A reel-to-reel method to laser-ablate a circuitry pattern on the fly in a reel-to-reel machine as part of a process to fabricate a printed flexible circuit. The laser ablation method includes using an appropriate laser to irradiate a metal sheet thus ablating the edges of an intended circuitry pattern. Slugs can be removed by using an optional sacrificial liner, and the slugs can be optionally ablated into smaller parts first. The laser ablation can also include an optional method of creating tie bars to provide structural support to the web of circuitry patterns.

A reel-to-reel machine to fabricate a printed flexible circuit on the fly, the machine has a plurality of reels, a laser scanner to ablate a metal foil, a source of UV light or heat to curing an adhesive in a coverlay, another source of UV light or heat to debond a sacrificial liner on the fly. There is a depositor to deposit a sintering paste on the fly onto a predetermined spot for a pad on the metal foil. Removal of slugs are also possible on the fly.

A reel-to-reel method of creating pads on a layer of metal sheet or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes placing a sintering paste in the intended spots for pads followed by irradiation of the sintering paste by a laser.

A reel-to-reel lamination method to laminate a metal foil or circuitry pattern on the fly. The method includes applying a UV laminate or thermoset laminate to the metal foil or the circuitry pattern reel to reel, and then apply a UV radiation or heat to the laminate. There can be an optional enclosure connected to a suction source. The enclosure can have a flexible bladder that physically compresses the laminate.

A method of layering a layer of circuitry pattern to another layer of circuitry pattern during the manufacturing of a multilayer flexible printed circuit in a reel-to-reel machine. The method includes feeding both layers of circuitry pattern reel-to-reel into the machine, placing a layer of dielectric sheet material on the fly between the two layers of circuitry patterns reel-to-reel, followed by simultaneously passing the two layers of circuitry pattern and the dielectric sheet material under a laser scanner in the reel-to-reel machine to irradiate a laser beam on a layer of circuitry pattern to weld the two layers of circuitry patterns together.

An apparatus includes a substrate and an electronic circuit comprising a plurality of conductive tracts forming a printed litz line on the substrate for distributing a signal therebetween in order to increase effective conductance relative to a single conductive line not divided into tracts. The plurality of conductive tracts may be formed by printing a pattern on the substrate and removing portions of the pattern to leave the plurality of conductive tracts. The removing portions of the pattern may be performed by a removal process such as laser cutting, milling, etching, or masking. For example, the removal may be performed by applying ultrashort laser pulses. The printing may be performed by a jetting process, a spray process, an extrusion process, a dispensing process, and/or other types of processes for applying materials.

A method to remove slugs from a circuitry pattern on the fly during the fabrication of a flexible printed circuit, the method includes applying a coverlay reel-to-reel onto one side of the metal foil on the fly and applying a sacrificial liner reel-to-reel onto another side of the metal foil on the fly. Then, after the slugs and circuitry patterns are created from laser ablation, the slug can be removed by applying compressed air to the slugs and/or peeling off the sacrificial liner from the circuitry pattern reel-to-reel.

A metal foil pattern layered body of the invention includes a base member; a metal foil including a metal pattern formed by an opening and a metal portion; and a protuberance provided at the metal foil and at a boundary between the opening and the metal portion.

Various methods and systems are provided for forming a flexible circuit. In one example, a method includes forming a flexible circuit comprising a plurality of contact pads arranged into a plurality of rows, each contact pad of a given row electrically coupled to one another via electrical traces and each contact pad including a via, electroplating the flexible circuit, including electroplating each via, with at least a first material, and upon confirming connectivity of each via, cutting at least some of the electrical traces at least partially.

An optical package includes: a Printed Circuit Board including a plurality of cut-out sections; a lens, including a first plurality of protrusions corresponding respectively to the plurality of cut-out sections, wherein when the lens is placed under the PCB, the protrusions will pass through the cut-out sections; and a sensor for attaching on to the lens and the PCB. The first plurality of protrusions has a shape from the group including: snap features, guide posts and guide posts with tight-fit ribs.