Re: Please help identify a composite *** product

From: Mark Thorson (nospam_at_sonic.net)
Date: 11/11/04

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    Michael wrote:

    > It is .020 inches thick, and is black on both faces.

    Is the black surface a separate layer, like an adhesive
    intended for bonding to something else?

    > The very center of the *** appears to be a thin layer of
    > either aluminum or stainless steel that is about 1/4 of the
    > thickness of the ***. I'm guessing the metal is
    > stainless, as the *** has a certain 'spring steel' flexibility
    > and rigidity that I wouldn't expect aluminum to have.

    After such a long recent thread on Invar, I hesitate
    to suggest what that material could be, lest I look
    like a troll.

    > The outer two layers look like thin sheets of pheolic resin.
    > They have a slight texture of a woven mesh, and at the
    > cut edges of the ***, a mesh that looks like a cotton
    > fabric core material in many phenolic products is visible.

    Could it be glass fiber?

    > This product is quite flexible, and it is possible to curl a 6" piece
    > into a 180 degree curve without the outer resin cracking, and the
    > material springs back to it's original flat shape without any apparent
    > deformation.

    I'm guessing it is a sample of material for one layer of
    advanced microelectronic packaging or interconnect,
    such as used for aerospace, military, and high-end
    commercial computer systems. I remember seeing
    ads for at least one company that used Invar as an
    inner layer reinforcement for multilayer circuit substrates,
    with copper used for the electrical interconnect layers
    on each side of the core.

    > I've looked at Micarta and a few other places to see if I
    > could find it, but haven't had any luck. I'm not a materials
    > expert, so my internet searching has produced nothing
    > that is even close.

    The business is known generally as flex-circuit.

    > Can anyone help me out with some pointers? Maybe a
    > manufacturer or two that might make a similar product?

    Which part? The metal core, the reinforced plastic
    tape, the whole assembly? Has it been coated with a
    lamination adhesive? Are you asking for the whole stack
    including the adhesive, all pre-made? Will you be
    buying any circuit layers with that? If you use somebody
    else's circuit layers, what if we can't guarantee our adhesive
    will stick?

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