Your Number 1 Arlon PCB Supplier

PCBMay is a well-known PCB manufacturer and supplier in China. We also serve as an electronic components sourcing. We are confident to offer our products and services nationwide. When you need a trusted supplier, PCBMay is one of the best choices you have.

The PCBMay has a professional surface appearance. We can manufacture an Arlon PCB with excellent surface finishes. At PCBMay, the Arlon PCB comes from 1 up to 30 layers depending on your needs. They function with high performance and high stability.

PCBMay Arlon PCBs are available in different solder mask colors, like white, black, green, and many more. Arlon printed circuit board offers high reliability for every application. It is applicable in plenty of applications like mobile communications products, amplifiers, and sensor transistors.

The Arlon PCB comes in various shapes like rectangular, square, and round. If you desire to have an exceptional Arlon board, PCBMay will provide you immediately. We supply Arlon PCB according to your desired thickness. We specialize in manufacturing several types of PCB.

One of our business fields is supplying a high-end Arlon PCB. As a professional supplier, we have various types of Arlon PCB and are perfect for different applications. We have flexible PCB, multilayer PCB, High-frequency PCB, and Taconic PCB.

We provide our Arlon PCB and other PCB assembly services nationwide. No matter where you are, we can deliver your needs. We accept small MQQ of your orders. PCBMay is the ultimate choice if you need a bulk or small order of Arlon PCB.

PCBMay supplies an effective and quality PCB to meet our standards. Before delivery, we do tests and deep inspection for the product quality, ensuring every PCB’s condition. You can expect zero-defect products once you order from PCBMay.

If ever you need further information, you can message us directly. We will never hesitate to accommodate your message!

Arlon PCB:  The Ultimate FAQ Guide

It is a division of Arlon LLC that is mainly used for applications that require prepreg materials and high-performance lamination. There are varieties of materials for Arlon boards as well as a wide range of applications of Arlon boards.

PCBMay is one of the leading manufacturing companies of Arlon PCBs located in China. We are dedicated to producing top-quality Arlon boards with the best functionality and efficiency. We supply our manufactured Arlon boards to more than 60 countries worldwide.

If you want to implement an Arlon circuit board for your project or application or want to know everything about the Arlon PCB, this FAQ guide is for you. The FAQ guide contains all the information regarding Arlon PCB. Take a look at it.

What Is Arlon PCB?

It is a kind of printed circuit board that is manufactured with materials from Arlon LLC.  A wide range of applications and products use Arlon PCB. This PCB for MED electronics is a division of Arlon LLC.

Arlon Circuit Board

It has laminates with special thermal, electrical, mechanical, and other functional characteristics. The special features of this PCB exceed the traditional features of standard FR-4 materials.

What Are The Types Of Arlon PCB Materials?

There are different types of materials of Arlon PCB. Different applications need different Arlon material PCB. The types of Arlon PCB are given below.’

● Polyimide Products

Polyimide is one of the important materials for Arlon. It consists of different resin systems. There are also some types of polyimide materials for Arlon that are as follows.

• Arlon 33N
• Arlon 35N
• Arlon HF-50
• Arlon 84N
• Arlon 85N
• Arlon 84HP
• Arlon 85HP

● Epoxy Products

This is another important type of material of Arlon PCB. Epoxy products material types are as follows.

• Arlon 44N
• Arlon 45N

● Low Flow Products

Low flow products are another crucial type of material for Arlon. It comprises the following varieties.

• Arlon 37N
• Arlon 38N
• Arlon 47N
• Arlon 49N
• Arlon 51N

● Controlled Thermal Expansion

This last type of Arlon board material is as important as the other type of material. It consists of the following varieties.

• Arlon 45NK
• Arlon 55NT
• Arlon 85NT
• Arlon 85N

These are all the types of materials of Arlon PCB. You will get a more clear idea of Arlon PCB materials in the following video.

 What Are The Features Of Arlon PCB?

Its features common diverse properties. Some features of Arlon circuit boards are as follows.

● Polyimide

Polyimides come as an Arlon PCB polymer. The polyimide consists of monomers underneath the high-performing plastic category. This provides the PCB a high-temperature resistant property and so the Arlon circuit board is suitable for applications that require organic rugged constituents.

