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MCPCB Manufacturer: An Indebt Analysis of MCPCB 2020

2020-05-25

MCPCB Manufacturer: All there is to Know About Metal Core PCBs

Over the years, there has been a great diversity in the PCB manufacturing industry, for instance, we now have MCPCB manufacturer, Flexible PCB manufacturer among others. Different types of Printed Circuit Board server different purpose.

Over the years, MCPCB manufacturing did enjoy great success. More and more people have become inclined to using MCPCB. In case, you are new to the term MCPCB, you have come to the right place. In the course of this article, we are going to talk about MCPCB, its advantages, and how it is different from other Printed Circuit Boards.

Introduction to Metal Core PCBs

MCPCB stands for Metal Core Printed Circuit Board. It has metal as the base material. The core is designed in a way that it diverts the heat away from the components producing substantial heat. Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards are highly effective when it comes to increasing the thermal conductivity of the Printed Circuit Board.

The PCB has a metal core with the desired thickness in order to dissipate heat and enhance component performance.

MCBPCB Manufacturer

MCPCB Structure

There are several differences between a Metal Core PCB and the standard Printed Circuit Board. However, the most important one is how the material of MCPCB and PCB work together in order to generate expected results.

In a typical MCPCB, a single copper foil layer is bonded to a thermally conductive dielectric material layer. This layer is also bonded to a thick metal layer. Usually, in Metal core PCB manufacturing, either Copper C1100, Aluminum 5052, or Aluminum 6061 is used.

To measure the conductivity of the dielectric material, you would use Watts per meter, Kelvin. A material with a 2.0W rating is approximately 6x to 7x as thermally conductive as the material of other standard PCB—FR4.

To ensure the quality of the MCPCB, it is a good idea to incorporate a thin dielectric layer. Thinner the layer, better it would be for the Printed Circuit Board. A thin layer means a shorter path for the heat source to the metal backing plate.

Thickness Matters

After all, the plate is way more thermally conductive in comparison to the dielectric material. Most materials have a limited range in terms of thickness. You will find it between .003 to .006 inches. It seems that you might not have the option to choose something thicker.

The structure’s thickest element is the metal backing plate. The plate is present at the bottom side of the structure. Unlike the above layer’s limited thickness, the plate comes in a wide variety of thicknesses. However, we suggest that you use one of the three most common thickness—3.2mm, 1.5mm, and 1.0mm.

One reason for using this particular thickness is that they are readily available. You do not have to wait long for it. The metal layer is responsible for adding rigidity to the board. It makes the board flat. Furthermore, it provides the desired thickness enabling the MCPCB manufacturer to mount hardware components as it would on a standard PCB.

The metal plates present at the side of the boards do not get solder masking nor do the final surface finishing.

Components of Metal Core Printed Circuit Board

An important thing in Metal core PCB manufacturing is to avoid plated through holes at all costs. You should incorporate only the surface-mounted components as this would enhance the overall performance of the Printed Circuit board.

The metal structure preset at the bottom will lead to a short due to the plated through-hole. Therefore, you should always opt for Surface Mounted Technology.

With standard PCBs, the FR4 substrate requires a closely spaced pattern plate. It uses vias to transmit heat in an effective manner. In case, you do not fill the vias, it is possible to shift them in the assembling process. The movement of vias results in solder joints that are not perfect.

In the case of Metal Core PCB, vias are not required. The work that vias perform is carried out by the material itself. The lower, bottom side of the Printed Circuit Board consists of the metal—a material more thermally conductive.

Therefore, the entire cooling process becomes efficient. It also eliminates the need for vias. Of course, if the MCPCB supplier wants, it can still use them.  So, this results in minimum drilling in MCPCB. The manufacturer would just need a couple of large mounting holes.

The ability to stack multiple panels and elimination of vias makes it possible for the PCB to move the board way from the PCB’s bottleneck operation facility. So, the one-layer Metal Core Printed Circuit Board would bypass the graphite hole wall preparation step. This step is important for PTH processing. However, in MCPCB it would proceed straight towards the imaging step.

From this point forward, the MCPCB manufacturer follows the same manufacturing steps as that of the standard Printed Circuit Board.

Metal Core PCB Vs. FR4 PCB Comparison

Machining Process: FR4 Printed Circuit Boards use the usual machining practices including v-scoring, counterbore, countersink, routing, and drilling. Likewise, Metal Core PCBs also use the same practices, however, MCPCB suppliers require diamond-coated saw blades in the v-score to cut metal.

Conductivity: MCPCB offers higher thermal conductivity. It ranges from 1.0W to 4.0w. On the contrary, FR4 offers low thermal conductivity. It is usually around 0.3W.

Thickness: With FR4, you can enjoy a wide range of thickness due to numerous materials and layer counts. However, in the case of MCPCB, the thickness fully depends upon the dielectric sheet and backing plate thickness.

Thermal Relief: In standard PCB, vias come into action for thermal relief. To ensure accurate vias, the PCB has to go through several processes. However, in the case of MCPCB materials, the material provides thermal relief. You do not need plating processes, dispositions, and vias.

Plated Through Holes: For one-layer MCPCB, you do not need plated through holes as all its components are surface mounted. Whereas, with FR4 Printed Circuit Boards generally use the plate through holes technology.

Solder Mask: MCPCB solder mask is white especially for LED boards. Also, the MCPCB manufacturer applies it only to the top. However, with standard PCB solder masks comes in a number of colors including black, blue, red, and green.

MCPCB Manufacturer: Advantages of Metal Core PCB

MCPCB manufacturer mainly deploys metal core PCBs for electronics that require a high level of heat dissipation. Thus, ensuring that any component associated with the Printed Circuit Board does not get heated.

In addition, it makes sure that the electronic itself remains stable. MCPCB is excellent for maintaining the optimal performance level of electronics. At the same time, they help in increasing the lifespan of the product in general.

A standard Printed Circuit Board is 7 times less effective when it comes to heat dissipation in comparison to Metal Core Printed Circuit Board.

Application of MCPCB

MCPCB manufacturing is imperative for a number of applications such as the products related to Solid-State lighting. Devices that are using LEDs or High-power LEDs generate a massive amount of heat. If you do not take care of the heat, you would damage the product.

In these cases, an MCPCB manufacturer recommends Metal Core PCBs as they are excellent heat dissipators.

MCBPCB Manufacturer in shenzhen china

Take Away

Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards are the best option for products generating a massive amount of heat. Their high thermal conductivity makes them the best choice for computer backlight LCB display, desktop, general lighting, industrial monitoring systems, automotive lighting, and medical monitoring systems.

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