- The birth of heavy copper PCBs due to high temperatures and extreme environmental use requirements
- Thick Copper Design Guide
- Copper thickness control for heavy copper PCB
- Design considerations for the main heavy copper PCB specifications
- Benefits of manufacturing heavy copper PCBs
- The most important advantages of heavy copper PCBs
- Applications of heavy copper PCBs
- Use Anpllo to design and produce heavy copper PCBs for you.
PCB manufacturing is now at the heart of current technology trends worldwide. As technology rigorously evolves and customer preferences and needs for unique electronic products continue to change, electronic instruments and components demonstrate the pace of innovation every other day. Even in the face of complex critical PCB layout requirements, electronics manufacturers and PCB fabricators have increased their focus on reliable, high-quality, low-cost electronic solutions. A recent growing trend in PCB manufacturing is the use of heavy copper in PCB fabrication. This article reveals all the information about creating heavy copper PCBs for products used in high temperatures and extreme environments.
In order to meet the growing needs and preferences of customers in different markets, the trend of using heavy copper in PCBs is becoming the top of the list in the current world of technology implementation. When we talk about printed circuit boards, they have applications in every aspect of human life. From telecommunications, medical, automotive, defense, aerospace, and military to renewable energy, transportation, industrial sectors, and many other leading industries. On the other hand, the demand for faster running, compact, safe products for use and higher efficiency and high power performance of high-tech electronic machinery and appliances is a continuing march of customers wanting to introduce new technologies every other day. This puts the PCB industry at the forefront of innovation and transformation. Heavy copper in PCB manufacturing has high-performance output, whether it is heat dissipation, speed, high frequency, or other critical design requirements.
The birth of heavy copper PCBs due to high temperatures and extreme environmental use requirements
Any company will consider all aspects of a product before designing it. Heavy copper PCB design was created to perform well in high temperatures and extreme environments PCB.
Printed circuit boards manufactured using heavy copper consist of a fine combination of copper plating and copper etching processes. As thin copper foils, these layers are made of circuitry. In addition, copper etching makes it possible to eliminate unwanted copper and copper plating techniques, thus optimizing the copper thickness of traces, pads, planes, and holes on the board. The final lamination of the middle layer of the board is completed using an epoxy-based substrate. These heavy copper PCBs are made from thermal layers and are best suited for multilayer PCB structures. In short, heavy copper PCBs are manufactured by fabricating high-finished copper in the internal and external substrates of the circuit board, also known as a laminate deposition.
How much current can a thick copper board carry? This question usually depends on the design of the electronic product. The thickness and width of copper and heavy copper printed circuit boards at maximum temperature include the carrying capacity. This question arises because the heat generated during the operation of a heavy copper PCB is closely related to the current.
When the current flows through the wire, the average power consumption during operation is 12% of the initial energy, so the energy lost locally generates heat transfer, which will be dissipated in the environment as a heat conductor. The maximum current must be found in the heavy copper PCB on the wire to evaluate the temperature rise and find the corresponding exposure current.
Heavy copper PCB manufacturers and developers can offer a wide range of materials made from traditional FR-4 epoxy backing materials that operate from 130 °C to high-temperature Tg materials. They have also developed various methods to test the heat resistance of PCBs for end products.
Thick Copper Design Guide
Although there is no standard definition of heavy copper, it is generally accepted that if 3 ounces or more of copper is used on the inner and outer layers of a printed circuit board, it is called a heavy copper PCB. Any circuit with a copper thickness greater than 4 feet per square foot (ft 2) is also classified as a heavy copper PCB. Extreme copper means 20 ounces per square foot to 200 ounces per square foot.
Compared to standard FR4 printed circuit boards, heavy copper printed circuit boards are manufactured using the same manufacturing methods used to manufacture heavy copper PCBs with unique engraving and coating techniques such as high-speed ink drilling and deviation engraving. To avoid scrap due to uneven edge lines and excessive drilling to damage the heavy copper PCB, heavy copper PCB manufacturers should use advanced painting and engraving techniques that can directly engrave the edges to obtain perfect edges.
Copper thickness control for heavy copper PCB
Printed circuit boards are a mixture of plating and etching on copper. The circles used in the process are layers and etched to remove unwanted copper. Plating increases the thickness of flat copper, guide rails, cushions, and vias. These chain layers are laminated with epoxy-based support (e.g., FR4 or polyimide). Heavy copper PCBs have an integrated base metal core.
Heavy copper typically refers to printed circuit boards with a foil thickness greater than 3 ounces (100 microns or four mils). It is typically used for high-current supplies or power circuits in the automotive business. It can also be designed in the outer or inner layers.
The thickness of heavy copper may also vary from PCB manufacturer to PCB manufacturer, but they provide the same purpose. The best heavy copper with the right thickness should always be used when selecting the material for manufacturing heavy copper PCB because poor quality heavy copper cannot pass high currents. Therefore, PCBs using poor-quality heavy copper can lead to the failure of the final product. Therefore, the thickness of the heavy copper PCB should be considered an important factor.
