Aluminium PCB Manufacturer UK And Europe | PCB Company UK
Engineered for extreme thermal performance, aluminium PCBs are designed to dissipate heat efficiently.
FR4 PCBs don’t dissipate heat very well. When your circuit starts to heat up, that’s where aluminium PCBs shine. Here at PCB Company UK, we manufacture aluminium PCBs that will keep your components cooler for longer and provide exceptional reliability in applications such as LED lighting and automotive power electronics.
Need a simple single-sided aluminium board for your LED driver? How about a multilayer metal-core board for your industrial power supply? We have the knowledge and capability to manufacture whatever you need, right here in the UK.
What Are Aluminium PCBs?
An aluminium PCB is a printed circuit board that uses an aluminium alloy as the base substrate rather than a conventional FR-4 fibreglass laminate.
Aluminium PCBs are also known as: * Aluminium-backed PCBs
- Metal-core PCB (MCPCB)
- Insulated metal substrate (IMS) board.
They are usually constructed of three layers: 1. Circuit layer – A standard copper layer, this is where your circuit traces and pads are created just as they would be on any other PCB.
- Dielectric layer – A thermally conductive, electrically insulating layer that provides both heat transfer from your copper circuit to the aluminium base, and electrical insulation between the two layers.
- Aluminium base layer – The aluminium substrate. This layer acts as a heat sink and is typically between 1.0mm and 3.2mm thick.
Aluminium PCBs offer superior thermal conductivity over traditional FR4 PCBs. Instead of allowing heat to build up around power components, voltage regulators, or LEDs the heat is conducted through the dielectric layer and into the aluminium base where it is rapidly dispersed across a much larger surface area.
Aluminium PCB vs Other Metal-Core PCB Materials
Aluminium is the most common metal-core substrate because it combines useful thermal performance, low weight and practical manufacturing cost. Copper-core PCBs are used when a design needs greater heat spreading and can accept additional material weight and cost. Keep this page focused on aluminium-backed and insulated-metal-substrate PCB requirements; use the Metal Core PCB page for the broader comparison of aluminium, copper and steel-core constructions.
Advantages of Aluminium PCBs Over Standard FR4 Boards
- High Thermal Conductivity: As mentioned above, aluminium PCBs can dissipate heat around hotspots much more effectively than a standard PCB. Whilst FR4 has a thermal conductivity of around 0.3 W/mK, aluminium PCB substrates typically range from 1.0 to 8.0 W/mK.
- Better Dimensional Stability: Aluminium PCBs are flat and remain flat when exposed to higher temperatures. In contrast, FR4 boards can warp and delaminate.
- Mechanical Strength A strong aluminium base also protects surface-mounted components from vibration and physical damage.
- Lightweight When Compared to Other Metal-Core PCB Substrates: Copper PCB substrates are heavier than aluminium, so if weight is a concern, then aluminium PCBs are the ideal choice.
- Longer Product Lifespans: Lower temperatures equal longer life. By keeping your components cooler, your products will last longer.
“Thermal conductivity will vary slightly depending on the dielectric material used.”
Aluminium PCB Applications
Due to their excellent thermal performance, aluminium PCBs are used in a wide variety of applications. Here are some of the most common:
- LED lighting Aluminium PCBs are used in almost all LED lighting applications. Commercial LED panels, street lighting, automotive lighting, and architectural lighting are just some of the places you’ll see these boards keeping LEDs cool.
- Power electronics: motor drivers, power supplies, DC-DC converters, and solid-state relays.
- Automotive Engine control units (ECU), ABS modules, headlights, and electric vehicle battery management systems.
- Telecomms RF amplifiers, base station power modules, and signal processing boards.
- Industrial Controls and power regulation where sustained operation at high power is required.
- Audio amplification Aluminium PCBs are used in many high-power amplifier designs, particularly where Class D amplifiers are concerned. By using an aluminium substrate, external heat sinks can be smaller or even eliminated.
