Vacuum Plate With Variable Density Through-Holes for Flexible Circuit Board Flattening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible circuit boards often warp or bend during production processes due to varying flexibility levels in different sections, leading to distortions in printed circuits and challenges in inspection and repair, as existing fixation methods fail to uniformly apply vacuum forces across sections with different flexibility levels.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum plate with through-holes arranged in a variable density pattern, adapted to the specific flexibility sections of the circuit board, is used in conjunction with a vacuum source to apply a stronger vacuum force to bend-prone sections and a weaker force to less flexible sections, ensuring uniform fixation and flattening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a uniform vacuum force is applied across the entire flexible circuit board, then the fixation is simple to implement, but sections with different flexibility levels cannot be uniformly flattened
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum plate is designed with through-holes arranged in variable density patterns, where different sections of the plate have different hole densities matched to the flexibility characteristics of corresponding CB sections. This local differentiation allows each section to receive appropriate vacuum force intensity, achieving uniform flattening across the entire flexible circuit board despite its varying flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum plate is divided into multiple sections, each with through-holes arranged in specific density patterns corresponding to different flexibility zones of the circuit board. This segmentation enables independent optimization of vacuum application for each section, resolving the contradiction between uniform fixation and varying material properties.
2Reliability
If the flexibility of different sections is taken into account, then uniform fixation can be achieved, but the vacuum plate design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum plate incorporates locally optimized through-hole patterns where hole density varies across different sections to match the flexibility characteristics of corresponding circuit board regions. This local quality approach ensures reliable fixation for each section while maintaining an integrated plate structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design varies the density parameter of through-holes across different sections of the vacuum plate. By changing this geometric parameter spatially, the system adapts to different flexibility requirements of various CB sections, achieving reliable fixation without requiring multiple separate fixtures.
3Manufacturing precision
If variable density patterns are used, then sections with different flexibility are fixed uniformly, but the manufacturing of the vacuum plate becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum plate manufacturing process is segmented into distinct zones corresponding to different flexibility regions of the circuit board. Each zone is designed with specific through-hole density patterns that can be manufactured using standardized drilling or etching processes, making the variable density pattern achievable with conventional manufacturing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum plate is pre-designed with calculated through-hole density distributions before manufacturing, based on the flexibility characteristics of the circuit board sections. This preliminary design phase allows for optimization of the hole patterns to achieve uniform fixation while maintaining manufacturability through systematic arrangement of features.
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 solution effectively reduces warpage levels, improves the quality of production processes, and enhances the coupling between the circuit board and the vacuum plate, resulting in better fixation and flattening, thereby improving the overall quality of flexible printed circuit boards.
Implementation Method 1
The vacuum source is configured to draw a vacuum in the TH between the first and second surfaces for fixing the first section to the first pattern and the second section to the second pattern
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a plate and a vacuum source. The plate has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the plate is configured to receive on the first surface a flexible substrate including a first section having a first flexibility and a second section having a second flexibility different from the first flexibility, the plate has through-holes (TH), between the first and second surfaces, with a variable density that varies from a first pattern arranged in a first density opposite the first section to a second pattern arranged in a second density, different from the first density, opposite the second section. The vacuum source is configured to draw a vacuum in the TH between the first and second surfaces for fixing the first section to the first pattern and the second section to the second pattern.