Design considerations for the main heavy copper PCB specifications
A heavy copper PCB is considered to be a PCB with a copper thickness of 3 ounces per square foot to 10 ounces per square foot for the outer and inner layers. The copper weight range for producing heavy copper PCBs is 4 ounces per square foot to 20 ounces per square foot. The improved copper weight, thicker plating, and proper substrate in the via can change a thin board into a long-term reliable wiring platform. Heavy copper conductors can significantly increase the overall PCB thickness. The copper thickness should always be considered during the circuit design phase. The current-carrying capacity depends on the width and thickness of the heavy copper. Thick copper technology allows complex switching with high-current circuits in tight spaces. Multilayer boards have a reliable process for producing copper layers up to 20 ounces thick.
Benefits of manufacturing heavy copper PCBs
The main reasons for choosing to manufacture something are its advantages and the wide range of uses. The creation of heavy copper PCBs offers us many uses and benefits. The main advantage of heavy copper PCBs is their ability to survive frequent exposure to excessive currents, high temperatures, and frequent thermal cycling, which can destroy conventional boards in seconds. Heavy copper boards have a high tolerance capacity, which makes them compatible with applications in rough situations, such as products for the defense and aerospace industries. Some additional advantages of heavy copper circuit boards are
Best suited for compact electronic solutions because it removes or allocates minimal space for cooling fans or heat sinks, thus taking up less space.
- High load capacity.
- High-temperature resistance.
- High durability with the heavy copper substrate.
- Easy transfer of heat to the external heat sink.
- High quality to withstand repeated thermal cycling, capable of destroying a normal PCB in a matter of seconds.
- Ideal for resistance in harsh environments.
- It has high resistance to thermal strain.
- A fine combination of plating and copper etching technology is used to obtain negligible undercut and straight-edge walls.
- It proves to be rough and tough with low distribution impedance.
- Heavy copper in the circuit board also allows connections to be established with standard circuits.
- With the implementation of heavy copper plating technology, high current circuits have been produced that help to observe simple and dense whisker structures.
- Highly reliable electronic performance is achieved through the use of heavy copper PCB layouts or extreme copper PCBs.
- The heavy copper concept is now successful and can even be mixed with standard properties on a single board (i.e. PowerLink).
- The use of heavy copper in PCB manufacturing allows for a smaller footprint and a reduction in the number of layers on the board.
- Increased mechanical strength of plated through holes and connector locations.
- Under high-temperature conditions, special materials can be used in heavy copper PCB layouts without circuit failure.
Another major reason for the high usage of heavy copper PCBs is the reduction of extremely complex wired bus configurations. With these abundant heavy copper PCBs, researchers are moving toward effective ways to implement unique PCB layouts to meet complex requirements, making them more cost-effective while providing high-quality PCB manufacturing.
The most important advantages of heavy copper PCBs
The advantages of heavy copper PCBs make it a top priority for developing high-power circuits. Heavy copper concentration can handle high power and high heat, which is why the technology is used to develop high-power circuits. Such circuits cannot be developed with low copper concentration PCBs because they cannot withstand the high currents and the huge thermal stresses generated by flowing currents. Heavy copper PCBs are often considered high-current PCBs because of their significant heat dissipation capabilities.
PCB copper thickness versus current is an important factor in using heavy copper PCBs. As the copper concentration increases, the total cross-sectional area of copper also increases, reducing the circuit’s resistance. Losses can devastate any design, and copper concentration allows these PCBs to reduce power budgets.
Current conductivity is an important factor, especially when dealing with low-power signals. Their extremely low resistance enhances the use of heavy copper PCB’s current conductivity.
Connectors are essential when connecting jumpers. However, connectors are often difficult to maintain on conventional PCBs. Due to the lower strength of incidental PCBs, connector parts are usually subject to mechanical stress, but heavy copper PCBs provide higher strength and ensure higher reliability.
Applications of heavy copper PCBs
The heavy PCP core helps to dissipate heat and radiate various components of the board. This PCB is not suitable for all applications but meets customers’ specific needs. They are used in industry for applications such as soldering equipment, solar cell manufacturing processes, power supply, automotive industry, power distribution, and power transformers. This helps to dissipate heat and reduce its base temperature. This application protects the equipment itself from damage. It can transfer heat from the component at a higher rate. This high-frequency PCB is limited to PCBs that cannot be cooled using conventional fan-cooling techniques. The board laminate spreads and dissipates heat, which makes the equipment cooler and therefore, improves the performance of the equipment and increases its productivity. Thick copper circuit boards are made from a mixture of various special alloys. Copper PCBs are also rated 8-9 times faster than modern PCBs. It can also be used to document the performance of LED devices and prevent collisions. When using LED devices, high-density copper-printed circuit boards must be used.
Use Anpllo to design and produce heavy copper PCBs for you.
Reliable operation and excellent temperature control are the main factors that determine the need for copper-printed circuit boards. Heavy copper circuits are designed to pass strong currents, generating much heat. However, a heavy copper board will help dissipate heat efficiently, thus ensuring optimal circuit performance. Suppose you are still unsure about the technical aspects of copper boards for electrical applications. In that case, you can always contact an electrical engineering expert or a reliable heavy copper board manufacturer Anpllo can help you with your PCB needs.