Technical Articles From Altium

Rigid-Flex PCB Right the First Time - Without Paper Dolls

Jan 19, 2017 | Benjamin Jordan

The biggest problem with designing rigid-flex hybrid PCBs is making sure everything will fold in the right way, while maintaining good flex-circuit stability and lifespan. The next big problem to solve is the conveyance of the design to a fabricator who will clearly understand the design intent and therefore produce exactly what the designer/engineer intended.

Rigid-Flex circuit boards require additional cutting and lamination stages, and more exotic materials in manufacturing and therefore the cost of re-spins and failures are very much higher than traditional rigid boards. To reduce the risk and costs associated with rigid-flex design and prototyping, it is desirable to model the flexible parts of the circuit in 3D CAD to ensure correct form and fit. In addition it is necessary to provide absolutely clear documentation for manufacturing to the fabrication and assembly houses....

Net Ties and How to Use Them

Nov 16, 2010 | Chris Carlson

The Net Tie is a component type which allows for shorting together various nets in a design. The graphic for the symbol can be as simple as two component pins representing a virtual component between nets or as complex as mutipul pins (as many as desired)...