● High Glass Transition Temperature

Arlon PCB possesses high glass transition temperature whether the material is Arlon fabric, Arlon laminate, or other integrated circuit materials.

● Low Loss Dielectric Thermoset

All types of Arlon PCBs have a low loss thermoset. This feature allows the PCB not to heat up fast while operating in high RF situations. All Arlon materials including silicone, polyimide, PTFE have low loss thermosets.

Features Of Arlon Board

All these specific materials and their corresponding features make sure the functionality and quality of the PCB.

What Are The Uses Of Arlon PCB?

The uses of Arlon PCB are versatile. They are frequently used in many different applications for their benefits and features. Some industries that use Arlon printed circuit boards are as follows.

● Aircraft and Avionics

Arlon PCBs are designed to withstand harsh environments like up-down temperatures and humidity. And so there is a lot of use of Arlon boards in radar equipment and radar communication systems.

● Consumer Appliances

Arlon boards have a significant part in the production of many consumer appliances. Electronic irons, washing systems, lighting systems, remote controllers use Arlon PCBs mostly.

● Military Equipment

Maximum military equipment is designed with Arlon printed circuit boards. The reason is these PCBs are very reliable and can function properly in varying temperatures. Surveillance systems, communication devices, tracking devices, weapon guidance systems usually use these boards.

● Telecommunication Systems

The telecommunication systems depend on Arlon PCBs. wireless communication devices, handheld devices, communication satellites. base stations, routers can not work without Arlon PCB.

● Automotive Devices

Arlon PCBs assist in the manufacturing of small devices in the automotive industry.  Control modules and comfort control units are mostly made of these PCBs. Arlon boards are used for music systems, transmission control, and navigation systems as well.

● Medical Equipment

For manufacturing medical equipment, Arlon PCB plays a vital role. Sensitive electronics use Arlon boards for occupying extreme temperature variations.

● Space And Satellite

Different space and satellite applications use Arlon boards as well. As there is a harsh environment and variable temperature in space, Arlon PCBs are used in these applications for convenience.

What Are The Advantages Of Arlon PCB?

Arlon circuit board provides plenty of advantages in different applications. That is why the use of Arlon PCB is only increasing day by day. Some advantages of Arlon PCB are as follows.

• The greater strength of the copper bond
• Greater dimensional stability
• Greater signal integrity
• Higher antenna efficiency
• Great chemical resistance
• Consistent mechanical performance
• Low moisture absorption
• Low tangent loss
• Low insertion loss
• Limited edge trim waste
• Suitable for humid condition
• Perfect for ER-sensitive circuits
• Uniform electrical properties
• Cost-effective
• Dielectric constant
• Stable Thermally

Advantages Of Arlon Circuit Board

This is not all. There are many more advantages of using an Arlon PCB.

How To Measure The Glass Transition Temperature Of Arlon PCB?

The thermal properties of polymeric materials are important to the function of assemblies and components of an Arlon printed circuit board. As the PCB operates in warm environments, Tg or glass Transition Temperature plays a vital role.

This temperature is the place where the material turns into a rubbery soft condition from a hard state. We identify the glass transition temperatures of polymers for various reasons. But we generally measure Tg for research, quality control, and development.

Measuring Tg or the glass transition temperature of an Arlon PCB is very necessary. As the temperature determines many crucial facts about the Arlon board, we must determine it while manufacturing. There are some ways to measure the glass transition temperature of an Arlon PCB.

DMA or dynamic mechanical analysis, TMA or Thermomechanical Analysis, DSC or Differential Scanning Calorimetry are the most standard methods of measuring glass transition temperature.

Among these three methods, DSC is the most used and classic method for maximum polymeric materials. We apply TMA to measure CTE or the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of polymers. And lastly, DMA is the most sensitive method for Tg analysis.

Here is a video describing the full process of measuring the glass transition temperature of Arlon PCB.

What Are The Effects Of Polymer Resin In Arlon PCB?

