Cold Forming Flex Circuits via Selective Plating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for forming flex bends in flex circuits use heated dies, which can damage components, pose handling issues, and limit design flexibility due to high temperatures, and are not suitable for creating complex shapes without annealing materials.
Innovation Solution
The method involves selectively plating a flex circuit with a material like copper to provide characteristics similar to sheet metal, allowing for cold forming using a complex die set, reducing component damage and increasing geometric customization without heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If heated dies are used to form flex bends, then the flex circuit can be formed into desired shapes, but the high temperature can damage adhesive, insulation materials, solder joints, and other components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high (heated dies at 400°F) to low (cold forming at room temperature). By using cold forming instead of hot forming, the process achieves the desired flex bend shapes without subjecting the flex circuit to temperatures that would damage adhesive, insulation materials, solder joints, and other heat-sensitive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal field (heated dies) with a mechanical field (cold forming dies). Instead of using heat to make the material formable, the process uses mechanical force applied through cold dies to directly form the flex circuit into the desired shape, eliminating thermal damage while achieving the same shaping objective.
2Shape
If heated dies are used to form flex bends, then the flex circuit can be shaped, but handling issues and cool down periods increase processing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high to low, eliminating the need for cool down periods. By performing cold forming at room temperature, the process removes the time-consuming cooling step entirely, reducing total processing time and improving manufacturing efficiency while still achieving the desired flex circuit shapes.
3Shape
If heated dies are used to form flex bends, then the flex circuit can be formed, but the hot dies can anneal materials and damage high bond acrylic contact adhesives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter to prevent material property changes. By using cold forming instead of hot forming, the process avoids the annealing effect that would alter material properties and prevent damage to high bond acrylic contact adhesives, maintaining the original material characteristics and adhesive strength while achieving the desired shape.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If cold forming with complex die set is used, then handling issues and component damage are reduced, but the process requires selective plating to provide sheet metal-like characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively plating only specific areas of the flex circuit with copper or other materials. This selective plating provides sheet metal-like characteristics and formability only where needed for cold forming, rather than plating the entire circuit. This approach reduces material cost and process complexity while still enabling cold forming with complex die sets to be performed without damaging components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the formation of complex shapes and precise bends in flex circuits without heat damage, improving handling and customization, and is suitable for applications like medical devices where close tolerances are critical.
Implementation Method 1
selectively plating a flex circuit with a material like copper to provide characteristics similar to sheet metal
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for cold forming one or more features (106) in a flex circuit (100). The flex circuit (100) includes: an electronic circuit (102) connected to a substrate (104). When the substrate (104) is in a planar state, one or more areas deemed to be bent (or otherwise augmented) in the cold forming process, are additionally and selectively plated with an extra layer of metal (108), such as copper, so that only these one or more areas are now capable of being cold formed into shapes accurately.