A supplier of innovative plastics technology, now offers a fully automated solution of flex foil injection moulding assist customers from conception development to serial production.

Quarder Werkzeugbau in Germany, supplier of innovative plastics technology, now offers a fully automated solution of flex foil injection moulding. Quarder not only produces the injection moulded products, it also puts the needed MID-Technology (Moulded Interconnected Device) at the customer's disposal. The company is able to assist customers from conception development to serial production.

Quarder builds fully automated product lines for MID-parts in large series such as door lock housings, gearbox cases or multi media cards.

For these products flexible polyimide circuit foils are inserted in a plastic injection mould and overmoulded with plastic.

Directly after this follows an automatically pick-and-place and soldering process of micro switches.

The 100% final quality test is also fully integrated in this patented method.

Fast and economical The flex foil method is faster and more economical compared to traditional PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards).

Due to the flexible circuit foils one can realize a multitude of electrical circuit layouts in a three-dimensional part with a high degree of design freedom without need of intermediary connectors.

For the same functionality this technology needs less building space and less process steps during production.

Smaller presses with less power and less machines in the production line reduce the fix and variable cost significantly.

Changes, for example a different circuit layout are easily implemented and incur low change costs at the flex foil.

3D flexibility Products with qualitatively higher usage properties can be realised.

Replacing injection moulded metal pressed screens through flexible circuit foils avoids limitations in regard to the three-dimensional product design.

Because of this, design and production of complicated applications, that until today appear impossible, become feasible.

Hence, a lot of precision miniaturised applications circuitry of 55 microns width become only possible with flex foil technology.

'More and more electronic components are integrated in cars, but at the same time building space is reduced', says general manager Martin Quarder about the present situation in the automotive industry.

In the computer industry minimising building space can only be achieved through injection moulded flex foil technology in combination with 3D design freedom.

'With these high data rates laser transceivers with flex foil are the connecting element of the future.

If put on circuit boards, currently one can pump 2 Gigabytes per second through Fibre Optics Cable'.

Rough and tough With flexible circuit foils and its thermoplastic injection moulded coating from Quarder which ensures that the foil is being protected, an IP 67 protection is no problem.

On the opposite, traditionally stamped PCBs or injection moulding with affixed flex foil are never completely sealed without any problems.

Additional advantages of the flexible PI-foil include resisting to high temperature which withstands temperature peaks of 310 degrees Celsius for a short time and 150 degrees Celsius continually, as well as the possibility to use different contact surfaces such as gold, tin and copper.

All usual soldering techniques can be used.

Because of the arrangement of the contacts on both sides of the foil a high placement density is possible and that with low overall height.

Unique 'At the moment we are the only company in the world which produces in this fully automated method on such a large scale', says Martin Quarder.

'In a few years it will be standard technology.

However, Quarder constantly works on new innovations; because there always will be more and more complex applications that demand more design freedom'.