Rigid-flex printed circuit boards, combining the structural advantages of rigid PCB and flexible PCB, have become the core electronic carrier for robot end-effector applications such as grippers, suction cups and precision operating tools. Robot end-effectors are the most frequently moving and operating parts of robots, requiring electronic circuits to adapt to frequent bending, twisting and folding motions while maintaining high structural stability and electrical conductivity. Traditional rigid PCBs are bulky, poor in flexibility and easy to crack under repeated deformation, while pure flexible PCBs lack structural support and are prone to deformation and circuit failure under load. Rigid-flex PCBs perfectly solve these pain points, retaining the high rigidity and structural strength of rigid boards for fixed installation and component welding areas, and using flexible board materials for dynamic bending areas, realizing integrated circuit connection of end-effectors.

The structural integration and miniaturization advantages of rigid-flex PCBs greatly optimize the mechanical design and operating performance of robot end-effectors. The end-effector has extremely limited internal space, needing to integrate sensors, drive circuits, signal acquisition modules and power supply circuits in a compact structure. Rigid-flex PCBs can realize three-dimensional wiring and arbitrary bending and fitting according to the irregular internal space of the end-effector, eliminating redundant wiring connectors and harnesses required by traditional separate circuit boards. This integrated design reduces the overall weight and volume of the end-effector by more than 30%, effectively improving the flexibility, response speed and load capacity of robot end operations. In addition, the integrated structure of rigid-flex PCBs reduces mechanical contact points and connection gaps, avoiding signal interruption and poor contact faults caused by loose connectors during frequent mechanical movement.

Rigid-flex PCBs significantly improve the durability and operational reliability of robot end-effectors in long-term cyclic work scenarios. Industrial and service robots usually need millions of repeated grasping and operating actions, putting forward high requirements on the fatigue resistance of circuit carriers. High-quality rigid-flex PCBs adopt high-flexibility polyimide (PI) flexible substrates and high-adhesion pressing process, which can withstand more than 100,000 times of continuous bending without circuit fracture and performance attenuation. Meanwhile, the rigid area adopts high-strength dielectric materials, which can resist mechanical impact and pressure during end-effector grasping and collision. For precision end-effectors used in electronic assembly, medical operation and other high-precision scenarios, rigid-flex PCBs can maintain stable signal transmission accuracy during micro-displacement and micro-bending, ensuring the precise control of end operating actions and improving the overall working precision of robots.