Analyze the difference between PCB and FPC

PCB and FPC are two circuit boards that many people are interested in today. So what is a PCB? What is FPC? What is the application and difference between these two boards? Follow along with the article below, and we will proceed to answer all these questions for everyone to know.

What is a PCB?

Define

PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is a printed circuit board containing conductors and various electronic components such as ICs, capacitors, etc. PCB itself has many layers and is not capable of conducting electricity. It works based on paths and pad points on the surface to connect and transmit electrical signals between different points located on the PCB circuit.

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Composition

The printed circuit board (PCB) is made up of 4 layers of different materials, and each layer will take on a specific role:

• FR4 substrate: these are glass fibers located on the bottom layer of the circuit board to help the PCB circuit have good rigidity and thickness, making it difficult to break or crack.
• Copper Layer: Lying on top of the FR4 substrate, the copper layer is pressed by heat and adhesive, which conducts electricity.
• Solder Mask: As the top layer of copper foil, it covers the entire circuit except for the component feet used for soldering. This layer is responsible for isolating the component legs to be soldered from the surrounding circuits so that the soldering is not damaged. At the same time, the solder mask layer will help prevent oxidization and guide the SMD components to the correct position to be soldered without being displaced.
• Ink layer (silkscreen): The last layer to be coated on the PCB. The distinguishing feature of this class is that it has additional letters, numbers, and symbols to help you know at this location what type of component to attach and how much value is appropriate.

Application

PCB circuits are applied in most electrical equipment in life, from large to small, such as the automobile industry, machinery, medical equipment, military (automatic aiming missiles, etc.), robots, computers, TVs, mobile phones, etc.

What is FPC?

Define

FPC (Flexible Circuit Board) is a highly reliable flexible printed circuit board. Made from polyimide or polyester film, FPC circuits have characteristics such as high wire density, lightweight, thin thickness, and good bendability, so they can be folded. Because of this feature, the FPC circuit is also called a flexible circuit board.

Composition

The FPC circuit is composed of three layers of the following materials:

• Flexible copper sheet (FCCL) contains flexible copper plating films, conventional polyimide (PI) films, polyester (PET), polyethylene glycol naphthalate (PEN), liquid crystal display polymers (LCP), and other polymeric plastic films. A flexible copper sheet acts as a conductor, insulation, and support point.
• The coating film consists of an organic chemical resin film and an adhesive. The effect is to maintain the wiring part of the completed flexible power circuit.
• Bond films contain adhesives that are poured onto a backing film on one or two sides, which act as interlayer bonding and insulation for laminated panels.

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Application

Flexible printed circuit boards (FPC) are mainly used in a variety of products such as mobile phones, hard drives, game consoles, digital cameras, laptops, etc.

Difference between PCB and FPC

PCB and FPC are two commonly used circuit boards today. So what is the difference between them?

FPC board is thinner than PCB, has more flexibility, and can be flexible at high temperatures. Therefore, FPC is used to assemble components that require high precision and high assembly density. This circuit board is difficult to process, and the production cost is quite high.

Different from the FPC circuit board, which has flexible properties, the PCB board is much stiffer; it is not easily bent, but it is much easier to handle if you assemble it in the wrong place. In particular, the cost of manufacturing PCB circuits is also much lower.

In terms of performance, the FPC circuit is more efficient than the PCB circuit. But on the contrary, the PCB circuit will be cheaper than the FPC circuit.

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Above is information related to PCB and FPC circuits. Hopefully, with the information shared in the article, you already know what the difference is between these two boards. If you need more advice on circuit boards, electronic components, or soldering materials, please contact Thetech for answers!