Polymer resin has huge effects on Arlon printed circuit boards. Materials composed of polymer resin have significant functionalities. The polymer resin material gives much more efficiency to the Arlon printed circuit board.

Polymer Resin In Arlon Printed Circuit Board

The Arlon board with polymer resin material is lightweight. The material provides water absorption capacity to the Arlon board. PCB with this material is compatible with many high-frequency printed circuit boards as well as SMT devices.

Polymer resin makes the Arlon board pass through different IPC requirements. These boards made with polymer resin are more unique and efficient. Furthermore, they can compete with leadless processing.

For different applications that need lightweight Arlon, use Arlon with polymer resin. Thus polymer resin has a huge impact on Arlon PCBs.

What Is The Dielectric Constant Of Arlon PCB?

The dielectric constant of an Arlon PCB determines its electrical performance. Signal integrity and impedance control the dielectric constant of an Arlon board.

Dielectric Constant Of Arlon PCB

The dielectric constant of an Arlon PCB generally ranges from 3.5 to 5.5. The specific value depends on the material of the printed circuit board. The dielectric constant relies on the frequency of the board and it decreases as the frequency level increases.

Certain Arlon materials faceless dielectric constant change than other materials. A high-frequency PCB should maintain a stable dielectric constant for safety issues. It should have a static constant over a wide range of frequencies.

How Does The Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion Affect Arlon PCB?

The coefficient of thermal expansion or CTEis so important for Arlon printed circuit boards. A ceramic chip carrier has CTE of 6 ppm/°C soldered on an Arlon board. But there will occur shear stresses for the mismatch in expansion caused by a large chip carrier.

CTE values must be between 3-4.5 ppm/°C for die materials. In that case, the mismatch is even larger for direct chip attaching and stacked dies. It results in electrical discontinuity for the PCB and so in the application and that is totally unacceptable for obvious reasons.

A normal Arlon PCB laminate having CTE of 17-18 ppm/°C may cause excessive stress on the joints. Consequently, the whole process gets hard or even cracked.

As nowadays lead-free solder systems, the result of mismatch is even huge. A simple mismatch can make the work a lot harder. It can even totally crack the system.

Thus CTE affects Arlon boards on a large scale. You must match the CTEs for the proper functioning of your Arlon printed circuit board.

What Is The Decomposition Temperature Of Arlon PCB?

An Arlon printed circuit board substrate decomposes when open to temperature past a definite limitation. And then the Arlon board loses its overall mass by 5% or more. This temperature range where the decomposition happens is Decomposition temperature or Td.

Decomposition Temperature Of Arlon PCB

Decomposition temperature affects the substrate permanently, it can not be reversed in any way. The Td of an Arlon PCB is higher than 250° C. As the required substrate soldering temperature of an Arlon board should be in the range between 200° C and 250° C, the Decomposition temperature must be higher than that.

Decomposition temperature is the reason you should use an Arlon material that can suit your working environment temperature range.

Why Do You Consider Moisture In Arlon PCB?

You must consider the moisture fact in your Arlon printed circuit board. Moisture has a huge impact on Arlon boards.

Moisture In Arlon PCB

The thermal properties of an Arlon board are very important as it directly affects the board functionality. Moisture is one of the most concerning facts. You should maintain a lower moisture absorption for your PCB.

It is popular for its lowest moisture absorption. The lower the moisture absorption, the higher is the functionality and efficiency of the Arlon board.

However, all Arlon materials don’t even consume water or moisture. Polymer resin Arlon materials are likely to absorb moisture. The amount is still very little.

What Is The Importance Of Prepreg During The Fabrication Of Arlon PCB?

Prepreg is a crucial part of manufacturing Arlon PCB. You should have a low flow prepreg in your Arlon printed circuit board for its greater functionalities. Heat sink bonding and complex applications can be benefited by low flow prepregs.

If you have low flow prepreg in your Arlon, it will provide you control over melt viscosity. That controlled melt viscosity is the reason for low flow manufacturing PCBs. It also bonds the heat sinks to the Arlon wiring board.

Prepreg In Arlon PCB

Low flow prepregs do not usually flow heavily in heat sinks or the edges of an Arlon board though it has a high melt viscosity. For this reason, you can insert devices into the heat sinks cutouts. You can maintain the flexibility of the Arlon board as well.

