Surface Mount Technology and SMT-Flex® have changed the world forever. It seems like yesterday when a phone call was made from a rotary phone, or you had to pump the brake pedals in the car to stop. Even more, we had adding machines, typewriters, and cars that would not run well if it was raining out. Today everywhere you look SMT-Flex® has played a critical role in the miniaturization, and reliability of the end assembly. The first major success story for SMT-Flex® was the ABS brake system by Texas Instruments. SMT-Flex® was the only material available that could handle the thermal shock of an automotive brake system. The first tests were completed on the ABS breaks showing data that SMT-Flex® could handle 1,000 thermal shocks from -55C to 125C with a ten-second transition from hot to cold. With this, a revolution was born for lighter, stronger, more reliable assemblies. The market aggressively grew to the first cell phone in the world by Motorola, the first pocket calculators by Texas Instruments, the first Cam and Crank sensor by Honeywell Microswitch, The first LEDs used in Hard Drives by Seagate, the First Engine Control Units, the first color cameras by Polaroid, the first RFID tags by Intermec, and the first wearable computers to name a few. Not bad for the ’80s.
SMT-Flex® has come a long way since the beginning. Today Flexible Circuit Assemblies can be manufactured on Polyimide, Polyester, PEN, Paper, TPU, and other exotic films to name a few. High-speed vision inspects 100% of every SMT component before its placed, 100% of every polarity, 100% of every solder joint. Recently we have added 2D matrix identification so our customer Quality Engineers can get real-time data on any assembly in the field. Customers looking to use Automated Assembly Corporation can now get Flexible Circuit Assemblies supplied in roll form with all AOI data provided for your automation. We are continually advancing the world standard of SMT-Flex®