What are FFC connectors?
FFC connectors are ribbon like connectors made of flexible plastic, polymers, films, or engineered rubber and have a metallic connector at the end that is embedded in parallel to the base. Although the technology in FPC (Flexible Printed Cable) is similar to FFC, FPC connectors have printed or embedded circuits on the cable plane, which helps the cable to function as a flexible PCB.
Multi Height Flex Connectors
Amphenol offers multi-height vibration-proof flex connectors in 1.00mm and 0.50mm pitch sizes. While the 1.00mm connectors are offered in top and bottom contact positions, the 0.50mm connectors are additionally offered with dual beams and dual contact positions. Both these versions are available in ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) and Non-ZIF cable terminations. The connector series comes with a wide height range of 0.70mm to 5.80mm in 3 to 80 contact positions in both vertical and right angle orientations.
The 1.00mm pitch FFC/FPC connector series are available with front flip and slider mechanisms as ZIF connector, and feature surface mount and through-hole termination and whereas the 0.50mm pitch FFC/FPC connector series are available with front flip, back flip, slider and Non-ZIF (auto-lock) mechanisms and feature surface mount termination, which makes it easier to operates and add to the reliability. The higher pin counts and multiple height options provide design flexibility and the dual beam design enable stable connection and contact reliability.
2.54mm Flex Connectors
Apart from the above mentioned connectors, Amphenol offers 2.54mm FFC/FPC connectors under two brand names: Clincher™ and Duflex™. Clincher™ includes single-row pin-and-receptacle connectors designed for termination to flat flexible circuitry. The "Clinch" cable termination provides four gas-tight, contamination-free contact points to each conductor and the receptacle design features highly reliable Mini PV dual-metal contacts. These connectors also offer polarization, positive-locking, keying, and latching options, assuring proper alignment and secure mating to industry-standard headers for applications in harsh environments. These connectors provide a cost-effective solution as they allow mass termination to unprepared cable.
Duflex™ also provides a cost effective option for terminating FPC/FFC and touch membrane switches. These connectors combine the advantage of the well proven Dubox™ receptacle with the assembly speed of IDC (Insulation Displacement Contact) termination techniques. Available in both single and double row versions with up to 36 contacts per row, these are ideal for large volume-users. Reliable dual-beam contact design with pre-stressed contact beam provides low insertion force and the contacts fit all housing styles ensuring robustness.
High Speed Flex Connectors
With data transfer speeds up to 25Gb/s, Amphenol offers high speed, ultra-fine pitch cable solutions in 0.30mm pitch sizes. The high speed connectors come with in-line layout and backflip actuator coupled with locking feature for strong FPC retention. As these connectors offer enhanced signal integrity within compact and low profile designs these are ideal for applications with space constraints. These connectors are also compliant with USB 3.1/3.0, PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0, Displayport and MIPI M-PHY standards.
ZIF Flex Solution
Amphenol offers FFC/FPC connectors in various pitch sizes from 0.30mm to 1.00mm in ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) versions. The low pitch connectors are used for applications where board space is at a premium. YLL series and SFGL series of connectors are available in 13 to 51 positions and have zero insertion force for strong FPC retention. Amphenol has been the first in the industry to offer less than 1mm height for its flex products. These connectors come with Front-flip actuator with locking feature, making cable insertion easy and error free.
LIF Flex Solution
The 0.21mm flex connectors are ultra-fine pitch connectors and possess the lowest height. The HFW series of connectors with 0.50mm pitch have no-flip Low Insertion Force (LIF) featuring single action push-pull FPC termination.
Applications
Both FFC and FPC connectors are popularly used in many major compact applications including portable devices and medical equipment. When it comes to automotive industry, high performance FFC/FPC connectors support advanced applications like in-vehicle infotainments, smart lighting and driving assistance systems like ADAS in addition to navigation support and safety settings.
With Industry 4.0 and deployment of 5G technology, FFC/FPC connectors are finding new opportunities in many next generation applications. Amphenol offers flexible, reliable and high performance FFC/FPC solutions that meet the requirements of all modern applications.
The multi height flex connectors offered in 1.00mm pitch and 0.50mm pitch are ideally used in a wide range of applications across automotive, data, communications, medical, and consumer industries. Clincher™ and Duflex™ connectors are ideal for industrial and instrumentation especially for applications where shock or vibrations are concerns, like industrial controls, non- automotive transportation and in retail equipment as well.