Assembled Flexible Circuit With Wound Antenna Coil
A small flexible circuit assembly carrying a wound antenna coil and a populated component area on the same polyimide substrate. Assembling on flex is a different process from assembling on rigid board: the substrate moves, so it has to be carried.
What This Board Is
Flex does not sit still on a conveyor. To place and reflow components on a polyimide circuit the part has to be held in a carrier that keeps it flat through the oven and releases it afterwards without stressing the joints. That carrier is tooling, and it is the reason flex assembly is quoted differently from rigid assembly. The circuit shown combines an etched antenna structure with a small populated area, which is a common format for tags and short range wireless modules.
- PCBA
- See specification
What You Get From This Build
- Antenna and circuit etched as one part, so the antenna geometry is identical on every unit
- Flex assembly carried out in the same plant that etched the circuit
- Polyimide substrate tolerates the reflow profile that the components require
- Assembly carriers keep the flex flat through reflow, which protects joint quality
Who Specifies This Board
- RFID and NFC tag manufacturers
- Short range wireless module builders
- Medical disposable and single-use device makers
- Product developers who need the antenna and the circuit on one part
Four Failures This Build Is Designed Against
Each one is a real way this class of board goes wrong, and the tolerance or process decision that prevents it.
Hand-wound antennas that vary between units
An etched antenna is defined by artwork. Its geometry does not vary from one part to the next.
Flex circuits distorting in the reflow oven
The part is carried flat through the profile rather than placed loose on the conveyor.
Solder joints cracking when the flex is bent
Component areas are placed away from bend zones, and stiffeners are used where a rigid island is needed.
One vendor etching the flex and another assembling it
Etching and assembly in the same plant removes a handover on a part that is easy to damage in transit.
Technical Specification
Product detail from the catalogue record, followed by the published process capability for the PCBA family. Anything the legacy catalogue did not record is marked TBC rather than filled in.
| Item | Technical specification |
|---|---|
| Product name | FPCB Assembly With Antenna Coil |
| Legacy catalogue reference | FPCB Assembly-1 |
| Product family | PCBA |
| Surface finish | See specification |
| Assembly technology | Surface mount, through-hole and mixed technology |
| Substrates assembled | Rigid FR4, aluminium metal core and flexible circuits |
| Bare board testing | Open and short test at 50 to 300 V before assembly |
| Component sourcing | Turnkey, consigned or mixed |
| Functional test | TBC — quoted against your test specification |
| Conformal coating | TBC — confirm the coating specification with your enquiry |
| Minimum order quantity | TBC — not recorded on the legacy catalogue |
| Lead time | TBC — confirmed per enquiry |
What The Board Is Made Of
| Material | Specification |
|---|---|
| Bare board | Rigid FR4, aluminium metal core or flexible circuit, fabricated in the same plant |
| Solder | Lead-free process, RoHS compliant |
| Components | Supplied by us on turnkey, or consigned by you |
| Stencil | Cut to the released paste layer of the same board revision |
| Packing | Packed on our own packing machines to your specification |
What Can Be Changed
- Turnkey, consigned or mixed component supply
- Rigid, aluminium or flexible substrates
- Mixed surface mount and through-hole builds
- Hand-fitted magnetics and mechanical parts
- Device programming, subject to confirmation
- Packing to your goods-in specification
How This Board Is Made
Eight stages on equipment sourced from the USA, Japan, Germany and Israel. Every stage listed runs inside our own plant.
Data and BOM review
Manufacturer part numbers checked and alternates agreed in writing before buying.
Bare board
Fabricated in the same plant and open and short tested at 50 to 300 V.
Stencil
Cut to the paste layer of the same released revision as the board.
Paste and placement
Solder paste printed, then surface mount devices placed.
Reflow
Profiled for the substrate, with flexible circuits carried flat in tooling.
Through-hole and manual
Connectors, magnetics and hand-fitted parts as separate operations with their own inspection.
Inspection
Assembled boards inspected before packing.
Packing
Packed on our own packing machines to your goods-in specification.
What Is Checked Before It Ships
- Bare board open and short tested at 50 to 300 V before any component is placed
- Stencil and board matched to the same released revision
- Post-reflow inspection before through-hole and manual operations
- Mechanical parts such as sockets and terminal blocks inspected as mechanical parts
- Functional test quoted and run against your own test specification
What The Plant Holds
- ISO 9001:2000. Quality management system certification recorded by the company. Current revision year available on request.
- ISO 14001:1996. Environmental management system certification recorded by the company.
- UL. Certification recorded by the company. File number available on request.
- RoHS and lead free. Listed in the company environmental policy alongside pollution prevention and resource reduction.
Certificate numbers, issue dates and current revision years are not published on the legacy site. Ask for copies with your enquiry and they will be sent with the quotation.
How It Compares With The Alternatives
Three boards from our own catalogue, side by side, so the trade-off is visible rather than argued.
| Assembly | Technology | Distinguishing feature | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| FPCB Assembly With Antenna Coil | Flex assembly | Etched antenna | Tags and short range wireless |
| Rigid Flex Assembly With Connector Board | Rigid flex assembly | Terminated tail | Folded architectures |
| 2 Layer Flexible PCB | Bare flex | Contact pads | Keypads you assemble yourself |
What To Send With Your Enquiry
Four things that decide whether the quote comes back right the first time.
- Send the flat pattern with the component area and the antenna area marked separately.
- State whether a stiffener is needed under the component area and give its material and thickness.
- Confirm the reflow profile limit for the substrate and for the most sensitive component.
- Expect carrier tooling on the first order, since flex has to be held flat through the oven.
FPCB Assembly With Antenna Coil Questions
Can you assemble components onto flexible circuits?
Yes. Flex assembly is part of our PCBA range alongside rigid board assembly.
Do flex assemblies need special tooling?
They need a carrier to hold the circuit flat through reflow. That tooling is quoted with the first order.
Can stiffeners be added under the component area?
Yes. Tell us the stiffener material and thickness and mark the area on the drawing.
What base material do you use for assembled flex?
Polyimide is the usual choice because it tolerates reflow. PET and FR4 are also available on our flex line.
Other Boards In The PCBA Family
Boards built on the same line, with the same tolerances, in a different configuration.
Assembled Interface Board With Serial Ethernet And Edge Connector
Assembled Embedded Controller With Microcontroller Ethernet And Storage
Assembled Motherboard With Expansion Slot And Rear Port Cluster
Assembled Power Converter With Toroidal Inductor And LED Output Board
Where This Board Is Used
The fields the legacy catalogue records for this class of board.
This Board In Context
Get FPCB Assembly With Antenna Coil Priced Against Your Own Files
Send Gerber RS-274X with an NC drill file, or an ODB++ package, with the layer count, thickness, copper weight, surface finish and quantity. We check it against the published capability before quoting.