OKI small-lot custom length FPCs target New Space industry
OKI Electric Cable has announced the launch of small-lot, custom long flexible printed circuits (FPCs) for rockets and satellites in the New Space industry. These circuits are designed for spot production, supporting orders from single prototypes to small lots, ideal for research, development, and prototyping.
Targeting the rapidly growing global space market, these FPCs will allow for smaller, lighter, and thinner equipment. The use of proprietary production technology at its Gunma Factory (Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture) has tables OKI to manufacture long FPCs measuring up to 100 meters in length, and has enabled small-lot custom development and production. These products are expected to advance the development of space equipment, shorten lead times, and reduce launch costs. OEC is targeting sales of 50 million yen in FY2026.
With the capacity to bend freely, FPCs permit wiring in confined or three-dimensional spaces within equipment and in moving parts subject to repeated flexing. These electrical circuits formed on a substrate made by bonding together a conductive metal such as copper foil and a thin, light, soft, durable, and flexible insulating base film (such as polyimide with high heat and radiation resistance).
OKI FPCs have a proven track record in applications for space equipment, including installation on IKAROS, the small solar-powered sail demonstrator developed by the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). OEC has also established two unique production systems — a sheet-fed line for small-lot production and a roll-to-roll line for mass production. The systems support the production of a diverse range of shapes and sizes, even from single lots, and flexibly respond to different required specifications depending on the installation location. These systems can also accommodate diverse needs from development and prototype manufacture to mass production, and greatly contribute to the miniaturization and weight reduction of space equipment, which also contributes to reduced launch costs.
www.okidensen.co.jp/en/prod/fpc
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
