Usually, the copper thickness of a standard PCB is 1oz to 3oz. Thick-copper PCBs or heavy-copper PCBs are the types of PCBs that the finished copper weight is more than 4oz (140μm).The thick copper allows large PCB-cross-sections for high current loads and encourages heat dissipation. The most common designs are multilayer or double-sided. With this PCB technology it is also possible to combine fine layout structures on the outer layers and thick copper layers in the inner layers.
The thick-copper PCB belongs to a special type of PCB. its conductive materials, substrate materials, production process, application fields are different from the conventional PCBs. The plating of thick copper circuits allows PCB manufacturers to increase the copper weight in via sidewalls and plated holes, which can reduce the layer numbers and footprints. Thick-copper plating integrates high-current and control circuits, making high-density with simple board structures can be achieved.
The construction of heavy-copper circuits gives the PCBs the following advantages:
1.Increase current capacity greatly
2.Higher endurance to thermal strains
3.Better heat dissipation
4.Increase the mechanical strength at connectors and PTH holes
5.Reduce the product size
The applications of thick-copper PCBs
Along with the increasing of high-power products, the demand for thick-copper PCBs is greatly increased. Today’s PCB manufacturers pay more attention to using a thick copper board to solve the thermal efficiency of high-power electronics.
The thick-copper PCBs are mostly large current substrate, and large current PCBs are mainly used in power module and automotive electronic parts. Traditional automotive, power supply, and power electronics applications use the original forms of transmission like cable distribution and metal sheet. Now the thick-copper boards replace the transmission form, which not only can improve productivity and reduce the time cost of wiring, but also increase the reliability of final products. At the same time, the massive current boards can improve the design freedom of wiring, thus realizing the miniaturization of the whole product.
Thick-copper circuit PCB play an irreplaceable role in the applications with high-power, high current, and high cooling demand. The manufacturing process and materials of heavy-copper PCBS have much higher requirements than standard PCBs. With advanced equipment and professional engineers, YMS provides thick-copper PCBs with high-quality for customers from home and abroad.
