Flat flexible cable

A flat flexible cable, or FFC, is a thin, bendable ribbon of many flat copper strips lying side by side, sealed between two layers of plastic film. It fits in narrow gaps, folds flat and carries many signals at once, which makes it ideal for linking boards inside slim electronics.

It is made by laminating. Flat copper conductors, made by rolling round copper wire flat and often tin plating it, are fed side by side at an exact spacing, such as 0.5 or 1 mm. Two films of PET coated with adhesive are pressed onto them from above and below between heated rollers, sealing each strip in its own lane. At the ends the film is left off one side to expose the copper, and a stiffener is added so the end can slide into a socket. The ribbon is then cut to length.

In the television, FFCs carry picture signals between the main board, the timing controller board and the panel. An FFC differs from a flexible printed circuit, whose copper tracks are etched into a pattern rather than laid down as straight strips. Flat cables are also common in laptops, printers and cameras.