Have you witnessed the revolutionary progression of mobile electronic components? The manufacture of small and smart electronic devices can be pretty complicated. However, the presence of versatile printed circuit boards has made it easier to fabricate sophisticated electronic components. As a result, many industries are incorporating flex PCBs to manufacture portable multi-functional devices. Flex PCBs are also very efficient in static and dynamic electronic devices. Oshpark company is among the most famous manufacturers of flex PCBs. The information below explains more about Oshpark and its flex PCBs.
Oshpark Company
Founded in 2012, Oshpark is an American electronics manufacturer headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Additionally, the company has an employee population of between 6 and 10 people. Moreover, the company’s revenue is between I million and 5 million US dollars. In addition, the company has become a famous manufacturer of rigid, rigid-flex, and flex PCBs. Furthermore, the company also manufactures lead-free boards with ENIG finish. Oshpark then ships these PCBs to any country in the world for free.
Oshpark’s Technologies And Integrations
Oshpark uses the following APIs and Technologies:
- Oshpark uses Cloudflare, Fastly, Cloudflare CDN, and Google Hosted Libraries technologies for content delivery.
- The company also uses the following libraries and frameworks; jQuery, Ruby on Rails, and Modernizr technologies.
- Oshpark uses three web accelerators: Varnish, Cloudflare Website Optimization, and Cloudflare Rocket Loader.
Oshpark flex PCB types
The following are the types of PCBs that the company manufactures:
- Two-Layer PCBs-For easy identification during shipping, all two-layer boards have a purple mask over the bare copper, FR$ substrate, and ENIG (immersion gold) finish. In addition, the following are the minimum design rules for two-layer flex PCBs:
- 6mil (0.1524mm) trace width
- 5mil(0.127mm) annular ring
- 6mil (0.1524mm) trace clearance
- 10mil(0.254mm) drill size
PCB specifications
For Oshpark prototype PCBs, the board has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz. Moreover, a set of 3 PCBs cost $5 per square inch and require 12 shipping days. Additionally, a super swift PCB board has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz. Therefore, a set of 3 boards costs $10 per square inch and require five business days to ship. Furthermore, an Oshpark’s flex PCB has a thickness of 4mil (0.1016mm) for the core and 8mil(0.2032mm) for the stack-up. In addition, the board has a copper weight of 1oz, and a set of three such panels costs $10 per square inch.
Equally important is that a 2oz PCB has a thickness of 32mil (0.8mm) and a copper weight of 2oz. Therefore, a set of 3 boards costs $5 per square inch and requires between 2 and 3 weeks to ship. Again, one Oshpark’s After Dark PCB has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz. In addition, a set of 3 boards costs $5 per square inch and requires three weeks to ship. Finally, a medium-run PCB has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz. Moreover, to a maximum of 100 square inches, a set of 10 boards costs $1 per square inch and requires 15 days to ship. Also, the company provides one-sided panels through any of their 2-layer services.
- Four-layer PCBs –4-layer boards have purple masks over bare copper, ENIG (immersion gold) finish, and FR408 substrate. Moreover, 4-layer PCBs have the following minimum design rules:
- 5mil (0.127mm) trace width
- 4mil (0.1016mm) annular ring
- 5mil (0.127mm) trace clearance
- 10mil (0.254mm) drill size.
However, four-layer PCBs do not support buried or blind vias.
PCB specifications
Oshpark manufacturers only two types of four-layer PCBs: prototype and medium run. A prototype PCB has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz for the outer board and 0.5oz for the inner panel. Additionally, a set of 3 boards costs $10 per square inch and require between 9 and 12 days to ship. Similarly, a medium-run PCB has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm) and a copper weight of 1oz for the outer board and 0.5oz for the inner panel. However, a set of 3 boards costs $2 per square inch and require between 9 and 12 days to ship. Furthermore, the company can only send a maximum of 100 square inches of medium-run PCB boards at a go.
- Six-layer boards- A six-layer Oshpark flex PCB board ship with a purple mask over bare copper, ENIG (immersion gold) finish, and FR408 substrate. In addition, six-layer flex PCBs have the following distinctive features:
- 5mil (0.127mm) trace width
- 4mil (0.1016mm) annular ring
- 8mil (0.2032mm) drill size
- 5mil (0.127mm) trace clearance
Furthermore, 6-layer Oshpark flex PCBs do not support buried or blind vias.
PCB Specifications
The company manufacturers only prototype 6-layer flex PCBs. The 6-layer prototype flex PCB has a thickness of 63mil (1.6mm). Moreover, the board has a copper weight of 1oz for the outer layer and 0.5oz for the inner layer. In addition, a set of 3 boards costs $15 per square inch and require 14 days to ship.
Bend Radius Of Oshpark flex PCBs
The bend radius of a static or dynamic flex PCB depends on the thickness of all the board layers undergoing bending. To get the flex PCB’s bend radius, multiply the bend ratio by the board’s thickness. A static bend occurs when you bend the flex PCB into a particular shape and mount it in its bent position. On the other hand, a dynamic bend occurs when the flex PCB undergoes a bend/straighten cycle. For a dynamic bend, the bend radius is challenging to estimate. However, keeping dynamic bends large minimizes wear during operation. On the other hand, sharp, dynamic bends result in quick PCB failure.
Advantages Of Oshpark Flex PCB circuits
Flex PCBs offer numerous advantages in the fabrication and operation of modern electronics. The following are the merits of Oshpark flex PCBs:
- Due to their 360° bendability, they easily fit in dynamic applications such as medical and industrial fields.
- Owing to their flexible design, they can endure extreme industrial conditions such as high pressure, high temperature, strong vibration, toxic chemicals, etc.
- Flex PCBs are lighter and smaller in size. Hence, the flex PCBs are suitable for modern mobile electronic applications.
- They are light, and therefore you can stack them over each other, increasing their mobility.
- . Oshpark flex PCBs are more durable due to their high resistance to bending cycles.
- They make connecting complex inner parts of electronic devices easier due to their versatile nature.
Applications of Oshpark Flex PCBs
The PCBs have a wide range of applications in such fields as:
- Medical electronics
- Military
- Industrial Electronics
- Automotive engineering
- Internet of Things (IoT) etc.
Oshpark flex PCBs are generally applicable in static and dynamic electronic applications.
Conclusion
From the above details, it is possible to understand Oshpark electronics manufacturing company and its flex PCBs. Due to their versatility in current electronics, flex PCBs are essential. In addition, they offer solid electronic solutions in static and dynamic electronic environments. Therefore, consider flex PCBs if you are unsure of the best PCBs for your designs.
