Advantages of Flexible PCB for Space Application
Many technologies that were formerly developed for space exploration by NASA is now used for a host of many other important gadgets and discoveries. For instance, today, pillows made of memory foam is very popular. Memory foam was developed by NASA. Another such useful technology developed for aerospace industry includes flexible circuits or flexible PCB board. Fully flexible and rigid flex PCBs have a number of advantages over the traditional PCBs.
Advantages of flexible circuits produced by the flexible printed circuit manufacturers include reduced volume and weight, and increased reliability.
Low volume and lightweight
One may think that weight doesn’t really matter when it comes to aerospace technology, after all, everything is weightless up in space. However, the thing is that rockets as well as their payloads do experience significant gravity during liftoff. In the process of launching a rocket into space, the most energy-intensive part if carrying it from surface into orbit. Flexible PCB board are perfect for aerospace as it has low mass and also takes up lower space as compared to traditional PCBs.
Flexible PCBs are much lighter than the traditional, normal circuit boards. With flexible PCBs, instead of using thick rigid substrates, its mounted on thin films. As layers are added, substrate weight savings get compounded, that can result to about 75 percent of weight reduction.
With addition to being lightweight, flexible circuits are smaller as well. This is for obvious reasons — when film is thinner, it will obviously take lesser space. However, the main savings in volume comes from its flexibility. While traditional PCBs needs a given space to be mounted upon, flexible PCB board can be folded or squeezed into crannies and nooks.
Reliability
Well, flexible PCBs were designed for space exploration, and in aerospace industry reliability is really important. For instance, Voyager one was launched by NASA 36 years ago, its still flying. And for such a feat to take place, each and every part, especially the circuits needs to be hugely reliable. A flexible PCB board can withstand much more dynamic force that the traditional boards. Also, flexible PCBs eliminate high-failure interconnection points.
Spacecrafts are subjected to a lot of dynamic force, especially during liftoffs. When it comes to traditional PCBs, vibrations caused by dynamic forces lead to about 20 percent failures. Rigid flex and flexible PCBs are designed to twist and withstand during operation and it can flex over thousand times before it fails. This helps the flexible boards to bend flexibly and not break, and keep performing even on harsh conditions. Because of its high reliability, flexible PCBs are used by flexible heaters manufacturers as well.
Connections like crimps, solder joints, etc. are at high risk for failure too. These attachments are subject to breakage due to dynamic forces. With flexible circuits, connections are eliminated, and therefore, risk of breakage is also reduced significantly. Most connections in flexible PCBs are done within substrate. For a flexible circuit connection to fail, the whole flexible PCB board would need to fail. Thus, flex PCBs eliminates or reduces the risk of failure.
