Our patented IHT process innovation^* has extended our capability in the manufacture of flexible multilayer printed circuit boards of any length, more than 8m/300 inches in length, making these the world’s largest flexible multilayer PCBs.

Flexible multilayer PCBs can offer significant benefits over conventional aerospace harness technology and wiring harnesses, notably in terms of space and weight saving but also a reduction in assembly time and cost – as well as an increase in product precision, reliability and repeatability.

The use of flexible multilayer PCBs can generate up to 75% weight saving as compared to traditional wiring harnesses. In high value, mass-critical applications this represents a significant opportunity to improve system performance.

Traditionally, the maximum size that a flexible multilayer PCB is available in, is of the order of 610mm / 24 inches, exceptionally 914 mm / 36 inches and IHT innovation is therefore a huge step change in manufacturing capability.

Flexible multilayer PCBs were originally developed in the second half of the 20th century as a replacement for wiring cable but due to length limitations the cable or harnesses replaced were typically internal to equipment rather than point to point aerospace harness technology replacement. Any longer runs of PCB would have to be made via intermediate connections, representing additional weight, cost and complexity as well as a source of potential unreliability. Trackwise’ recent innovation means that these intermediate interconnects can be removed.

You can find more information regarding replacing shielded twisted pairs with flex in the following white pape:

LVDS – twisted pairs representation in PCB tracking

For more details of this unque innovation please visit Improved Harness Technology™

Trackwise’ capability of precision imaging and etching of large areas of flexible PCB substrate – up to 2800mm* 610mm – is ideal for frequency selective surfaces. FSS are filters resulting from regular patterns of metallic grids printed on an insulating substrate which, by their design, either allow specific frequencies of incident radiation to be either reflected or to be transmitted though the filter with minimal absorbtion.

“An incident plane wave strikes the filter and causes the electrons in the metal to oscillate. If a large portion of the incident energy is absorbed by these electrons they reradiate and cancel the initial field, causing the transmittance through the filter to be low. In this case, the electrons will re-radiate toward the left and cause the reflected wave amplitude to be high. If only a small portion of the incident power is absorbed no such cancellation occurs and the transmittance will be high. In general the transmittance through the filter is a function of frequency; in other words, the electrons in the metal will absorb and re-radiate some wavelengths with higher efficiency than others. The shape of the transmittance curve depends on the pattern etched into the metal filter, and we can etch various patterns into our metal to obtain filters of varying behaviour.”

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Frequency-Selective Surface Filters but Were Afraid to Ask. Benjamin Hooberman, May 2005.