Flexible PCBs

Hong Kong – Many of Hong Kong’s printed circuit board (PCB) suppliers expect at least a single-digit fall in exports during 2009. Even before the full impact of the global economic crisis was felt last year, total PCB shipments from the territory was already less than rosy, posting an increase of only 4 percent based on customs figures. Multilayer PCBs registered 9-percent hike against contractions for double- and single-sided versions during 2008.

Amid the bleak outlook, however, some suppliers that specialize in certain kinds of PCBs remain optimistic. Advanced Electronic Technology HK Ltd (AET), whose specialties are flexible and rigid-flex PCBs, forecasts a 20-percent increase in business this year.

“We have been growing at annual rate of 20 percent. This remains as our target for 2009,” said Shirley Zeng, sales manager at AET. “Demand from medical, telecom and automotive sectors remains strong. The three sectors account for 80 percent of our total sales,” she added.

Zeng cites quick turnaround as one of AET’s best services. “Many of our projects have been completed in three days. For the most complex ones, the maximum is 24 days,” she stressed.

AET offers custom design and manufacturing services for up to 14-layer flexible PCBs, 16-layer rigid-flex PCBs and 24-layer rigid boards. Special techniques such as blind and buried vias, and impedance controlled boards are included in the company’s services. Various production processes including peelable mask/carbon ink printing, CNC V-cut/gold finger, selective plating/Entek coating, flash/hard gold plating, lead-free hot air solder leveling and immersion tin/gold/silver are also carried out

AET’s Teflon-base, FR-4 high Tg, halogen-free and aluminum-based PCBs are available with 3mils minimum line and space width, and 0.1mm finished hole size. All its finished PCBs meet or exceed IPC-A-600 or NFC93713 standards.

“We aim to further improve our HDI techniques in order to be able to accept for complex and demanding projects,” Zeng explained. AET will also continue to upgrade the number of layers that can be compressed in every board type, according to Zeng.

Established in 1996, AET has two factories in mainland China employing a total of 1,200 workers. Its clients are mostly from Germany, Italy and Switzerland. European clients take up about 90 percent of the company’s output.