Aluminum LED PCB introduction:

Regular aluminum PCBs usually have three major layers:

• Copper Layer
• Insulating Layer
• Metal Substrate

COPPER LAYER

For the copper layer, we typically use electrolytic copper foil, which we etch to form the printed circuit. This layer holds the SMD components and copper traces on the layer form the necessary interconnections. When compared to a traditional FR4 PCB of the same line width and copper weight, the presence of the aluminum base allows the board to carry more current without heating up.

INSULATING LAYER

Forming the core of the board, the insulating layer functions as the electrical insulator, heat conductor, and the bonding material between the copper layer and the aluminum substrate. In the entire buildup, the insulating layer also acts as a thermal barrier for the heat flow from the circuit to the aluminum. Therefore, better the thermal conductivity of the insulating layer, better is the heat management, and lower is the temperature rise of the components. High thermal conductivity not only increases the power output, it also extends the life-span of the board.

METAL SUBSTRATE

We choose a metal for the substrate depending on several factors such as cost, weight, hardness, strength, thermal coefficient of expansion, and thermal conductivity.

A comparative comparison of various metals for cost and technical performance as above shows aluminum to be the optimum choice. Aluminum plates are available as 1000, 1060, 6061, and so on. Depending on requirements for even higher thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, we use other metals in place of aluminum. These include stainless steel, copper, iron, and silicon steel.

Aluminum LED PCB of Application:

Lamps and Lighting: This area of applications is the largest for aluminum PCBs. LEDs and other energy saving lamps and lighting systems in the market use aluminum PCBs in large scale.

Power Modules: Rectifier bridges, solid-state relays, inverters, and other power modules use aluminum PCBs.

Computer Electronics: Power supplies, CD and DVD drives, hard disk drives, and Mother boards use aluminum boards extensively.

Automotive Sector: Power supply controllers, ignition, electronic regulators, lamp drivers, motor controllers make extensive use of aluminum boards.

Office Automation: Power supplies, motor drives, printer heads, and other power modules use aluminum PCBs.

Communication Equipment: Transmitter circuit boards, filtering equipment, high frequency amplifiers, antenna circuits typically use aluminum boards.

Power Supplies: Switching regulators, AC/DC converters, linear regulators use aluminum PCBs for thermal management.

Audio Equipment: Power amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, audio amplifiers, balanced/unbalanced amplifiers, input/output amplifiers make extensive use of aluminum PCBs.