What is aluminum printed circuit boards?

An aluminum printed circuit board (PCB) is a type of PCB made from an aluminum substrate.
The aluminum substrate provides several advantages over traditional PCB materials,
including better heat dissipation, improved mechanical strength, and reduced weight.

Andwin provide thermal pad metal core PCB for customer, email us now for you PCB quote,
Email is : mcpcb@andwinmcpcb.com


What Is aluminum printed circuit boards?

Aluminum PCBs are commonly used in high-power LED lighting, automotive electronics, and other applications where heat dissipation is critical.

The circuitry is printed onto the aluminum substrate using a similar process to traditional PCB manufacturing, but with some modifications to account for the unique properties of the aluminum material.

Types of aluminum printed circuit boards

  1. Standard Aluminum Substrate:
    This is the most commonly used type of aluminum substrate, which has a thickness of 1.6 mm and a thermal conductivity of 1.0-1.5 W/mK.
  2. High Thermal Conductivity Aluminum Substrate:
    This type of substrate has a higher thermal conductivity of 2.0-3.0 W/mK, making it suitable for high-power applications.
  3. Ultra-Thin Aluminum Substrate:
    This substrate has a thickness of 0.5-1.0 mm, making it ideal for applications where space is limited.
  4. Copper-Clad Aluminum Substrate:
    This substrate has a layer of copper on one or both sides, providing better electrical conductivity and heat dissipation.
  5. Ceramic-Clad Aluminum Substrate:
    This substrate has a layer of ceramic on top of the aluminum substrate, providing better insulation and thermal management.
  6. Flexible Aluminum Substrate:
    This substrate is flexible and can be bent or shaped to fit into tight spaces, making it ideal for applications where flexibility is required.

  1. North America:
    The United States and Canada are home to many aluminum substrate manufacturers, including Alcoa, Novelis, Aleris, and Kaiser Aluminum.
  2. Europe:
    Major aluminum substrate manufacturers in Europe include Constellium, Norsk Hydro, and Granges.
  3. Asia:
    China is a major producer of aluminum substrates, with companies like China Hongqiao Group Limited and China Zhongwang Holdings Limited.
    Other Asian countries with significant aluminum substrate manufacturing capabilities include Japan (Kobe Steel and UACJ Corporation) and India (Hindalco Industries).
  4. Middle East:
    Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) are two major aluminum substrate manufacturers in the Middle East.

Overall, aluminum substrate manufacturers can be found in many different countries around the world, with production facilities located in areas with access to raw materials and transportation infrastructure.

Aluminum printed circuit boards (PCBs) are circuit boards that are made from an aluminum substrate.
The aluminum substrate provides several advantages over traditional PCB materials, including better heat dissipation, improved mechanical strength, and reduced weight.
Aluminum PCBs are commonly used in high-power LED lighting, automotive electronics, and other applications where heat dissipation is critical.

The circuitry is printed onto the aluminum substrate using a similar process to traditional PCB manufacturing,
but with some modifications to account for the unique properties of the aluminum material. The aluminum substrate is first coated with a layer of dielectric material,
which provides electrical insulation between the circuitry and the aluminum substrate.
The circuitry is then printed onto the dielectric layer using a process such as screen printing, etching, or inkjet printing.
Finally, a layer of solder mask is applied to protect the circuitry and provide a surface for soldering components.

Aluminum PCBs are often used in applications where high power and high thermal conductivity are required.
They are also used in applications where weight is a concern, as aluminum is a lightweight material.
Overall, aluminum PCBs offer several advantages over traditional PCB materials and are an important component in many electronic devices.

Applications Of printed circuit boards

The technology of the metal core PCB is ideal for its applications that generate immense heat and have difficulty being cool down using conventional fans or other cooling methods.

MCPCBs play an integral role to achieve a high illumination with fewer requirements than LEDs require.
The fabrication process of metal core PCB is helpful for the applications
Since the MCPCBs are most often used in LED technologies for producing a certain illumination the light-emitting diodes releases the heat in applications like:

– General lighting
– Automotive systems
– Industrial, telecom, power supplies, and high voltage regulators types of power converters
– Photovoltaic
– Street safety lightings and streetlights
– Backlight applications

Military and aerospace are another two other sectors appropriate to utilize the benefits of metal core PCBs in their applications.

These sectors are quite sensitive and need to endure frequent thermal cycling, limits of temperature and humidity, along with repeated mechanical shocks.

The MCPCB deals according to the operational requirements only if better structural veracity and thermal conductivity enabling withstanding greater shocks.

The higher the conductivity of thermal, the better it is for the temperature distribution throughout the boards as it ensures a uniform for thermal cycling.

It also stops forming hot spots before near to the active components.
Other than these, MCPCB works great in solar panels and motion control applications.

The combination of a metal core with HDI PCB technology can create an advanced circuit technology including microwave RF PCB, flex PCB, and rigid-flex PCBs.

As the demand for PCBs is high due to the remarkable benefits, the metal core PCB is the most widely used one among all the others.

It ensures high circuitry density, thermal management, and enhanced reliability for enhanced performance.

Thermal conductivity of 2 Layers thermal Pad MPCB

Thermal pad area is 385 W/m.k

Capability of Metal core PCB

Metal core PCB Capability
ItemTechnical specification
StandardAdvanced
Board thicknessMaximum (mm)3.05.0
Panel sizeMaximum (mm)600×1170/
Layer countAluminum PCB1-8L10 L
Copper PCB1-8L10 L
Iron PCB1/
ceramics PCB1-2/
Thermal ConductivityAluminum PCB(w/m.k)0.8 to 12
Copper PCB(w/m.k)2.0-378/
ceramics PCB(w/m.k)24
DrillingMinimum drill diameter (mm)1.00.8
2 Layer ALPCB Via0.3/
Lines/spacesMinimum0.2mm/0.2mm0.15mm/0.15mm
MaterialChao Shun(CCAF)(China)Yes/
Hua Dian(China)Yes/
Chin Shi(TaiWan)Yes/
Ventec(TaiWang)Yes/
ITEQ(Tai Wan)Yes/
ShengYi(China)Yes/
Laird(US)Yes/
Bergquist(US)Yes/
Other brand per customerYes/
Final finishingHASL Lead FreeYes/
HASLYes/
ENIGYes/
ENIPIGYes/
OSPYes/
Immersion SilverYes/
Immersion Tin/YES

2 Layers direct thermal path copper core pcb application

2 Layers direct thermal path copper core pcb are designed to dissipate heat generated by high-power LEDs,
which helps to increase the lifespan of the LED and improve its performance.
The aluminium base acts as a heat sink, which absorbs and dissipates the heat generated by the LED.

The 2 Layers direct thermal path copper core pcb is made by laminating a thin layer of copper onto an copper substrate.
The copper layer is then etched to create the circuit pattern.
2 Layers direct thermal path copper core pcb for LED lighting applications are available in various sizes and thicknesses, depending on the specific requirements of the application.
They are also available in single-sided, double-sided, and multi-layered configurations.

About Andwin MCPCB

Andwin Ciurcuits MCPCB davision  set up on Feb. 2006.
Focus on  providing metal core PCB for customer
In LED field and power supply field.
We can meet all your MCPCB manufacturing needs,
From single-sided Aluminum to 
complex multilayered metal clad substrate PCBs
And from prototype through production.

The following is a list of the services and products 

We offer:
• Metal Core PCB
• Thermal PAD MCPCB
• Aluminum PCB
• Copper based PCB
• Double sided Aluminum PCB

Other metal core pcb your may interesting