1. Folding mobile phones are being recognized as a key direction for the industry. This year, manufacturers like Huawei, Samsung, and Rouyu have officially launched their folding screen smartphones, while companies such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo have also introduced relevant prototypes. The era of folding mobile phones has officially begun.
2. Among these innovations, flexible circuit boards have become essential components in folding smartphones due to their lightweight, slim profile, and excellent bendability. However, the application of flexible printed circuits (FPCs) in smartphones still encounters numerous technical challenges, which are now a primary focus for manufacturers to address.
3. FPCs are characterized by their lightweight and thin design, along with their flexibility, versatility in winding, foldability, and high wiring density, aligning perfectly with the industry trend towards lightweight devices.
**1.** Thinness and miniaturization have recently positioned flexible printed circuits (FPC) as a leader in the PCB sub-industry. Experts note that while flexible screens are now achievable in FPC, the primary challenges lie in display screens and rigid PCBs. Developing foldable PCBs requires extensive research and development, alongside a significant amount of electronic materials, presenting a notable challenge.
**2.** FPC Flexible Circuit Board
FPC is predominantly utilized in mobile devices, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, industrial control, medical applications, aerospace, and military sectors. Among these, mobile terminals represent the largest application area for FPC, particularly in smartphones, which impose the highest technical demands on FPC and will shape its future development trajectory. The trends of miniaturization and intelligence are expected to drive flexible mobile phones to become prevalent in the future.
**3.** Experts have also proposed solutions to meet FPC requirements for folding, connecting, and repeated use of folding screens. In a flexible-screen smartphone, the need for multiple folds and extensive usage significantly raises the requirements for the internal flexible circuit board, consequently increasing the area needed. However, FPC is typically produced using batch methods, which limits it by the size of the production equipment. To address this, experts suggest extending the circuit through a middle socket and reinforcing the FPC by utilizing plug-in golden fingers.
**4.** Currently, the primary processes and technologies for connecting soft and hard boards involve the fabrication of rigid-flex boards. In terms of size, the industry standard for soft or rigid-flex boards is 250mm wide, with initial attempts underway to utilize materials that are 500mm wide.
**5.** The growing application of FPCs in mobile phones is becoming an established trend, positively impacting the FPC market. However, FPC still encounters manufacturing challenges, particularly with large-size applications in folding screen smartphones. While solutions exist for these issues, they inevitably lead to increased costs. Therefore, effectively managing the cost of FPC will rely on advancements in mass production or technological upgrades.
—
Let me know if you need any further adjustments!
2. Among these innovations, flexible circuit boards have become essential components in folding smartphones due to their lightweight, slim profile, and excellent bendability. However, the application of flexible printed circuits (FPCs) in smartphones still encounters numerous technical challenges, which are now a primary focus for manufacturers to address.
3. FPCs are characterized by their lightweight and thin design, along with their flexibility, versatility in winding, foldability, and high wiring density, aligning perfectly with the industry trend towards lightweight devices.
**1.** Thinness and miniaturization have recently positioned flexible printed circuits (FPC) as a leader in the PCB sub-industry. Experts note that while flexible screens are now achievable in FPC, the primary challenges lie in display screens and rigid PCBs. Developing foldable PCBs requires extensive research and development, alongside a significant amount of electronic materials, presenting a notable challenge.
**2.** FPC Flexible Circuit Board
FPC is predominantly utilized in mobile devices, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, industrial control, medical applications, aerospace, and military sectors. Among these, mobile terminals represent the largest application area for FPC, particularly in smartphones, which impose the highest technical demands on FPC and will shape its future development trajectory. The trends of miniaturization and intelligence are expected to drive flexible mobile phones to become prevalent in the future.
**3.** Experts have also proposed solutions to meet FPC requirements for folding, connecting, and repeated use of folding screens. In a flexible-screen smartphone, the need for multiple folds and extensive usage significantly raises the requirements for the internal flexible circuit board, consequently increasing the area needed. However, FPC is typically produced using batch methods, which limits it by the size of the production equipment. To address this, experts suggest extending the circuit through a middle socket and reinforcing the FPC by utilizing plug-in golden fingers.
**4.** Currently, the primary processes and technologies for connecting soft and hard boards involve the fabrication of rigid-flex boards. In terms of size, the industry standard for soft or rigid-flex boards is 250mm wide, with initial attempts underway to utilize materials that are 500mm wide.
**5.** The growing application of FPCs in mobile phones is becoming an established trend, positively impacting the FPC market. However, FPC still encounters manufacturing challenges, particularly with large-size applications in folding screen smartphones. While solutions exist for these issues, they inevitably lead to increased costs. Therefore, effectively managing the cost of FPC will rely on advancements in mass production or technological upgrades.
—
Let me know if you need any further adjustments!
