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Aluminum PCB

Aluminum based printed circuit board is a unique metal-based PCB, with good thermal conductivity, electrical insulation properties and mechanical performance. Al PCB is widely used in LED, air conditioning, auto cars, electrical ovens, electronic, lights, high power module and so on.
Availability:

Among all Metal core PCBs, Aluminum PCB is the most common type. The base material consists of an aluminum core and Prepreg. It features a thermal clad layer that dissipates heat in a highly efficient manner while cooling components and increasing the overall performance of the products. Currently, Aluminum Backed PCB is regarded as the solution to high power and tight tolerance applications.


What is Aluminum PCB?


Aluminum printed circuit boards (PCBs) are metal-based, copper-clad laminates with a good heat dissipation function. Generally, a single Aluminum PCB is composed of a three-layer structure: a  circuit layer (copper foil), an insulating layer, and a metal base layer. Aluminum PCBs are commonly found in light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products. There are two sides—the white side is for soldering the LED pins, and the other side is the natural color 

of aluminum. Generally, the thermal conductive paste will be applied to come into contact the thermal conductive part. Very few applications are multi-layer aluminum PCB boards, which can mix-press ordinary multi-layer boards like FR-4 (glass-reinforced epoxy) with insulating layers and aluminum core.


LED aluminum substrate is often referred to by the shorthand PCB, but the material is aluminum based. In the past, general circuit board material was glass fiber (FR-4), but because the LED heats up, the circuit board used in LED lamps is generally aluminum substrate, since it has good thermal conductivity and electrical insulation properties compared to  fiberglass boards.



Classification of Aluminum Based PCB:


  • According to the process, the aluminum based PCB can be divided into: HASL aluminum based PCB, anti-oxidation aluminum based PCB, silver-plated aluminum based PCB, immersion gold aluminum based PCB, etc.


  • Aaccording to the application, it can be divided into: street lamp aluminum based PCB, fluorescent lamp aluminum based PCB, LB aluminum based PCB, COB aluminum based PCB, packaging aluminum based PCB, bulb aluminum based PCB, power aluminum based PCB, automotive aluminum based PCB and so on.


Aluminum printed circuit board



Model of Aluminum Based PCB:


The commonly used material for aluminum based PCB are mainly 1000 series, 5000 series and 6000 series. The basic characteristics of these three series aluminum materials are as follows:


1. 1000 series represents 1050, 1060, 1070, 1000 series aluminum plates, also known as pure aluminum plates.


In all series, the 1000 series belongs to the most aluminum, and the purity can reach more than 99.00%. Because it does not contain other technical elements, the production process is relatively simple and the price is relatively cheap. It is the most commonly used series in the conventional industry. Most of the circulation in the market is the 1050 and 1060 series. The 1000 series aluminum plate is based on the last two digits to determine the minimum aluminum content of the series.


For example, the last two digits of the 1050 series is 50, according to the international brand nomenclature, the aluminum content must reach 99.5% to be qualified. In China's aluminum alloy technical standards (GB/T3880-2006), it is also clearly stated that the aluminum content of 1050 reaches 99.5%. The same reason, the aluminum content of the 1060 series aluminum plate must reach 99.6% or more.


2. The 5000 series represents 5052, 5005, 5083, and 5A05 series.


5000 series aluminum plate belongs to the more common alloy aluminum plate series. The main element is magnesium, and the magnesium content is between 3-5%. It is also called aluminum-magnesium alloy. The main features are low density, high tensile strength and high elongation. The weight of aluminum-magnesium alloy is lower than other series under the same area, so it is commonly used in aviation, such as aircraft fuel tanks. In addition, it is widely used in conventional industries. The processing technology is continuous casting and rolling, which belongs to the series of hot-rolled aluminum sheets, so it can be processed by oxidation.


In China, the 5000 series aluminum plate is one of the more mature aluminum plate series.


3. The 6000 series represents 6061, mainly containing magnesium and silicon, therefore, the advantages of 4000 series and 5000 series are concentrated.


