If your flex circuit is only populated on one side, you can have the PCB vendor palletize the flex for you. What you do is have the flex circuit laminated to 062" FR4 using a thermoset adhesive like Dupont WA. Standard flex circuit adhesive. However, the flex circuit is only laminated just beyond the border of the circuit. This leaves the flex circuit unbonded to the FR4 but the border areas permanently attached. So if your circuit is 1" X 1" your adhesive has a window 1.1" X 1.1". The flex circuit border can be pre blanked or unblanked. Population is just like a hard board. After population the flex circuit can be trimmed using a laser, exacto knife cutting only tabs connected to the flex border, or kiss cut using a steel rule die. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it allows the flex circuit to be processed like a normal hard board. I have build flex circuits many ways, with a permanently attached piece of FR4 used as a carrier, with a vacuum fixture, and taping flex boards to pallets. For high volume single sided flex, flex laminated to an FR4 carrier is the method I like.
Good luck,
Chris
reply »