Understanding the Importance of Metal Core
PCBs Metal core or MCPCBs are printed circuit boards with a base made of metals such as copper, aluminum, and steel alloys.
Each of these materials has its own characteristics that make them suitable for different applications.
Aluminum has good heat dissipation and heat transfer properties and is comparatively more economical than the other two materials.
Copper performs better than aluminum and steel alloys but costs more.
Likewise, steel is relatively stiff compared to the other two materials and has a lower thermal conductivity.
These PCBs are used as an alternative to FR4 or CEM3 boards. What makes these PCBs so popular? What are the advantages of MCPCB?
To get answers to these questions, read the following post.
Why is Metal Core PCBs so Widely Used?
There are several advantages that metalcore PCBs find in their use in a wide variety of applications in a variety of industries.
What are these benefits? Read on to find out.
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct heat. FR4 and CEM3 have very low interlayer insulation.
Thus, these materials conduct heat very poorly. Doing so can damage components installed on circuit boards made from these materials. PCBs with an aluminum metal core, on the other hand, have good thermal conductivity and help protect components from damage.
Heat Dissipation Printed
Circuit boards with metalcore have very good heat dissipation ability. This means that MCPCBs effectively conduct heat away from all ICs.
Heat is transferred through the thermally conductive dielectric layer and the aluminum base to the heatsink.
Scaling Stability Stability
Metalcore PCB sizes are better than other PCBs. When PCBs with an aluminum metal core is heated from 30 ° C to 140 ~ 150 ° C, 2.5 ~ 3% change in size is observed.
Less Distortion The
Good thermal conductivity and good heat dissipation of these PCBs make them less prone to distortion caused by induced heat.
This property of these PCBs makes them suitable for high switching power applications.
Thermal Expansibility
The coefficient of thermal expansion refers to the property of the object of the contract for cooling and expansion when heated. This factor depends on the material. Metalcore PCBs have good thermal expansion properties, which means they can easily overcome thermal contraction or expansion problems. This helps to extend the life of the equipment.
Where is Metal Core PCBs Used?
All of the benefits mentioned above make metal core PCBs ideal for use in a wide variety of applications ranging from:
- Automotive LED system applications
- Photovoltaic
- Backlight unit
- applications Hybrid / electric motor control applications
- Street safety applications such as lighting, street lights, etc.
- Power converters: power supplies, telecom, high voltage regulators, industrial
- The importance of metalcore PCBs