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How to choose the thickness of copper on PCB

March 24th, 2020

As a general rule, this thickness of copper foil for single-sided PCB and double-sided PCB is approx.35um(1.4mil). There is also another specification, which is 50um and 70um. The surface thickness of multilayers PCB is 35um(1oz(1.4mil)) generally, and the inner layer has a thickness of 17.5um(0.7mil). 70% of PCB uses the copper foil thickness of 35um. This is based on PCB purpose and signal voltage as well as current. In addition, for PCB requiring large current, copper thickness of 70um or 105um will be used, and 140um is also used in some cases.

heavy copper pcb
heavy copper pcb

People often use OZ to represent copper thickness. 1OZ stands for the thickness of 1OZ copper covered on the area of 1 square feet evenly. I.e. approx. 1.4mil. The weight of unit area is used for representing the average thickness of copper foil. I.e. 1oz=28.35g/ FT2(FT2 stands for square feet, 1 square feet=0.09290304 square meter).

For heavy copper PCB, if the substrate has a thickness of 1 to 3mm, then the thickness of composite copper foil will be approx.35um. If the substrate has a thickness of less than 1mm, then the thickness of composite copper foil will be 18um. If the substrate has a thickness of above 5mm, then the thickness of composite copper foil will be 55um.

heavy copper pcb
heavy copper pcb

The thickness of copper foil(wiring width) will influence current. Even though there is a formula to directly calculate the largest current loading capability of copper foil, things will get more complex when designing wiring. In this case, safety should be fully taken into consideration during design.

Copper foil will have different thickness, if there are different purposes. General 0.5OZ, 1OZ and 2OZ copper foil are most widely used for consumption and communication products. The thickness of copper foil above 3OZ belongs to heavy copper products, which are widely used for products with large current, such as high pressure products, and power supply board.                                               

This is all about how to choose proper copper thickness during your project. Hope this is helpful to you. If you are still confused, please contact EBest Circuit (Best Technology). We have online customer services for 24 hours.

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Aluminum PCB LED Strip

March 20th, 2020

With the development of LED technology, LED power keeps increasing. This is closely related to heat dissipation. In order to resolve heat dissipation of LED with big power, aluminum-based copper-clad laminate is highly applied in led strip field.

Aluminum PCB(metal-based heat dissipation board) is a kind of unique metal-based copper-clad laminate. It has good head conductivity, electrical insulation and machining performance. Single-sided aluminum pcb consists of three layers of structures:circuit layer(copper foil), insulation layer and metal-based layer. Circuit layer requires large current-carrying capability, so we should use thick copper foil(generally 35um to 280um). The insulation layer for heat conduction is the core technology of aluminum pcb. It is general composed of special polymer filled with special ceramic. Small heat resistance, excellent viscoelasticity and anti-aging are all its advantages. And it is also able to bear mechanical and heat stress. Metal-based layer is the supporting component of aluminum pcb, and it needs to have high heat conductivity, so we generally use aluminum board, or copper board(which can provide higher conductivity). And it is suitable for regular machining such as drilling, punching and cutting. Techniques include gold plating, solder levelling, osp, ENIG, lead-free ROHS and so on.

single-layer-mcpcb-stackup
single-layer-mcpcb-stackup

Aluminum pcb is commonly seen in LED products and has two sides(the front side and the reverse side). The white face is used to solder LED pin, and the other face presents natural color. It is generally painted with thermal conductivity paste and then contacted with heat conduction part. LED aluminum pcb is mainly used in power amplified mixed integrated circuits for STK series, motor cycles, automobile and electronics field.

There are many kinds of aluminum pcb for led tube, which varies based on the length and width of led tube. Aluminum pcb for led tube is popular with people due to its good quality, and durable and energy-saving features.

led strip
led strip

Aluminum pcb for led tube can save electricity as high as 70%. The light intensity of 12W Led tube is equal to 40w fluorescent tube. The service life of LED tube is is more than 10 times that of general fluorescent tube. It can be free of maintenance. Also, there is no need to change LED tube, barratter and starter frequently.

Generally, fluorescent tube has high temperature inside and needs to be used for more than 10 hours everyday in most cases. This problems are perfectly resolved by aluminum pcb for led tube.

If you have any queries, comments or suggestions on aluminum pcb for led, welcome to leave your message.

