Links
Photo
Fabrication Materials Flexible
Circuit Screen Printing Materials
Copper-clad polymer flexible film:
Pyralux: DuPont Electronic Materials (Pyralux), Copper Clad Kapton. We have used Pyralux LF CopperClad kapton, which comes in single-sided and double-sided film.
Laminex:
Copper clad polyester laminate. Mechanical properties are not as good
as kapton, but it should be cheaper. Supplier in italy: Andreone Stefano
FOPILEX Copper Clad Laminates, Coverlay, Adhesive Film
Arlon also makes a copper clad polyester laminate that we have used in the lab for making contact sensors and printed flex cables for our skin acceleration sensors.
Photoresist:
DuPont sells a couple photoimageable films that can be bonded to the copper clad film: Pyralux PC & Riston. We have investigated using Riston for photoimaging our flex circuits, though we have not tried it yet. We were given the name of a local supplier that uses Riston by DuPont and advised to have them laminate the riston onto the copper clad flex circuit substrate (for best quality). The price we were quoted was nearly the same as buying a sheet of uncoated material (for example: a 18" x 24" 1-sided piece of Pyralux LF laminated with Riston cost ~$150).
We have had all of our material dip-coated with posistive photoresist by Injectorall. Initially, we spray coated our flex circuit material, but found dip-coating to provide a more uniform coat of photoresist.
Photomasks
Though adequate results can sometimes be obtained with a good laserprinter and transparency film, professional quality masks can be produced using a commercial printing place that has a linotron machine (see your yellow pages under "printing service bureaus").
An alternative might be to use iron on "Press-n-Peel" products by C.I.B.S. or Techniks.
PCB chemicals and supplies (etcher, developer, ferric chloride)
Datak
PCB chemicals and equipment "L.K.G. Industries, Inc."
general PCB supplies can be found at http://www.web-tronics.com/printed-circuit-board-supplies.html
Photoimaging Equipment
(UV lamp, Contact Frame, Chemical Trays, Etching Bath, Plastic
Tweezers, Gloves)
Kepro -- chemicals, tools, tin plating, silk screen...
Resources, tips and tutorials:
M.G. Chemicals PC Board fabrication tutorial
Injectorall's instructions for 1-sided and 2-sided boards.
Minco's Flexible circuit design guide
Minco's guide to designing flex circuits for good design life.
Useful notes and table of film materials properties for flex circuits from Parlex.
Grimes Distribution, Inc. provides a useful supplier & product database for photochemicals and supplies
Products to Repair flexible circuits
CircuitWorks/Chemtronics Sell flexible conductive ink (silver filled) pens. Expensive, but they give 3 free samples on web site.
Comercial Flex Circuit products
Minco Flexible heating elements, sensors...
Flexible Circuit Screen Printing Materials
Conductive Ink Suppliers
Colotronics Website a bit misleading (Talking T-shirt). Contact by phone or e-mail. Extremely helpfull and knowledgable. Almost 30 years experience.
Creative Materials Inc Small selection of inks
Prestige Printing Products Not much on site. Conact by email or phone to get detail on products
Electra They sell a line of screen printable inks called electra'dor. Some of these inks are specifically formulated for flex applications. This line of inks includes flexible carbon based resistor ink and dielectric. Unfortunately, because the company is based in England they will not send out samples for evaluation. Sold in 500g containers (~$250/ for high conductivity silver ink)
Coates Circuit Products screen printable inks
Allied PhotoChemical UVGA UV curable conductive, resistor grade and dielectric grade screen printable inks.
Epoxies, Etc... Epoxies Inc. sells a wide array of adhesives. Among them is 40-3920 Electrically Conductive Flexible Ink
Chomerics, for EMI Shielding and Thermal Management Chomerics also make piezo-resistive screen printable ink (suffers from resistance drift problems at temp above 100 deg C and over lifetime.
Flexible substrate Supplier links (for screen printing)
DuPont Packaging: films Melinex, print treated mylar.
Photo-Emulsion Supplier links (for screen printing)
KIWOCOL - DIAZO EMULSIONS Many flavors of photo-senstive emulsions for creating screen stencils
Screen Press/Frame Supplier links
Majestech/Saati Industrial Screen Printing supplies. Good Reference site. Find a local sales and service rep.
Screen Printed comercial products
Interlink FSR based products
Spectra Symbol Flex sensors, force sensors, printed potentiometers and xy pads and membrane switches.
Tekscan FlexiForce pressure sensors
Abrams Gentile Entertainment Flex Sensors for computer glove interfaces.
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