Low flow prepregs can be fabricated in epoxy products or polyimide products. Though individual types of Arlon material have variations in the prepreg system. The prepreg of your PCB affects the flow range and the glass styles too.

Are Arlon PCB Materials Better Than Rogers Materials?

Both the Arlon PCB and Rogers PCB materials are utilized in manufacturing printed circuit boards with high frequency. The material you would need for the fabrication of your PCB depends on the requirement of your application. Different materials serve differently on the PCB.

Materials Of Arlon PCB

Rogers PCB materials mark woven glass reinforced hydrocarbons or ceramics. On the other hand, Arlon PCB materials feature PTFT reinforced fiberglass mainly.

Why Is Copper Foil Important In Manufacturing Arlon PCB?

Copper foils are often used in manufacturing Arlon PCB. They are incorporated into a printed wiring board in the form of a ground plane or heat sink. The thickness of the copper foil also should be considered in Arlon boards.

Copper Foil In Arlon PCB

The through-holes need to connect to different layers of the Arlon board electrically. For this purpose, the manufacturer chemically deposits a thin layer of copper into the through-holes. This copper foil layer gets more thickened later on by electrolytic copper plating.

How To Choose Copper Foil For Arlon PCB?

Copper foil is a very important material for the fabrication of Arlon PCB. The copper foil used in Arlon board lamination helps to block the UV rays. The Arlon board has copper foil layers used to make tracks of circuits.

Choosing Copper Foil For Arlon PCB

A thin layer of copper foil is applied over the surface area of the Arlon printed circuit board. Copper foil flows into the drilled hole of the PCB. The hole walls are entirely plated with thin layers of copper foil.

How Does Flow Affect The Performance Of Arlon PCB?

The flow affects the performance of an Arlon PCB in so many ways. Generally, there is low flow and high flow a PCB can generate. Both of the flow types have different aspects.

Low flow is preferred in Arlon printed circuit boards. Low flow in Arlon provides some advantages like bonding heatsinks to PWBs and laminating different PCBs. Low flow in the Arlon board is able to insert devices into cutouts.

Low flow materials give the perfect bonding to multilayer PCBs. It strengthens the bond as well as works to attach the heat sinks of the board. Low flow also helps to connect dielectric insulators.

Low flow has an impact on the fabrication and assembly of complex printed circuit boards. Low flow is also essential for some lead-free soldering processes. Thus flow affects the performance of an Arlon board.

Which Materials Offer Low Flow In Arlon PCB?

The materials that offer low flow in Arlon PCB are epoxy products and polyimide. The resin systems based on epoxy offer low flow in this board.

 Low Flow In Arlon PCB

Arlon 37N, Arlon 38N, Arlon 47N, Arlon 49N, Arlon 51N are the main materials offering low flow on this board. They are multifunctional and can be used both in a single layer and multiple layer Arlon printed circuit boards.

What Is The Ul 94 Rating Of Arlon PCB?

UL or Underwriters Laboratories 94 rating is the standard for the safety of flammability of different materials of the Arlon PCB. This rating determines the safety measures of the Arlon board materials. The flaming tendency and the spreading tendency of the materials are rated by UL 94 rating.

As UL 94 rating measures the flammability of a certain material, there are six classes as well. From lowest that is least flame-retardant to highest that is most flame-retardant are determined.

Different Arlon materials have different UL 94 ratings from this classification. V-0 and HB are the most common ratings of Arlon materials.

V-0 indicates that the burning stops within 10 seconds and as long as the drips of particles are not inflamed, they are allowed to drip. HB refers to slow-burning; for thickness < 3 mm, the burning rate is < 76 mm/min, or the burning ends before 100 mm.

What Is The Importance Of Gel Time In Arlon PCB?

Gel time is testing equipment for Arlon PCBs. A gel timer is an instrument to test the gel time of resin and prepreg of an Arlon board. Gel time has crucial importance in the Arlon board.

As a small error in the fabrication process of the Arlon printed circuit board can cause great losses, you must proceed with the manufacturing process through different testings. Gel time can be of great use in this step.