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The Production Process of MCPCB Multilayer

March 10th, 2020
  1. Pretreatment-the 1st production process of mcpcb multilayer

Confirm the processing method of the hole: Drilling and punching are used to process the holes of mcpcb multilayer. The feed degree and rotating speed of drilling is different from FR-4 PCB material. Adjustment needs to be made according to base material. Generally, we set the feed degree at 1-1.5 mil/rev, and the rotating speed at 20000-60000RPM. Punching requires specialized tooling to meet the needs of metal punching.

mcpcb multilayer
mcpcb multilayer

Drilling of the inner layer core board should be carried out, according to the drilling parameters of FR-4 PCB. There should be enough vacuum degree and pressure foot, for keeping holes clean and removing debris. The number of drilling holes and wear condition should be well controlled.

During the process, we use dry film(1.3-2.5 mil water solubility light induced corrosion resistant dry film), and wet film(wet film light induced corrosion resistant solvent).

  • Circuits Electro-Plating/Etching-the 4th production process of mcpcb multilayer

Circuits Electro-Plating: Acid copper plating and tin plating are suitable for double-sided core board.

Etching: During etching process, we need to adjust speed according to the thickness of copper foil. In order that core board can be etched smoothly, we can reduce pressure of etching spraying, or make towing plate.

Then complete mechanical and electrical performance of mcpcb multilayer can be established.

  • Drilling/Punching and 2nd Drilling-the 6th production process of mcpcb multilayer
mcpcb multilayer
mcpcb multilayer

After lamination, when epoxy resin is completely cured, and epoxy resin of board is removed, 2nd drilling should be carried out. This operation involves mechanical processing of metal-base composite material. This is a challenge to structure of mcpcb multillayer. Special attention should be paid during operation, especially location precision and quality of processing holes.

There are 4 ways for making soldermask: liquid light induced corrosion resistant solvent; Thermosetting soldermaskï¼›UV curing soldermask; Dry film soldermask.

In order to facilitate assembly of components, exposed copper foil surface must be treated, for enough solderability, good bonding power and comprehensive manufacturing performance. There are 4 ways for surface finishing: HASL, OSP, Sn and Ni/Au.

Packaging of mcpcb multilayer is important for reducing abrasion mark and wear. Using low-sulfur sheet for vacuum sealing is a good choice. Foam can also be used separately. The key is to isolate soldering flux from aluminum surface, in this way, we can eliminate galvanic electricity reaction between different metals.

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Ceramic Multilayer PCBs: Advantages and Disadvantages

January 6th, 2020

The primary advantage of ceramic multilayer PCBs lies in their thermal properties. The most significant of these is thermal conductivity, which outperforms traditional materials by a tremendous margin. In the table below, the most used board material, FR4, is compared with the ceramic multilayer board in a number of important categories.

ceramic pcb
ceramic pcb

MULTILAYER PCB MATERIAL COMPARISON

CeramicVersusFR4
28 – 280Thermal Conductivity (Wm-K)0.8 – 1.1
Component ComparableCoefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE)Component Comparable
HighFrequency PerformanceLow – Mid
FragileHandlingEasy
LowAvailabilityHigh
Mid – HighCostLow – Mid

As shown above, ceramic multilayer PCBs have advantages and disadvantages as compared to FR4. However, the advantages point to a continued increase in the use of ceramic boards for high-speed and high-power applications that are criteria for more functionality in smaller packages.

ceramic pcb
ceramic pcb

EBest Circuit (Best Technology), the industry leader in fast, precision and high-quality PCB manufacturing, has a wide range of material options including to meet your design objectives. This includes accommodating the special process of using ceramic materials for your board if desired. We also strive to provide you with the best manufacturing experience.

EBest Circuit (Best Technology)’s Custom PCB Manufacturing Service

1.ISO-9001commitment to quality certifications.

2.Accurate quote in less than 1 day.

3.Performs entire turnkey process in as fast as 3 days.

4.Sources components from the most reputable suppliers in the industry to reduce procurement time.

5.Performs multiple automated inspections during assembly to ensure PCB quality for prototyping.

6.Provides support throughout the PCB manufacturing process, beginning with design.

7.Smooth transition from prototyping to production.

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Do You Ever Know High Density Interconnect PCBs?

December 31st, 2019

HDI PCB (High Density Interconnector PCB), is a printed circuit board having a relatively high line distribution density using the micro-blind and buried hole technology.

It is a process that includes an inner layer line and an outer layer line, then uses a hole and a metallization in the hole to realize a joint function between the inner layers of each layer.

