Hi Technet pals : Flexible circuits have this natural tendency to be flexible . They tend to springup , bend ,kink & warp due to natural flexibility & handling . This behaviour is a major headache for the manufacturing engineers during the assembly process of these circuits - Defects & more defects ! The non-flat nature of these circuits is the root cause of numerous defects like misaligned , unflush and unsoldered components . Processes such as solder paste printing,component placement & reflow oven are not very resistant to such flexible , warped & bent surfaces . Keeping these ciruits perfectly flat (like a PCB ) during these processes is key to eliminating many of the defects mentioned. Not to mention that much of conventional automation strategies are not easily applicable on flex ciruit assembly manufacturing - For example, automated vision isnpection is an entirely different ball game when it comes to flexible circuits. Now the questions : 1) Is there anybody out there who knows techniques of holding the flexible circuits down real flat ? 2) Are there technologies/vendors in the market who have adhesives (sheets/sprays/liquids) which can : a. hold down flexible circuit panels flat on a solid pallet (carrier) b. withstand the reflow oven temperature (max 290 deg centigrade) c. be peelable/detachable from the flexible circuit panel w/o causing cosmetic defects on the flex circuit after the reflow process . Any clues ? Thanks in advance, Vishy. ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################