Comparison between hard board PCB and soft board FPC

What is a hard board PCB and a soft board FPC? What is the difference between them? Regarding PCB, it is the so-called printed circuit board, which is usually called a hard board. It is the support body among electronic components and is a very important electronic component. PCB generally uses FR4 as the base material, also called a hard board, which cannot be bent or deflected. PCB is generally used in places that do not require bending but require relatively strong strength, such as computer motherboards, mobile phone motherboards, etc.

FPC is actually a type of PCB, but it is very different from traditional printed circuit boards. It is called a soft board, and its full name is a flexible circuit board. FPC generally uses PI as the base material, which is a flexible material that can be bent and flexed at will. FPC generally operates in situations where repeated bending and the connection of some small parts are required, but now it is not just that. Smartphones are currently thinking about bending prevention, which requires the use of FPC, a key technology.

In fact, FPC is not only a flexible circuit board, but it is also an important design method for connecting three-dimensional circuit structures. This structure can be used with other electronic product designs to build a variety of different applications. Therefore, from this point of view See, FPC and PCB are very different.

As for PCB, unless the circuit is made into a three-dimensional form by potting glue, the circuit board is generally flat. Therefore, to make full use of the three-dimensional space, FPC is a good solution. As far as hard boards are concerned, the current common space extension solution is to use slots and interface cards. However, FPC can create a similar structure with an adapter design, and the directional design is also more flexible. Using a connecting FPC, two pieces of hard boards can be connected into a set of parallel line systems, and can also be turned to any angle to adapt to different product appearance designs.

Of course, FPC can use terminal connection methods for line connection, but it can also use soft and hard boards to avoid these connection mechanisms. A single FPC can configure many hard boards using layout methods and connect them. This approach reduces connector and terminal interference, which can improve signal quality and product reliability. The picture shows a soft and hard board constructed from multiple PCBs and FPCs. The above is the difference between hard board PCB and soft board FPC. I hope it can help you.