Aluminium PCB Applications
Our Aluminium PCB Specifications
Here at PCB Company, we can manufacture aluminium PCBs to fit your project requirements. We offer:
- Single-sided aluminium PCBs
- Double-sided aluminium PCBs
- Multi-layer aluminium PCBs
- Hybrid aluminium / FR4 PCBs
Our Aluminium PCB Capabilities Include:
Parameter | Capability |
Aluminium Thickness | 0.8mm to 5.0mm |
Copper Weight | 1 oz to 10 oz (35µm to 350µm) |
Dielectric Thickness | 75µm to 200µm |
Thermal Conductivity | 1.0 W/mK to 8.0 W/mK |
Board Sizes | Up to 600mm x 1200mm |
Trace Width / Spacing | ≥0.15 mm (6mil) |
Surface Finishes | HASL, Lead Free HASL, ENIG, OSP |
Solder Mask Colour | White, Black, Green, Blue, Red |
Compliance | RoHS, UL, IPC Class 2 and Class 3 |
We work with all three of the main aluminium alloys — 5052, 6061, and 1060. Don’t worry if you’re not sure which aluminium alloy you require; we can help with that.
PCB Company’s Aluminium PCB Manufacturing Process
Our process for manufacturing aluminium PCBs is as follows:
- Design Review & DFM Check: Our engineers will review your Gerber files before production. If there are any recommendations we can make to improve the manufacturability of your design, we will let you know at this stage. This can include feedback on trace routing, placement of thermal vias, or choice of dielectric material.
- Material Selection: We will help you select the correct aluminium alloy and dielectric material for your design based on your thermal and electrical requirements.
- Circuit Imaging & Etching: Using photolithographic imaging, we will transfer your circuit design to the copper layer before etching away the unwanted copper to create your circuit traces and pads.
- Dielectric Lamination: Our thermally conductive dielectric layer is then laminated to the copper circuit, ensuring consistent temperature and pressure so there are no voids within the dielectric.
- Drilling and Routing: Standard mechanical drills are used to create holes for through-components and PCB mounting positions. The board contour is then CNC routed to create the final board shape and dimensions.
- Surface Finish: Your chosen surface finish is applied to protect exposed copper from oxidation and ensure reliable solder connections can be made during PCB assembly.
- Solder Mask & Legend: Our solder mask is applied and cured before the silk-screen legend is printed on, detailing component reference designators.
- Electrical Test: Electrical testing is performed on every board to ensure circuit continuity and isolation are as expected.
- Final Inspection: A final visual and dimensional inspection is performed on every board to ensure it meets both IPC and customer standards.
What to Specify for an Aluminium PCB
For an accurate engineering review, provide the board outline, layer structure, copper weight, overall thickness, dielectric or thermal requirements, surface finish, drill data and any assembly information. If thermal performance is critical, include the component heat sources, mechanical heat-sinking arrangement and any target thermal constraints so the substrate and dielectric system can be reviewed as part of the complete design.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, we can manufacture double sided aluminium PCBs. Although single-sided boards are the most popular aluminium PCB configuration we can produce circuits on both sides of the board where necessary. Plated through holes are used to electrically connect the two sides of the board through the aluminium core using insulated via technology.
It depends on your specific application. Thinner dielectric layers of 75µm will give you better thermal conductivity but have a lower breakdown voltage. Thicker layers of 150–200µm give greater electrical isolation but have slightly worse thermal conductivity. Let us know what you’re looking to achieve and we can help you choose the right dielectric thickness.
Yes, we offer complete assembly services for aluminium PCBs. This includes surface-mount technology (SMT) and through-hole component placement on aluminium substrates.
We accept Gerber RS-274X files, or if you have them ODB++ files. We can also import native Eagle/KiCad files. If you’re unsure, send us what you have and we’ll make it work.
Contact Us!
If you have a project that requires an aluminium PCB give us a shout and we’ll be happy to offer advice and recommendations based on your specific needs. We manufacture aluminium PCBs in the UK and offer fast turnaround times and great prices.