Chapter 10 – Flexible Circuit Assembly
By Joseph Fjelstad and Bob Willis

            Flexible circuits, understandably, offer some unique challenges to the assembly processes which evolved to serve rigid circuit assembly. Thus, adapting flex circuits to the assembly process requires adjustments. While very simple methods, such as manual component insertion and hand-soldering, may require little or no fixturing, fully automated methods typically require specially-developed, design-specific, dedicated fixtures.
The areas of assembly detailed in chapter 10 include: flex circuit and component preparation; surface finishes for solder connections; assembly process fixtures and tools; component placement; interconnecting and joining processes; rework; solder joint inspection; and wire bonding.