Description

A metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB) also known as thermal PCB, incorporates a metal material as its base as opposed to the traditional FR4, for the heat spreader fragment of the board. Heat builds up due to some electronic components during the operation of the board. The purpose of the metal is to divert this heat away from critical board components and towards less crucial areas such as the metal heatsink backing or metallic core. Hence, these PCBs are apt for thermal management.
In a multilayer MCPCB, the layers will be evenly distributed on each side of the metal core. For instance, in a 12-layer board, the metal core will be at the center with 6 layers on the top and 6 layers at the bottom.
MCPCBs are also referred to as insulated metallic substrate (IMS), insulated metal PCBs (IMPCB), thermal clad PCBs, and metal-clad PCBs. In this article, we will be using the abbreviation MCPCB to avoid ambiguity.
The MCPCBs are made up of thermal insulating layers,metal plates, and metal copper foil.

• Solder mask
• Circuit layer
• Copper layer – 1oz. to 6oz. (most commonly used 1oz. to 2oz.)
• Dielectric layer
• Metal core layer – heat sink or heat spreader

Accumulation of too much heat in printed circuit boards lead to malfunctions in the devices.

Electronic devices that generate a considerable amount of heat cannot always be cooled using conventional fans. Conductive cooling through metal core boards is an ideal option. In conductive cooling, the heat is transferred from one hot part to a cooler part by direct contact.

This works well since heat constantly seeks to move to any object or medium that is cooler.

MCPCBs are most widely found in LED lighting technologies. Some of the popular applications are:

Several models of metal cladding accessible in the following foil type:

These boards possess the ability to integrate a dielectric polymer layer with high thermal conductivity for lower thermal resistance.

Andwin Circuits as a industry leading of PCB manufacturer since 2003.

Specializing in multilayer PCB, Rigid flex PCB, HDI PCB, controlled impedance PCB and Radio Frequency circuit, from quick turn prototype to mass products.