Affinity™ Flex
Superior electroless nickel technology provides stress relief for ENIG fabrication of flexible circuits.
Contact UsProduct Overview
Affinity Flex is our latest Electroless-Nickel-Immersion-Gold (ENIG) technology designed for fabrication of flexible circuits. Traditional electroless nickel systems leave flexible circuits vulnerable to crack propagation through underlying copper circuitry and risk open circuits upon bending. Affinity Flex electroless nickel’s unique columnar grain structure induces stress relief via multiple microcracks which prevent propagation through to the underlying copper.
Affinity Flex delivers high performance with minimal loading requirement through an extended electroless nickel operating life, eliminates dummy activation and reduces palladium consumption. This lowers operating costs while ensuring exceptional reliability.
Product Features
Superior Flex Circuit Reliability
Affinity Flex's unique columnar grain structure induces stress relief via multiple microcracks, actively preventing large crack propagation into the underlying copper circuitry upon bending. This ensures exceptional reliability compliant with IPC 4552B specification.
Optimized Cost of Ownership (COO)
Affinity Flex eliminates the requirement for dummy panels, especially for low-metal-area flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). This immediately boosts production efficiency, dramatically reduces chemical consumption, and lowers costs associated with waste treatment and disposal.
Unmatched Operational Efficiency (Up to 5 MTOs)
Affinity Flex delivers a long, stable solution life, enabling users to produce more panels per unit of chemistry used. This performance, proven consistently up to 5 MTOs in beta site testing, maximizes solution utilization and minimizes the frequency of bath disposal.
Sustainability Benefits for EH&S Compliance
The extended solution life and low solution loading significantly minimize waste volume and waste treatment costs. Affinity Flex also offers lower CO₂e emissions during the use-phase and is compatible with cyanide-free gold technology, supporting stringent EH&S compliance.
Unique Grain Structure Induces Stress Relief
During bending of standard ENIG, stress relief is provided through a single large crack which propagates through to the underlying copper. Affinity Flex’s columnar grain structure induces stress relief via multiple smaller cracks, preventing propagation through to the underlying copper.
Featured Applications
ENIG Fabrication of Flexible Circuits
Affinity Flex electroless nickel provides stress relief for flexible circuit applications.
Mobile Devices
Supports reliable fine-line flex and rigid-flex interconnects in compact, high-density mobile designs, ensuring long-term performance and enabling efficient, sustainable manufacturing.
Wearables
Delivers the flex reliability wearables demand, reducing the risk of in-field failures without adding process complexity.
Consumer Electronics
Enables consistent, high-yield production of flexible circuits for high-volume consumer electronics by combining dependable flex performance with optimized cost of ownership and improved EH&S compliance.
Automotive Electronics
Provides robust flex and rigid-flex reliability under vibration, thermal cycling, and mechanical stress, supporting automotive performance requirements with safer, more sustainable surface finishing.