Happy New Years 2026!
As we step into 2026, we are celebrating the people who make PICA what it is from China, Malaysia, and Derry, New Hampshire, our teams are sharing New Year wishes in their own languages.Each message reflects the culture, traditions, and pride behind the work they do every day.Different locations. Different...
LPI Solder Mask vs. Polyimide Coverlay: Choosing the Right Protection for Flexible Circuits
Protecting the copper circuitry on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is essential to ensuring long-term reliability and performance. Two common protective approaches are Liquid Photoimageable (LPI) solder mask and Polyimide (PI) coverlay. While both serve to insulate and safeguard traces, they differ significantly in their material properties,...
Why You Should Involve Your Flex Circuit Manufacturer Early in the Design Process
In product development, timing is everything. But too often, the flexible circuit comes late in the conversation, added after mechanical constraints are set, the enclosure is locked, and the clock is already ticking. That’s where problems start.At PICA Manufacturing Solutions, we’ve seen time and again how early...
See What You Can’t See: AOI & X‑Ray Inspection in PCB Assembly
In today’s electronics world, component densities are rising, geometries are shrinking, and reliability expectations are higher than ever. Failures at the board level can jeopardize product launches, erode customer trust, and lead to costly recalls. Simply put: what you don’t see can kill your design. That’s where inspection technologies like...
Rigid-Flex: The Winning Technology Behind Smart Impact Monitoring Mouthguards
When it comes to sports safety, precision and reliability are non-negotiable. Impact monitoring mouthguards, like those used to measure head acceleration in contact sports, demand electronics that are compact, durable, and capable of withstanding extreme conditions. This is exactly where rigid-flex PCB technology shines.Rigid-flex combines the stability...
Next-Generation Wearable Health Monitoring: Polymer Thick Film Electronics and Biosensor Patches
Polymer Thick Film (Printed Electronics): Thin, Flexible, and Designed for the Human BodyPolymer Thick Film (PTF) technology, commonly referred to as printed electronics, is becoming the foundation for a new generation of wearable medical devices. Instead of relying on rigid copper circuitry, PTF systems...
Flexible Circuits Powering the Next Generation of Drones
Modern drones demand electronic systems that are lightweight, compact, and highly reliable. Traditional rigid PCBs often struggle to meet these requirements due to their bulk and limitations in fitting tight or curved spaces. Flexible circuits solve this challenge by offering thin, bendable interconnects that reduce weight...
Designing for Edge-Mounted PCBs: Best Practices and Considerations
When space is tight, or when PCBs need to mate with enclosures, panels, or external interfaces, edge-mounted boards can offer a clean, compact solution. From USB daughtercards to LED bars and RF modules, mounting a board by its edge—rather than using standoffs or full-surface contact—can simplify mechanical design and reduce...
Roll-to-Roll Processing: Driving the Next Generation of Flexible Circuits
Electronics are shrinking, getting lighter, and expected to perform flawlessly in demanding environments. From medical wearables to industrial sensors and consumer devices, the push for smaller and smarter products is fueling new approaches in manufacturing. One breakthrough is roll-to-roll (RTR)...
Metal Core PCBs (MCPCBs): Thermal Muscle for High-Power Electronics
Modern electronics pack more power into tighter spaces than ever. That heat has to go somewhere. Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards (MCPCBs) solve the problem at its source by building a heat-spreading layer directly into the board. PICA Manufacturing Solutions designs and manufactures aluminum- and...
Using Flex Circuits to Design Smaller, Smarter Electronics: The Smartphone Advantage
From the palm of your hand, smartphones have revolutionized how we connect, work, and navigate the world. But behind the sleek glass and metal casing lies a key technology that makes their compact, high-performance design possible: flexible printed circuits (FPCs).At PICA Manufacturing Solutions, we specialize in engineering...
Hybrid Flex PCB Assemblies: Combining Technologies for Smarter Designs
Modern products rarely fit neatly into a single interconnect category. Tight packaging, moving joints, long cable runs, heat-dense modules, and fast digital links often coexist in the same device. That’s where Hybrid PCB Assemblies shine. By combining rigid, flexible, flat flexible...
Environmental Resilience in Flex PCB Design
Part 1: High-Temperature Flex Circuit Design – Engineering for Heat Resistance
In aerospace, automotive, industrial, and oil & gas environments, heat is an unavoidable challenge. Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) deployed in these conditions must maintain performance under constant thermal load, thermal...
Compact Power, Cooler Systems: The Case for Ceramic PCBs in Modern Electronics
Modern electronics are expected to run hotter, switch faster, and survive harsher environments than ever. Standard FR-4 hits its limits quickly in these scenarios. Ceramic printed circuit boards (PCBs) step in with exceptional thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and mechanical stability, enabling compact, long-life designs in power, RF/microwave,...
New PICA eBook – Pushing the Limits of Flex
Pushing the limits of Flex Circuits: Advanced Designs and Manufacturing Topics
What happens when flex circuit design moves beyond the basics? In our latest eBook, we highlight advanced flex PCB topics including HDI and miniaturization, copper thickness, bend radius, trace routing, impedance control, rigid-flex design, ultra-thin flex, extra-long flex, and testing.These are...
Biocompatible Substrates for Flex and Rigid PCBs
In the expanding world of medical devices, and wearables, the demand for biocompatible substrates in flex and rigid PCBs has never been greater. As electronic systems move closer to and even into the human body, designers and manufacturers must ensure that every...
Best Practices for Grounding, Enclosure-Level Shielding, and Cable Shielding
As electronic devices become faster and more compact, susceptibility to electromagnetic interference (EMI) increases. Effective EMI control is not only about material selection—it requires a comprehensive strategy involving grounding, enclosure-level shielding, and cable shielding. In this post, we’ll explore best practices for each of...
Advanced Trace Routing Techniques for Flexible PCBs: Boost Reliability and Performance
Designing a flexible PCB is not just about taking the layout practices from rigid boards and applying them to a bendable surface. Trace routing, the way copper pathways are arranged, has a direct impact on electrical performance, mechanical reliability, and long-term manufacturability....
Mastering Thermal Management in PCB and Flex Circuit Design
As electronic devices become more compact and powerful, managing heat effectively is critical to ensuring performance, reliability, and long product lifespans. Excessive heat can cause component failures, signal degradation, and even safety hazards. Whether working with rigid PCBs, flexible circuits,...
