Flexible Circuit Technologies: Offering more than just Circuit Designing

Mark Finstad, Sr. Application Engineer

FCT is one of the few electronics manufacturing companies that don’t believe in a one size fits all circuit design. Everything the company designs is custom. FCT caters directly to the individual customer, listens to their needs and accommodates them into its circuit design. The company designs standard flexible circuits, as well as rigid-flex-hybrid circuits that contain rigid sections within flexible circuits where SMT (Surface Mount Technologies) can be mounted. Depending on the device, the company also makes flexible heaters for the heating of a variety of products including medical devices, and they also produce membrane switches.

FCT’s dedication to the needs of their customers was demonstrated when a client asked them to develop a design to heat a solution for a medical device. The organization first explained to them the types of products that they make. FCT then provided the customer with a few variations of prototypes of different power levels that the customer could implement in their prototypes to determine the design most suitable for their need. Later—after several prototypes—FCT helped the customer to zero-in on a product that satisfied all its requirement parameters. FCT then reviewed the overall design and developed a final design that was aimed at reducing overall costs of production to the client. As a result, the client attained the best overall solution and FCT is producing the product by the millions in support of this high-volume program.

Along with designing and producing circuits for their broad customer base, the company also offers other value-added services. For example, beyond designing and producing circuits, FCT also performs specialized EMS related assembly service, as well as offering supply chain management services in support of the overall program.