Gel Time In Arlon PCB

The gel time test takes temperature control with an accuracy of 0.1s. It improves the operational security of the PCB by testing current and leakages. It is also able to protect the PCB from damages in a little time.

The operating system of gel time is very convenient and simple. As a result, you can easily check the errors of your Arlon circuit board when you design it and fabricate it. These are the reasons gel time is very important in the Arlon circuit board.

What Is Copper Anodic Filament In Arlon PCB?

The conductive anodic filament is a metallic filament that is known to cause PCB failures and is configured from an electrochemical process. Arlon printed circuit board uses copper as filament, that is the reason it is called copper anodic filament in Arlon printed circuit board.

Copper Anodic Filament Arlon PCB

The copper anodic filament in the Arlon board is affected by temperature, laminate material, electric field strength, humidity, and manufacturing defects. Higher density Arlon boards use the anodic filament for getting more reliability and durability. This copper anodic filament enables the Arlon PCB to work properly in harsh environments; that provides more reliability of the application.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Arlon PCB?

Well like all other PCBs, Arlon PCB has its own disadvantages too. Some of the disadvantages of this PCB are given below.

● Expensive

As this PCB board is more advanced and comes with modern technologies, it may cost some more than ordinary PCBs. The designing phase is so crucial and any error can cause extra cost. That is why the manufacturers need to be extra cautious while fabricating an Arlon board.

However the great outcome you get from the board, the cost actually gets the full efficiency.

● Manufacturing Difficulty

There are some manufacturing difficulties with Arlon board fabrication. The manufacturer needs to be extra careful to not cause any error. The manufacturer must avoid common production errors as the solving would cost a lot.

How Do You Verify The Arlon PCB Materials?

Arlon PCB is made of unique chemical composed materials that make the PCB versatile and reliable for industrial uses. You need to verify the Arlon board materials you require for your application. Arlon board materials determine the fundamental aspect of the production, design, and performance of the printed circuit board.

Verifying Arlon PCB Materials

There is a significant process of verifying the materials required for your Arlon board. Check the features the material provides and the application requirements. Use the material that fits the best for the application.

The materials consist of conductive layers, substrates, etc. But all Arlon laminates and electric substrates do not feature the same functionalities. Each laminate and substrate features distinct characteristics.

The conducting layer of copper stays similar to FR-4 based PCBs, but in a thicker layer. The microwave materials of the Arlon are fluoropolymers. The fluoropolymers are mostly incorporated with hydrocarbon thermoset laminates and ceramics.

All of the materials combined make sure that the PCB provides the required electrical performance. The materials confirm the frequency in the PCB applications like power amplifier boards, phased-array radars, communication systems, base station antennas, and many other applications that depend on antennas.

How Can You Choose The Best Manufacturer Of Arlon PCB?

Choosing the best manufacturer of your Arlon PCB is a very crucial step. Choosing the wrong manufacturer can lead your total project to go in vain. Keep an eye on choosing the best manufacturer that can fulfill all your PCB requirements.

The manufacturer should have all the knowledge regarding Arlon boards and materials. Using advanced technology for the manufacturing process results in getting the most efficient Arlon board. The experience of the manufacturer is another important fact.

Check if the manufacturing company had worked with your application industry previously. This will open a wide window for you as well. They can suggest you regarding the Arlon board customization process.

As tiny errors can cause you great loss, make sure the manufacturers are efficient at this process. You may want a customized Arlon board according to the requirement of your application, they should also provide an easy customization service.

And lastly, pay a visit to the manufacturing company if possible. Discuss everything with them beforehand and then if you please, start proceeding with the manufacturing process. Following these steps, you can choose the best manufacturer for your Arlon PCB.

Conclusion

Arlon PCB is a leading technology of modern science. As the years go by, the use of this PCB is only going upwards. And so PCBMay is putting an impact on the rising demand for these PCBs.

If you have gone through the whole FAQ guide, all your questions regarding Arlon PCB may have been answered. If you still want to know more about it or about our services, feel totally free to contact us. We will get back to you in a short time.