Kapton is sought by manufacturers worldwide because of its ability to withstand temperatures as high as 1,500°F. This thin film has incredible tensile strength, withstanding temperatures up to 400°C. That Kapton can be found in spacecraft and satellite thermal blankets that must transit through Earth’s atmosphere is no surprise. Electrical wiring often uses Kapton as an insulator.
Why pick Kapton material for PCBs?
A printed circuit board (PCB) with extremely thin/flexible material (.005″ thick) may be compared to Kapton. The conductive traces are made of copper and manufactured similarly to a printed circuit board (PCB).
Although several firms provide and create Kapton PCB circuits, most do not process them in-house. Silver printing is healthier for the environment than subtractive processes used on Kapton circuits, comparable to PCB boards in that they need specific chemical processing.
Kapton copper and polyester printed silver may be coated with a dielectric cover layer to protect the circuit traces from corrosion, abrasion, or electrical shorts. The two materials have specific characteristics, although Kapton has several benefits over printed silver circuits:
- Electrical resistance may be meager when copper trace widths are pretty small. When using printed silver, the maximum switch resistance specification is 100 ohms, but the equivalent traces in Kapton/copper circuits may be as low as 10 ohms. This implies that a copper circuit can carry the same amount of power in a smaller trace width than a silver circuit.
- Gold-plated copper offers a low contact resistance over life cycles for metal domes.
- It is possible to etch much smaller trace widths and spaces with Kapton/copper than it is to screen print on silver circuits – although the gap is closing – Kapton PCB with gold plating circuit tails can be made to fit ZIF connectors down to 0.2mm trace pitch, while printed silver is only just now approaching applications for ZIF connectors down to 0.5mm trace pitch. – Kapton Screen printing carbon to protect silver at the tail ends at a trace pitch of 0.5mm is difficult.
More information on Kapton
Kapton can withstand temperatures as harsh as -200°C and as low as -40°C. At temperatures ranging from -452 to 752 degrees Fahrenheit, Kapton retains its remarkable mechanical, electrical, and physical capabilities. Kapton is an excellent resistor and insulator, making it an ideal option for high-stress sectors like electric and aerospace. The following are some of the advantages of Kapton:
- It has a high rate of success.
- It is capable of withstanding extremes in temperature.
- Several industries would benefit significantly from its superb mechanical, physical, and electrical qualities.
- Radiation and chemical resistance is not a problem for it.
- It ensures accurate labeling.
Kapton PCB material has several benefits.
Circuit boards made of Kapton PCB are widely used because of their flexibility. The use of Kapton printed circuit boards has the following advantages:
- Kapton printed boards are developed to suit greater and smaller density mountain designs and to enhance flexibility. Increased dependability and reduced assembly time may be achieved using Kapton. Kapton printed circuit boards are the only way to further reduce electronic devices’ size while simultaneously improving electrical signals’ flow.
- As implied by its name, the Kapton circuit has flexibility and may therefore be bent, moved, or subjected to a torsion effect. Because of this, the conductivity would not be compromised.
