In 2013, Flexible Circuits, Inc. will celebrate 50 years in the flexible and rigid-flex circuits business. In that time, we have always been aware of the need for continuous improvement efforts in order to keep pace with the developing technologies that will allow us to continue to grow with our customers and compete in the industry. One of these areas is the imaging of circuit patterns into the copper substrates. Current technology at FCI utilizes the time-honored process of silver halide photos to print images onto the copper panels. This process has it’s challenges, such as variability in photo size over time, front-to-back pin registration, and others. Direct imaging technology was introduced to the printed circuit board industry in the 1990’s, and has developed over time to become the preferred technology for consistency, repeatability, flexibility, and throughput maximization for the imaging process. Flexible Circuits, Inc. is proud to announce that we have secured the purchase of a digital direct imaging system. Through a strategic partnership with Technica USA, FCI has purchased a digital direct imaging machine from Maskless Lithography, Inc. The machine has been delivered on-time and has been implemented into production use as of 12/10/12. The implementation and integration of the Maskless Lithography direct imaging machine has been a seamless one with no interruption to production whatsoever. The Technica USA and Maskless Lithography teams did a flawless job with the delivery and installation of the machine. The team worked very closely with FCI’s team, literally around the clock, to ensure a smooth execution of the training and transition plan.