“Rigid flex circuits and assemblies enable seamless communications from land, sea and air,” states Dan Dawiedczyk, director of marketing, Molex.

“Rigid flex assemblies allow a unified approach to solve electronic power, signal distribution, and packaging problems when standard rigid boards or cables are not feasible. Rigid flex circuits and assemblies can help eliminate the need for separate boards, connectors and cables.”

Designed for a range of applications from hand-held to large storage and computing devices, Molex rigid flex circuits and assemblies combine the benefits of flexible copper circuitry and rigid PCB circuitry into a single power and signal solution for superior reliability and a lower total applied cost.

The hybrid constructions consist of rigid and flexible substrates laminated together into a single structure that integrates the features of a PCB with the advantages of flexible printed circuit technology. Supporting larger connector housings and an array of surface-mounted electronic components, the flexible circuitry allows the assembly to be bent or folded into a three-dimensional packaging space, thus optimizing the final product.

Molex flex circuitry can be built with 20 or more layers, depending on the specific design requirements. Each rigid flex circuit is designed to meet the customer’s unique application. Rigid flex circuits are surface mountable on one or both sides which increases overall circuit density and provides additional packaging options.

Unbonded layers provide maximum flexibility for tight spaces. The flexible substrate integrates power and signal technologies into one package to reduce weight and optimize packaging in military devices.

“Molex rigid flex assemblies provide a complete, lower applied-cost solution for high-end mission-critical power and signal distribution designs,” adds Dawiedczyk.

Molex flex circuits and assemblies are available in a range of material stack-up and design layout options to meet stringent military application requirements. Assemblies featuring rigid flex circuitry can be press-fit, wave soldered or surface mounted and utilize virtually the entire Molex connector portfolio, including Impact, NeoScale, SlimStack and many others.