Metal base copper clad plate and FR-4 are two commonly used printed circuit board (PCB) substrates in the electronics industry. They differ in material composition, performance characteristics and application fields. Today, Fastline will provide you with a comparative analysis of these two materials from a professional perspective:
Metal base copper clad plate: It is a metal-based PCB material, usually using aluminum or copper as the substrate. Its main feature is good thermal conductivity and heat dissipation ability, so it is very popular in applications requiring high thermal conductivity, such as LED lighting and power converters. The metal substrate can effectively conduct heat from the PCB’s hot spots to the entire board, thereby reducing heat build-up and improving the overall performance of the device.
FR-4: FR-4 is a laminate material with glass fiber cloth as a reinforcing material and epoxy resin as a binder. It is currently the most commonly used PCB substrate, because of its good mechanical strength, electrical insulation properties and flame retardant properties and is widely used in a variety of electronic products. FR-4 has a flame retardant rating of UL94 V-0, which means that it burns in a flame for a very short time and is suitable for use in electronic devices with high safety requirements.
key distinction：
Substrate material: Metal copper-clad panels use metal (such as aluminum or copper) as the substrate, while FR-4 uses fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.
Thermal conductivity: The thermal conductivity of the metal clad sheet is much higher than that of FR-4, which is suitable for applications requiring good heat dissipation.
Weight and thickness: Metal clad copper sheets are typically heavier than FR-4 and may be thinner.
Process ability: FR-4 is easy to process, suitable for complex multi-layer PCB design; Metal clad copper plate is difficult to process, but suitable for single-layer or simple multi-layer design.
Cost: The cost of metal clad copper sheet is usually higher than FR-4 because of the higher metal price.
Applications: Metal clad copper plates are mainly used in electronic devices that require good heat dissipation, such as power electronics and LED lighting. The FR-4 is more versatile, suitable for most standard electronic devices and multi-layer PCB designs.
In general, the choice of metal clad or FR-4 mainly depends on the thermal management needs of the product, design complexity, cost budget and safety requirements.