Metal Core Printed Circuit Board, Metal Core PCB Board
MCPCB, Metal Core PCB, thermal PCB -
whichever name you prefer, they are all boards which use a base metal
material as the heat spreader portion of the circuit board.
Base metals in the MCPCB are used as an alternative to FR4 or CEM3
boards for the ability to dissipate heat away from critical board
components and to less crucial areas such as the metal heatsink backing
or metallic core.
Metal Core PCB Materials and Thickness
The metal core of the thermal PCB can be aluminum (aluminum core PCB), copper (copper core PCB or a heavy copper PCB) or a mixture of special alloys. The most common is an aluminum core PCB.
The thickness of metal cores in PCB base plates is typically 30 mil - 125 mil, but thicker and thinner plates are possible.
MCPCB copper foil thickness can be 1 - 10 oz.
Advantages of MCPCB
MCPCBs can be advantageous to use for their ability to integrate a
dielectric polymer layer with a high thermal conductivity for a lower
thermal resistance.
Metal core PCBs transfer heat 8 to 9 times faster than FR4 PCBs. MCPCB
laminates dissipate heat, keeping heat generating components cooler
which results in increased performance and life.
Metal Core PCB uses - LED Applications and More
Heavy Copper Core PCB
Photo Credit: Robert Tarzwell
Applications that generate a large amount of heat often cannot be
adequately cooled using just traditional fans. Conductive cooling
through metal core PCBs are an ideal production option.
MCPCBs are most widely found in LED technologies, as they reduce the
number of LEDs required to produce a specific illumination. Light
emitting diodes release a great amount of heat in applications such as:
Back light unit applications
Street safety applications (streetlights, lighting, etc.)
General lighting applications
System automotive LED applications
Power converters: telecom, industrial, high voltage regulator, power supplies
Hybrid/electric motor control applications
Photovoltaic
Using a metal core PCB in these LED products and applications help to greatly reduce the heat emitted.
Other applications that are ideal for MCPCB integration are solar
panels and motion control applications. We can also combine metal core
with our HDI PCB technology.
MCPCB Design & MCPCB Manufacturer
The manufacturing process and design rules are similar to conventional PCBs. We provide metal core pcb prototype fabrication and mcpcb fabricationquantities for both aluminum core and heavy copper PCBs.
Thermal management PCBs or MCPCBs are processed with standard SMT assembly equipment in the PCB manufacturing process.Call us at or get an instant PCB quote.
We are ready and eager to turn your concepts into reality, from PCB design to being your MCPCB manufacturer.
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