HDI PCB-1
HDI PCB-1

With the development of high-density, high-precision electronic products, the requirements of high-density and high precision are imposed on printed circuit boards. The most effective way to increase the density of pcb is to reduce the number of through holes, and to accurately set the blind holes and buried holes to achieve this requirement, thereby an HDI PCB came into being.

HDI PCBs are finding their way into a growing number of products:

Military communications devices and other strategic equipment

Aerospace – smaller space requirements and light weight are ideal for such applications

Computers and smartphones – phones and computers are taking full advantage of smaller profiles, reduced weight, and increased functionality, made possible through the integration of HDI circuits.

HDI PCB-2
HDI PCB-2

Medical equipment – diagnostic and monitoring equipment has become more reliable and expanded with technical features that aid medical teams with patient treatment, and all of this is powered by HDI PCBs and advanced software.

Benefits of HDI PCB

HDI PCB utilizes buried or blind vias, or a combination, and may also incorporate microvias with an incredibly small diameter. This facilitates the incorporation of more technology in less space, with fewer layers. Multi-layer HDI PCB are also in common use, with many layers being accommodated through various construction methods utilizing blind, buried, stacked, and staggered vias.

With smaller components and blind via in pad technology, components may be placed closer together, resulting in faster signal transmission rates while also reducing crossing delays and signal loss. These are key considerations that generate improved performance of HDI PCBs.

HDI PCBs are preferred for applications where space, performance, reliability, and weight are concerns. This makes them more suitable for nearly every application related to electronics, consumer products, computers, and aeronautics.

Multi-layer HDI PCB can provide strong interconnection of stacked vias, resulting in high levels of reliability, even in more extreme environments.

Considering this, do you ever think about choosing HDI PCB on your next project?

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What You Have to Know About FR4 Material

December 24th, 2019

FR4 is the most common material grade that comprises fabricated PCB. FR indicates the material is flame retardant and the 4 indicates woven glass reinforced epoxy resin. Single or double-sided PCB structures consist of an FR4 core and top and bottom copper layers. Multi-layer boards have additional prepreg layers between the center core and top and bottom copper layers. Now, the core consists of a substrate with copper covering, also referred to as a copper clad laminate. The core, laminate, and prepreg may all be FR4 with the copper sheets between the signal and ground layers.

FR4 PCB
FR4 PCB

The properties of FR4 may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer; however, it generally has favorable strength and water resistance attributes that support its widespread usage as an insulator for many electrical applications. It serves the same purpose in PCBs, namely to isolate adjacent copper planes and provide overall bending and flexural strength for the structure. FR4 is a good general purpose material for PCB fabrication; however, alternative materials are available.

Alternative PCB Materials

Prior to the explosion of multilayer FR4 PCBs, there were many alternative board materials to FR4. These included FR2, CEM 1, and CEM 3, which were paper-based. However, the strength of FR4, especially for multilayer boards, was a major factor in separating it from alternatives to become the industry standard. Today, there are other materials that are used for single-sided, double-sided, non-plated through-hole (NPTH), and multilayer PCBs, in addition to FR4. These are compared in the table below:

FR4 Material VS Other Materials
FR4 Material VS Other Materials

The results above clearly indicate that FR4 is a good general purpose material as its parameters are mostly comparable to the other alternatives. It excels in structural integrity with a 2.0 N/mm copper adhesiveness and matches the alternatives in bending strength.

FR4 PCB
FR4 PCB

FR4 is the most widely-used material in PCB construction. Boards made from FR4 are strong, water resistant, and provide good insulation between copper layers that minimizes interference and supports good signal integrity. At EBest Circuit (Best Technology), the industry leader in fast, high-quality PCB prototype and PCB manufacturing, we are capable to meet your board material needs for any case. We will work with you to help you select the materials that will best implement your design intent.

Should you have any queries about FR4 material, contact us anytime, and our sales representative will give you a response at our soonest convenience.

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INTERESTING USES OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS

December 4th, 2019

Every electronic appliance in your home contains a printed circuit board (PCB). But do you ever wonder what happens to PCB’ s after they have been used? Tons of PCB’ s are thrown away every year, but thanks to some very creative people, used PCB’ s are being turned into artistic and functional products. We have selected some of our favorites below.

PCB Cufflinks

The PCB cufflink set is the perfect gift for the fashion conscious gent. Each cufflink uses a 16mm square of PCB. What makes these PCB cufflinks even more special is that no two sets will ever be the same.

PCB Cufflinks
PCB Cufflinks

PCB Art

Mr.Steven Rodrig, working for an OEM company, is exposed to PCB’ s often at his workplace and his prior knowledge of ‘Structural Mechanics’ led him to the interesting practice of modelling small sculptures from spare or used PCB’ s.

