How to overcome flex and flex-rigid design challenges

PCB designers working with flex or flex-rigid technology face many challenges, every one of which has the potential to derail a project and cause costly design failures. To deal with these challenges and drive project success, designers have had to rely on their individual skills and experience, as traditional PCB design tools don’t provide much help in avoiding flex-rigid pitfalls.

Xpedition® guides designers through the minefield of challenges towards first-turn success by providing all the tools needed for successful flex and flex-rigid design and signal integrity analysis.

Flex-rigid PCB design challenges

• Multiple board outlines, each with separate layer stack-ups
• Special layer stack-up constructs that are unique to flex
• Special layer types, such as Adhesive, Cover layer, and Stiffener
• Bending and folding of the assembly
• The 3D aspect of the folded assembly
• The need to route along curving boards without causing reliability issues due to metal stress
• Plane and shape fills that conform to flex requirements
• Design Rule Checking (DRC) that understands specific flex-rigid rules
• Signal and Power integrity of a multi stack-up board
• Flex fabrication output that safely conveys design intent to FAB

How Xpedition solves the problems

Xpedition gives you the solution that:

• makes it easy to set up simple and complex flex and flex-rigid designs
• it's safe and easy to implement changes to stack-up and outlines
• supports true 3D design and verification
• delivers robust non-ambiguous fabrication output

Learn more about Rigid-flex PCB design.