The structure of the Metal Core PCB
A typical metal core PCB consists of three layers
- Circuit layer(copper foil) to carry electronics components and circuit wire, usually uses copper, which has high conductivity
- Insulation layer(thermal conductive medium)using high thermal conductive insulation materials(like ceramic-filled epoxy) to ensure electrical isolation while providing efficient thermal conductivity.
- Metal substrate(heat dissipation)
Normal materials:
- Aluminum(the most common): lost cost with lightweight, suitable for LED and power supply module.
- Copper: excellent thermal conductivity (≈400W/mK), used in high-power devices (such as automotive electronics)
- Copper-aluminum composite material: to balance the cost and performance
| Differences between Metal Core PCB and Traditional FR4 PCB | ||
| Features | Metal Core PCB | FR4 PCB |
| Thermal conductivity | Excellent(aluminum≈200W/mK, copper≈400W/mK) | Poor(0.3~0.4W/mK) |
| Heat dissipation capacity | Directly using a metal substrate to dissipate heat | Depend on heat sinks or fans |
| Suitable power | High power, like LED, power supply module | Low power, like electronic devices |
| Mechanical strength | High(impact resistance, high temperature resistance) | Medium(susceptible to heat deformation) |
| Cost | Higher | Low |
Core Advantages of Metal Core PCB
- Efficient heat dissipation: to avoid electronic components from overheating and prolong service life(for example, LED light decay is reduced by more than 50%)
- High power carrying capacity: supports big current design, like electric vehicle charging stations.
- Stable structure: metal core is vibration-resistant and high temperature-resistant (-50℃~150℃)
- Lightweight(aluminum base): is much lighter than copper or ceramic heat dissipation plans.
Main Applications for Metal PCB
- LED lighting: high brightness LED automotive lights, road lights
- Power supply modules: DC/AC converter, inverters
- Automotive electronics: motor controller, battery management system(BMS)
- Industrial equipment: high-power frequency converter, servo drives
- Medical equipment: laser medical equipment, imaging equipment
Manufacturing Difficulties for Metal Core PCB
- Insulation layer process: needs to ensure high heat conductivity performance and high pressure resistance, normally ≥2kV
- Metal substrate manufacturing: the drilling and cutting on aluminum and copper require special tools, and should avoid burrs.
Cost control: metal material and special process will influence the PCB cost, especially for small batch production
