Flexible printed circuits with integral molded connectors. A manufacturing methods and technology program

This is the final report of the program on Flexible Printed Circuits with Integral Molded Connectors (Flexicon). Performed under contract with the U.S. Army Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, it concentrated on the improvement of Flexible Printed Wiring (FPW) terminations for cable to cable, cable to printed wiring board, and cable to chassis applications. During the course of this program, several significant advances have been made in termination processes as well as in automated facility configuration and operation. This report details these development, referencing several additional documents and reports. The final outcome can be simply summarized. Through the use of industrial laser technology, new high speed epoxy developments, and microprocessor controlled automation, processes for termination of FPW to connectors have been developed which can result in 6 to 1 cost reduction of terminated systems with significantly improved system reliability and maintainability.