FPC soft circuit board may become one of the biggest beneficiaries in the smart wear market

FPC, also known as flexible circuit board, is a printed circuit board made of flexible substrate. As an important category of PCB, FPC has the characteristics of high reliability and excellent flexibility. Compared with other printed circuit boards, FPC wiring density is high, weight is light, thickness is thin, bendable and flexible, and its proportion in the trend of smart terminal miniaturization is increasing. At present, FPC is mainly divided into single-layer FPC, double-layer FPC, multi-layer FPC and rigid winding combined printed circuit board.

FPC

The FPC industry originated in the 1960s. Since the 21st century, with the development of PC and smart phone industries, the global FPC output value has risen rapidly. At present, FPC has been widely used in smart phones, cars, wearable devices and other terminal consumption fields. In 2019, the global FPC output value reached 13.8 billion dollars, up 3.8% year on year.

FPC is light, thin and flexible, and it is the preferred connecting device for wearable devices. In recent years, with the gradual maturity of global wearable technology, its application prospects have widened, and it is considered to be a product that is expected to form a larger market after smart phones. In 2018, the global shipment of wearable devices reached 172.15 million, with a year-on-year growth of 27.5%. As one of the main materials, FPC is expected to be stimulated by downstream demand in the future, and become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the booming wearable device market.