Flex Module

Flex Design Tools Speed up the Design of Flexible Printed Circuits.

Flexible circuits have traditionally been designed using AutoCAD due to the requirement of precise mechanical measurements. CDS has developed flex-specific layout tools inside EPD (Electronics Package Designer) that harnesses the power of the AutoCAD environment. This results in a powerful, electrically intelligent Flex layout EDA tool with the graphics power of AutoCAD for the most demanding flexible circuit requirements.

Now you can easily create traces from a captured net list, gracefully arc them, automatically bunch them together or spread them out evenly, use advanced commands to push vias or traces / components out of the way, all while maintaining other DRC and electrical constraints.  

In short, a set of EDA tools created specifically for flex layout designers. These tools take away the tedium, and make flex layout and design easy, aesthetic, and have a highly manufacturability outcome.

Key Features:

1. All entities and Software Modules are optimized for flex design: Teardrops, filleting, tapers, ground planes, cover layers, routing, pushing, spreading, and more.
    
2. True arcs can be used in any entity in a design with accurate design rule checking.
    
3. Automatic progressively increasing filleting of all trace bends that use built- in DRC to prevent radii from becoming too large.
    
4. Boundary nets can have unlimited complex shapes with optional arcs and can be automatically generated from non-boundary artwork from any source.
    
5. Teardrops have true arcs with variable radii and variable included angles with optional individual editing.
    
6. Specialized Flex checking and CAM tools, such as GapChk (checks internal and external gaps on boundary polylines) and EtchCom (performs etch compensation on any net, boundary or polyline with width) that are used by leading foundries.
    
7. Gerber output utility accurately  converts all flex entities and verifies a match to the original artwork with 100% confidence.
    
8. CAD Systems for Flex Circuit Design Article (View Article)

True Arc capabilities for

• Trace routing and ground plane edges
• Teardrops created globally with DRC check
• DRCs of all entities
• Gerber file output format
• Tapered arcs.
• Converts standard straight tapers into flex compatible arced tapers
• DRC and a detailed layout versus schematic (LVS) checker performs full verification.
   

• Can automatically convert all overlapping non-boundary artwork into composite boundary art (0 width closed polylines) with optional etch compensation.
• Intelligizes, checks and edits flex designs previously created in plain AutoCAD or from Gerber files.
• Automatic standard cover layer creation, modification and custom cover layer openings.
• Complex boundary nets with optional arcs.
• Automatic boundary generation with inner and outer gap checking.
• Bus routing for smooth flowing flex cables and parallel filleting of buses.

• Highly efficient manual and automatic routing with built in DRCs includes plowing, pushing and automatic spreading of traces.
• Automatic Teardrop creation using true arcs with settable radius and included angle leaves space for filleting of bends and has built in DRC.
• Individual Teardrops editing allows control of arc radius and included angle on each teardrop.

• Ground planes can be cross hatched at any % copper or trace pitch to meet flexibility requirements.
• Ground plane pin holes are automatically filled and islands smaller than a settable threshold are automatically deleted.
• Checks for plating busses automatically.

A partial view of an MCM Flex BGA (FBGA)

• Special flex checking and CAM tools.
• Automatic flex tapering (filleted tapers) and neck down tools.
• Dielectric bridges are automatically created where desired.
• Thick film printed resistors are parametrically generated.
• Customizable for unique applications.
• Flip chip and wire bond die placement capabilities.
• Complete schematic utilities generate a parts list and a net list.

Command Features (Partial List):

• GapChk - Makes it possible to work with complex 0 width closed polylines and check self gaps within the same polyline. This checking command was implemented for a major worldwide Flex foundry.
• Lclean – Automatically cleans us messy line work by removing all unnecessary lines and arcs and replacing overlapping lines / arcs with single lines /arcs.
• AutoJoin – Converts the resulting lines / arcs into closed 0 width polylines.
• CoverLayer - Automatically generates the necessary openings in the cover layer for soldering components to a flex circuit.