Metal core printed circuit board, also known as metal core PCB, is an electronic material. It is a kind of PCB with a metal layer, which has high mechanical strength, high temperature endurance, electrical conductivity and chemical stability. Metal core PCB is widely used in military equipment, aerospace equipment, missiles, satellites and other aerospace chip components. Metal core PCB production capabilities are important for these industries.
It should be noted that the application of military equipment has strict requirements for the processing of printed circuit boards. The surface of the printed circuit board must be resistant to corrosion and have a certain degree of flatness. The internal structure must have good insulation and low dielectric loss. Therefore, in order to ensure the normal use of military equipment, it is necessary to use metal core printed circuit board for their internal circuits.
The key properties of metal core printed circuit boards:
High thermal conductivity: Heat transfer from electronic components to heat sinks can be achieved more quickly so that electronic components themselves are cooled more quickly. In this way, the temperature difference between electronic components and heat sinks is reduced and the degradation rate of electronic components will be reduced;
High mechanical strength: Because it has a layer of metal material on its surface and internal layers, it has better mechanical strength than traditional single-side printed circuit boards;
Low thermal expansion coefficient: Every material has its own coefficient of thermal expansion. It is basically calculated on how much a material expands or contracts when it is subject to heat or cold. Metal core PCBs are perfect to withstand higher temperature changes that is why it is used when there is a requirement for higher heat transfer.
Metal core PCB production capabilities
The metal core PCB is composed of four layers: copper foil, copper, insulating varnish, and copper foil. The inner layer of the printed circuit board is a layer of copper, and then there is an insulating varnish layer and a copper layer outside, as shown in Figure 1. A metal core PCB is divided into two parts: the inner circuit board and the outer circuit board. The inner circuit board is the one with conductive tracks on its surface. The outer circuit board is used to connect the inner circuit board to external objects. The outer circuit board has a hole for connecting with the inner circuit board.
Metal core PCBs are mainly used for high frequency circuits because high frequency signals cannot pass through the insulating varnish layer in other PCBs easily. So when you want to build a high frequency electronic device such as a smartwatch or mobile phone, you need to use a metal core PCB because it has excellent conductivity.
Metal core PCBs are great for power applications
Without a doubt, metal core PCBs are great for power applications such as AC-DC converters, switch mode power supplies and some industrial motors. They are also used in high frequency RF applications. For example, a metal core PCB can be used in high efficiency switching regulators, variable speed drives and other applications where the number of output transistors is limited. Metal core PCB’s are also widely used in motor control applications where the number of output transistors must be kept at a minimum for cost reasons. In general, metal core printed circuit boards are used wherever space is at a premium and heat dissipation is critical.
Learn more about MCPCBs and metal core PCB production capabilities on the internet. There are a lot of blogs and websites that can provide you with resourceful information about metal core printed circuit boards.
