IPC International Conference on Flexible Circuits matches diversity with demand.
As diverse as flex itself, the IPC International Conference on Flexible Circuits, a day-long conference held during February in Phoenix, Ariz., attracted an audience as wide-ranging as this interconnection technique.
“The topics ranged from hands-on techniques to high-end flex stacking,” explains Tom Newton, director, PCB programs, standards and technology for IPC. “The speakers were varied in their backgrounds—some from as far as England.”
As the plea for new packaging solutions and control reach a fever pitch, new applications for flex circuitry are helping companies meet these demands with their ability to manage higher temperatures and save in assembly costs.
“Flex is growing the fastest,” Newton says.
Newton noted that Steve Thomas’ presentation, “Flexibility in Flex Circuit Manufacturing: The Evolution of Inkjet Printing of Conductive Materials,” was especially well-received, as he explained that digital printing of conductive materials provides a flexible production of flex printed circuit boards without having to provide expensive tooling.
“There are quite a few people who think that the printing press is a dying operation,” Newton says. “What [Thomas] is doing is pretty advanced, and people are looking for other avenues.” By harnessing this technology, it allows companies to remain competitive with low-cost countries, where high-volume electronics manufacturing has dominated.
Other highlights from the conference include Ken Gilleo’s historical perspective of flexible circuitry, lessons learned from which, Newton says, are important when discerning modern predicaments. In his talk, Gilleo, CEO of ET-Trends LLC in Warwick, R.I., discussed the many facets of the technology’s 100-year history.
Also of interest was “High Density/Fine Line Flex and IPC Standards,” the topic presented by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.’s Thomas Gardeski, which highlighted the flex technologies being implemented in Asia versus other parts of the world. “Asia is still doing a lot of hand-held technology, which means high density and higher concentration,” Newton says.
