Hi Karen,

There are thousands of flex to fit designs on the market where circuit legs
are successfully bent in all directions. A key factor is keeping  the copper
in the neutral axis (i.e. in the center of the structure cross  section.)

You should also try, if possible to keep bend areas to one metal layer, if
not possible then the bend radius should be kept large.

Keep in mind that bend to install applications can experience dynamic
flexing in use due to shock and vibration. T

There are some general guidelines in IPC flex design and performance specs
and various texts on the subject of flex circuits (Tom Stearns, Ken Gilleo and
I  have all written on the subject and Werner Engelmaier is the godfather of
the  copper metal foil spec) but finite element modeling is a great way to
quantify your design's limits.

Your manufacturer should be able to provide some guidance as well.

Best wishes with your project
Joe



---------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815
-----------------------------------------------------