6061 is a cold-processed aluminum forged product suitable for applications requiring high corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance. Good usability, excellent interface characteristics, easy coating and good processability. General characteristics of 6061: excellent interface characteristics, easy coating, high strength, good workability and strong corrosion resistance.


Typical uses for 6061 aluminum: aircraft parts, camera parts, couplers, marine parts and hardware, electronic components and connectors. Considering the texture, hardness, elongation, chemical properties and price of the material itself, the aluminum substrate is generally used as the 5052 alloy aluminum plate in the 5000 series aluminum.



Storage conditions:

Aluminum based PCB are generally stored in a dark, dry environment. Most aluminum based PCB is prone to moistur, yellowing and blackening. Generally, they should be used within 48 hours after opening the vacuum package.




Advantages of Aluminum PCB


1. Heat dissipation:


High temperatures can cause severe damage to electronics, so it is wise to use a material that can help dissipate heat. Aluminum can actually transfer heat away from vital components, thus minimizing the harmful effect it could have on the circuit board.


2. Higher durability:


Aluminum provides strength and durability to a product that ceramic or fiberglass bases cannot. Aluminum is a sturdy base material that can reduce accidental breakage during manufacturing, handling, and everyday use.


3. Lightweight:


For its incredible durability, aluminum is a surprisingly lightweight metal. Aluminum adds strength and resilience without adding on any additional weight.



Aluminum PCB Application:


  • Electronic Devices: Aluminum-based PCBs play a crucial role in the manufacturing of electronic equipment and devices, particularly for high-power electronics requiring efficient heat dissipation, such as LED lighting, power modules, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and AC/DC inverters.

  • Power Modules: The high thermal conductivity of aluminum-based PCBs effectively reduces the operating temperature of power components in power modules, enhancing system stability and reliability. They are widely used in AC/DC and DC/DC converters, inverters, and more.

  • Automotive and Transportation: In the automotive and transportation sectors, aluminum-based PCBs are utilized in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and electric bicycles, offering excellent thermal conductivity, reducing vehicle weight, and improving the efficiency of battery modules and motors.

  • Communication Equipment: Due to their superior thermal performance and stability, aluminum-based PCBs are commonly used in the production of circuit boards, transceivers, and radio frequency devices in transmission and communication equipment.

  • New Energy Applications: In solar photovoltaic and wind power generation fields, aluminum-based PCBs serve as heat dissipation materials, effectively improving energy conversion efficiency.



Features of aluminum PCB:


  • Easy to using surface mount technology (SMT);

  • The circuit design of the thermal diffusion in a very effectively considered;

  • Reduce product operating temperature, increase the power density and reliability, extend product life;

  • Smaller footprint and volume, save hardware and assembly costs;

  • Replace the fragile ceramic PCB substrates, better mechanical durability.





Structure of Aluminum PCB


First of all, you need to know that the Aluminum PCB board substrate is metal, but it is separated from the circuit by an insulating layer and will not be conductive between circuit and Aluminum.

The aluminum PCB base material is a copper clad laminate using aluminum as the substrate, which has good heat dissipation. For circuit boards that require good heat dissipation, we generally use aluminum substrates. In the application of LED lights, because the LED generates a large amount of heat, if the heat is not dissipated in time, the brightness will be easily attenuated and the chip may even be burnt.

Aluminum is a metal with good thermal conductivity, and the LED lamp beads can quickly dissipate the heat when mounted on the aluminum PCB. The aluminum PCB is designed with an insulating layer and will not conduct electricity to Aluminum base. If it is conductive, there is no way to design a circuit on it.


From the structure point of view, a single-sided aluminum substrate generally has three layers, which are the circuit layer (copper foil), the insulating layer and the aluminum metal base layer. There is an insulating layer between the circuit layer and the aluminum base, so it will not cause a short circuit. The double-layer high-end aluminum PCB has circuit layer on both sides, of course, the aluminum base is still in the middle. Multi-layer aluminum substrates are extremely rare.


