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Facts You Need to Know About MCPCB

2020-08-17

All You Need To Know About MCPCB

What is MCPCB?

Let us first understand all about MCPCB or better known as Metal Core Printed Circuit Board. In the past few years, the LED manufacturing has developed rapidly, having said that, the problem of dispersing the heat has always remained a challenge in the making of LEDs. The ultimate solution came from this MCPCB, which has a metal subsurface that offered a new direction to solve the heating problem of LEDs effectively. A Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) is a printed circuit board with metal as the base material. This core’s design is such that it can redirect heat away from machinery that produces a considerable amount of heat. custom MCPCB is also made by many manufacturers depending on the ask of the customer.

In comparison to other printed circuit boards, an MCPCB has metal at the base to increase the conductivity of heat. This metalcore is made of a metal plate which has an appropriate width to disperse the heat generated.

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What is MCPCB Made Up of?

The MCPCB comprises of a heat-insulating layer, a layer of metal plate, and a metal copper foil that has special magnetic properties, This combination offers excellent heat dispersal, unmatchable structural strength, and efficient performance. Generally, for the metalcore base, the materials used are aluminum or copper, depending on the custom MCPCB requirements of the buyer. The aluminum subsurface is nothing but an alloy of metal-based copper and aluminum, this alloy plate has good heat transferring and dispersal effect. The copper substrate however is more efficient when compared to aluminum, but at the same time, it is heavy on the pocket when compared to the later. Buyers normally order custom MCPCB made of aluminum rather than copper, because of the same reason.

Difference Between MCPCB and Standard Circuit Boards

The basic difference between MCPCB and a standard PCB is the way the materials in the MCPCB work together to give the required results. A typical LED having an MCPCB would have a single circuit layer of a copper foil which has been paired with strata of thermally conductive material, this material is then bonded to a thick layer of aluminum or copper metal. Aluminum and copper allow is widely used for this as it is much more cost-effective. Let us now understand some of the basic differences

  •  Conductivity: Normal Circuit Boards (in this we have considered an FR4) has a lower thermal conductivity as compared to a MCPCB. The conductivity of FR4 is about 0.4 watts as compared to an MCPCB which ranges between 1 to 4 watts.
  • Thickness: While in a normal circuit board the thickness level is vast owing to the mix and match of various material and the counts of layers. The MCPCB has a standard thickness which is dependent on the plating (back plating), made of aluminum and copper.
  • Structure: the Normal FR4 uses plated through the hole components (fixed by making holes), while in the MCPCB no such concept is used, rather it is made up using a standard practice of one layer PCB, everything in the MCPCB is surface mounted.
  • Solder masks: The solder masks used in the normal PCB are normally dark in color varying from red, blue, black, etc. While MCPCB uses a standard mask that is white for LEDs this is applied on the top surface.

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Benefits of MCPCB

The main objective of an MCPCB is to dilute and disperse the heat produced from any machinery that is susceptible to produce a large amount of heat. This helps in saving the machinery from overheating any of its components, mounted on the board including the hardware that houses the MCPCB.

The MCPCB helps maintain the best possible levels of performance at the same time helps increase the self-life of the components. Interestingly other PCBs are supposedly six to eight times less capable when it comes to rapid heat transfer as compared to a Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB).

Applications that find an MCPCB a necessity for their functioning include Solid State Lighting and similar products, devices that use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and High Power LED’s generate large amounts of heat, this heat if not deflected can affect the performance of the LEDs. In such cases, a Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) gives the necessary protection.

Some applications generate a very high degree of heat and general cooling through a fan does not suffice the cooling process, in such scenarios, MCPCB is the ultimate choice to make.

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MCPCB and Its Advantages

Heat dispersion: LEDs normally produce 3 to 5 watts of heat and a LED failure happens if the heat produced is not dispersed from the unit, the results may be low LED output, as well as degradation of the unit as a whole if the heat remains stuck in it. Here the MCPCB effectively transfers the heat in the unit, the actual purpose of the MCPCB is to remove all heat from the integrated circuits and not just the LEDs alone. The Aluminum base and the heat conductive layer acts as a barrier between the ICs and the heated pan (where the LEDs are placed). A single heat pan is attached to the aluminum base on the top of the components.

Expansion due to heat: While other PCBs have a common problem of a malfunctioning or structural damage due to uneven expansion due to heat, the MCPCB wins hands down. Made of aluminum and copper alloy this unit can withstand heat by deflecting it, giving the LEDs a longer life. Custom MCPCB is used in servers and computers that run round the clock, to ensure there is no heat damage to the motherboard or the processor.

Structural stability: Any metal-based PCB is much more durable as compared to any other insulated PCB. When heat is introduced to any PCB the size changes by 2 to 3%, the aluminum and copper alloy MCPCB can withstand the changes primarily due to its ductile property, while others tend to malfunction, limiting their usage.

After reading this article, We are sure you must have understood a lot about MCPCB and its advantages, The usage of this technology is almost unlimited. To name a few daily-to- use items that incorporate this technology is – laptops, desktops, medical equipment, industrial equipment, automobiles, and general lighting, etc.

So the next time you walk down your street at night, look up and check out that street lamp that brightens up the road, you might just be looking at an MCPCB-LED light.

If you want more information, please contact us.

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