third step of integrally molding a molded component body with the flexible printed wiring board by filling a material into a cavity of the mold; 2. A method for producing a flexible printed wiring board having a molded part, comprising:

5. 5. The method for manufacturing a flexible printed wiring board with a molded component according to claim 4, characterized in that the gasket portion is attached to the mounting component in a state before the cross-linking reaction is completed, and the cross-linking reaction is not completed when the third process is started.

6. 6. The method for manufacturing a flexible printed wiring board with a molded part according to claim 4, wherein the molded part main body and the gasket part are made of the same material.

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