⑴ Circuit Copper Layer


The circuit copper layer (usually using electrolytic copper foil) is etched to form a printed circuit, which is used to realize the assembly and connection of the device. Compared with the traditional FR-4, with the same thickness and the same line width, the aluminum substrate PCB can carry a higher current.


⑵ Insulating Layer


The insulating layer is the core technology of the aluminum substrate, which mainly plays the functions of bonding, insulation and heat conduction. The aluminum substrate insulating layer is the largest thermal barrier in the power module structure. The better the thermal conductivity of the insulating layer, the more favorable it is to spread the heat generated during the operation of the device, and the lower the operating temperature of the device, so as to increase the power load of the module, reduce the volume, extend the life-span, and increase the power output.


⑶ Metal substrate


What kind of metal is used for the insulating metal substrate depends on the comprehensive consideration of the thermal expansion coefficient, thermal conductivity, strength, hardness, weight, surface state and cost of the metal substrate.


Aluminum PCB


In general, considering the conditions such as cost and technical performance, aluminum plate is an ideal choice. Available aluminum plates are 6061, 5052, 1060 and so on. If there are higher requirements for thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, electrical properties and other special properties, copper plates, stainless steel plates, iron plates and silicon steel plates can also be used.





Plant growth Led Light PCB


When aluminum is used as a high-end metal substrate for LED lighting PCB, Good thermal conductivity is identified as an important factor in market acceptance. why do LED lighting PCB use metal materials? As we all know, LED light-emitting diodes (LEDs) generate a lot of heat when they work. 


Therefore, when choosing a PCB, we must choose a thermally conductive aluminum plate. The metal substrate has good heat dissipation and heat transfer capabilities, and its specialty is heat conduction. This is why plant lighting lamps use aluminum substrates.

Next, we will explain the structure of the horticultural lighting aluminum PCB and the heat transfer principle of the horticultural lighting aluminum PCB.

First of all, the structure of the plant lighting aluminum substrate is divided into three layers, copper layer, insulating layer, metal base

Next, let's take a look at the thermal conductivity test of the plant lighting aluminum PCB
It can be seen that the structure of the plant lighting aluminum substrate, the thermal conductivity, and the test conditions of the plant lighting strength are required.



Characteristics of plant lighting aluminum substrate:


  • Heat diffusion is a very effective treatment method in the circuit design scheme;

  • Reduce the working temperature of the product, improve the power density and reliability of the product, and prolong the life of the product;

  • Reduce the number of products, reduce hardware and assembly costs;

  • Replace the fragile ceramic substrate to improve mechanical durability.



aluminum circuit board

2835 backlight led board

PCB Layer: 1

Thickness: 1.6mm

Surface treatment: HASL-LF

Soldermask color: White

led light board

Horticulture LED growth lighting PCB

PCB layer: 1

Thickness: 1.6mm

Surface treatment: HASL-LF

Soldermask color: White





SysPCB: Your Trusted Aluminum PCB Supplier

Since 2006, our company has been providing customers with aluminum PCBs that meet standards and have good quality. Providing customers with satisfactory products is what we should do. Our advantages include:


Extensive Experience

With more than 10 years of expertise in supplying PCB aluminum boards, we commitment to product quality and exceptional service standards has made us a preferred aluminum PCB supplier in the market.


Affordable Pricing

China is renowned for offering cost-effective aluminum PCB solutions.

We provide competitively priced aluminum PCBs, enabling you to maximize your project budget while maintaining superior quality and reliability.


Fast Delivery

SysPCB systematically manages the product flow, from direct and indirect material procurement to final customer shipment. As an aluminum PCB supplier, SysPCB has implemented contingency plans to address unexpected events such as material shortages, machine failures, shipping delays, and factory interruptions. This ensures that goods reach customers within the stipulated timeframe with minimal risk of loss or damage.






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