17-06-2021 | Harting Ltd | New Technologies
Harting has developed a component carrier that can be employed directly with electronic components removing manual assembly and replacing flexible PCBs, increasing precision and decreasing assembly cost.
The component carrier assists as a connecting element between a PCB and electronic components, such as LEDs, ICs, photodiodes or sensors.
The measuring sensors of a scanning head for position detection, for example, on a linear slide with guide rails, are frequently mounted onto flex PCBs. As magnetic, inductive or optical systems, they record the precise position of the slide. To do this, the sensors must be positioned precisely at a 90-degree angle. The capability to mount these as accurately as possible enhances the accuracy of the measurement results. A second sensor is frequently installed in the measuring head for redundancy. Furthermore, the status of the evaluation electronics is displayed employing LEDs; these are mounted onto a flex PCB.
With the company's component carrier, the flexible PCB can be completely replaced. The injection-moulded plastic body already offers very precise 90-degree angles for mounting sensors. The component carrier removes the requirement for time-consuming manual assembly of the flex PCB. In addition, the sensors are positioned more accurately. Another advantage of the component carrier is that the width of the sensor modules may be decreased further to less than 8mm.
The component carrier with the assembled electronic components are supplied in a blister pack for further processing in SMD assembly facilities, and the soldered components are secured with an adhesive so that they are unable to detach from their position while in the reflow oven.
