Milling of flex foil with two conductive layers from both sides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11849544-B2
Application number	US-202016918474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	Apr 19, 2019
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A method for milling flex foil includes providing a web of flex foil including a substrate; a first conductive layer arranged on one surface of the substrate; a second conductive layer arranged on an opposite surface of the substrate; a first insulating layer arranged adjacent to the first conductive layer; and a second insulating layer arranged adjacent to the second conductive layer. The method includes dry milling one side of the web using a first cliché pattern including raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove at least one of the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer. The method includes dry milling an opposite side of the web using a second cliché pattern including upper raised portions, lower raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove the second insulating layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flex foil, comprising:
a substrate;
a first conductive layer arranged on one surface of the substrate;
a second conductive layer arranged on an opposite surface of the substrate;
a first insulating layer arranged adjacent to the first conductive layer; and
a second insulating layer arranged adjacent to the second conductive layer,
wherein one side of the flex foil is dry milled using a first cliché pattern including raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove only the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer, and
wherein an opposite side of the flex foil is dry milled using a second cliché pattern including upper raised portions, lower raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove only the second insulating layer.

2. The flex foil of claim 1 , wherein the first cliché pattern removes only the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer adjacent to the raised portions and does not remove the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer adjacent to the non-raised portions.

3. The flex foil of claim 1 , wherein the upper raised portions of the second cliché pattern remove the second insulating layer on the opposite side of the flex foil at locations where only the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are removed.

4. A flex foil comprising:
a substrate;
a first conductive layer arranged on one surface of the substrate;
a second conductive layer arranged on an opposite surface of the substrate;
a first insulating layer arranged adjacent to the first conductive layer; and
a second insulating layer arranged adjacent to the second conductive layer,
wherein one side of the flex foil is dry milled using a first cliché pattern including raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove at least one of the first conductive layer and the first insulating layer, and
wherein an opposite side of the flex foil is dry milled using a second cliché pattern including upper raised portions, lower raised portions and non-raised portions to selectively remove only the second insulating layer,
wherein the upper raised portions of the second cliché pattern remove the second insulating layer on the opposite side of the flex foil at locations where the at least one of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are removed, and
wherein the lower raised portions of the second cliché pattern remove the second insulating layer on the opposite side of the flex foil at locations where the at least one of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are not removed.

5. The flex foil of claim 4 , wherein the non-raised portions of the second cliché pattern do not remove the second insulating layer.

6. The flex foil of claim 1 , wherein:
the flex foil is fed between a first milling wheel, arranged on the one side of the flex foil, and a first cliché arranged on the opposite side of the flex foil, wherein the first cliché includes the first cliché pattern; and
the flex foil is fed between a second milling wheel, arranged on the opposite side of the flex foil, and a second cliché arranged on the one side of the flex foil, wherein the second cliché includes the second cliché pattern.

7. The flex foil of claim 1 , further comprising:
the flex foil is fed between a first milling wheel, arranged on the one side of the flex foil, and a first cliché arranged on the opposite side of the flex foil, wherein the first cliché includes the first cliché pattern;
the first cliché pattern on the first cliché is changed to the second cliché pattern;
the flex foil is inverted and aligned; and
the flex foil is fed between the first milling wheel and the first cliché.

8. The flex foil of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer have a thickness in a range from 5 μm to 40 μm.

9. A flex foil, comprising:
a substrate;
a first conductive layer arranged on one surface of the substrate;
a second conductive layer arranged on an opposite surface of the substrate;
a first insulating layer arranged adjacent to the first conductive layer; and
a second insulating layer arranged adjacent to the second conductive layer,
wherein a first portion of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are milled to the one surface of the substrate at a first location,
wherein a first portion of the second insulating layer is milled on the opposite surface of the substrate at the first location,
a second portion of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are not milled on the one surface of the substrate at a second location, and
a second portion of the second insulating layer is milled on the opposite surface of the substrate at the second location.

10. The flex foil of claim 9 , wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer have a thickness in a range from 5 μm to 40 μm.

11. The flex foil of claim 9 , wherein:
a third portion of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer is milled to the one surface of the substrate at a third location, and
a third portion of the second insulating layer is not milled on the opposite surface of the substrate at the third location.

12. The flex foil of claim 9 , wherein:
a fourth portion of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are not milled on the one surface of the substrate at a fourth location, and
a fourth portion of the second insulating layer is not milled on the opposite surface of the substrate at the fourth location.

13. The flex foil of claim 1 , wherein the upper raised portions of the second cliché pattern remove the second insulating layer on the opposite side of the flex foil at locations where only the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are removed.

14. The flex foil of claim 13 , wherein the lower raised portions of the second cliché pattern remove the second insulating layer on the opposite side of the flex foil at locations where only the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer are not removed.

15. The flex foil of claim 14 , wherein the non-raised portions of the second cliché pattern do not remove the second insulating layer.

16. The flex foil of claim 4 , wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer have a thickness in a range from 5 μm to 40 μm.

Assignees

• Gentherm Inc
• Gentherm Gmbh

Inventors

• Horzella Jan
• Jung Fritz

Classifications

• H05K3/043 Primary

  by using a moving tool for milling or cutting the conductive material · CPC title

• B02C23/00

  Auxiliary methods or auxiliary devices or accessories specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating not provided for in preceding groups or not specially adapted to apparatus covered by a single preceding group ({specially adapted for grain mills B02C11/00;} separating or sorting in general B03, B04, B07) · CPC title

• B02C23/14

  with more than one separator · CPC title

• B02C23/38

  in apparatus having multiple crushing or disintegrating zones · CPC title

• H05K1/028

  Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title