Steven’s PCB sculpting abilities stretch far beyond single objects or creatures, he can make full scenes from unused PCB’ s. Take a moment to appreciate the sheer intricacy of these sculptures. Countless hours of planning and practice must have gone into getting these to look so neat and tidy.

PCB Art
PCB Art

PCB Business Card

A savvy electrical engineer from The University of Waterloo thought up another fantastic purpose for PCB manufacture – his business cards, with an integrated USB connection!

Could this be a sign of the future? Imagine the data that could be passed over. Not just simple contact details and addresses, but full-on portfolios, video presentations, games, and any other form of digital media. This is a fantastic concept and a great use of PCB’ s.

PCB Business Card
PCB Business Card

PCB’ s have more uses than you might think. Just remember, EBest Circuit (Best Technology), always being here, dedicates to being your best supplier of printed circuit boards(PCB) with consistent good quality in Asia.

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How to Choose a Professional PCB Assembly Company

November 18th, 2019

Hardware designers requiring turnkey PCB assembly services usually face tremendous obstacles for their need of prototyping and small batches. Large companies with huge inventory needs and long delivery horizons can wait for days or weeks for a proposal, while accepting large minimum quantity requirements. For them, delays associated with overseas manufacturing are no big deal. However, these conditions are simply unacceptable for small industries, engineers, makers, and entrepreneurs.

Best Practices of PCB Assembly Vendor

Selecting the professional PCB assembly company at the beginning determines the success of a project. Therefore, picking the right PCB assembly services provider becomes a highly important decision to be made. One must watch out for those offering very low prices, but subsequently are unable to provide the services, record of accomplishment, infrastructure, and technology to back up their promises. Rather, one must insist the PCB assembly services have the essential features, offer the services, and follow business practices such as:

Instant Quotations

Waiting for days or weeks and trading a bunch of emails only to find out the cost of a PCB assembly, is not only a waste of time, it is expensive. A vendor offering instant, online quotations is always preferable. In general, although all vendors will start by sending a quotation for the project, therefore, selecting one who gets the process off painlessly is advisable. Moreover, selecting the vendor who gives an estimate in terms of quantity offtake helps in determining capital needs and product prices.

Prototyping Requirements

Most customers, before placing their order, want to make sure their PCB works exactly as intended. This may require making a few iterations to perfect the design. So far, prototyping was a big challenge under the old manufacturing model. However, EBest Circuit (Best Technology) is willing to handle even a single quantity.

Minimum Order Requirements

Earlier, PCB assembly services were unable to accept production runs of small quantities. Older technology did not allow profitability in smaller numbers, which turned out to be a major challenge for everyone. However, use of modern technologies allows easy combination of small orders into larger ones, while switching from one task to another is no longer a major hurdle. Therefore, professional PCB assembly providers accept all types of order, regardless of quantity, and execute them at reasonable prices.

Seamless Manufacturing

With advancement in PCB assembly technologies, it is no longer necessary to track multiple vendors and suffer long lead times. A modern PCB assembly solution such as the EBest Circuit (Best Technology), offers a platform to resolve any assembly problems, online and from anywhere and takes over the sourcing, purchasing, and assembly of the components. With this approach, the product can be expected to be available in days.

Looking Beyond PCB Assembly

The PCB happens to be only the first step of the many for most inventions and products and PCB Assembly is an especially non-negligible process. Quality can only be assured by finding a reliable company.

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First Week Training after the Outdoor Training

April 27th, 2019

In order to strengthen the ability of members at Best to serve for clients better, the responsible person of the team who carried out an outdoor training for us in Dongguan came to EBest Circuit (Best Technology) to conduct an in-depth training for us last Saturday.

The training belongs to a new type training mode, the feature of which is to combine training with application so as to implement the training realizing the training content being applied in enterprises, team and individuals to achieve the changes of thinking model and behavioral model and obtain an expected results.The core of this training is to promote upgrading of the organizations and growth of team members.

The upgrading of organizations contributes to promoting transformation and creation of enterprises as well as cultivating the core competitiveness of enterprises. And the training focused on helping the growth of employees. The more valuable results can be supplied after growth of employees and in this way, the enterprises can develop rapidly.

The team members were very positive and full of enthusiasm and got a better understanding of what was required to be solved urgently through this training.

It is always our goal to supply the most satisfying products for our clients. We prefer to losing quantity rather than compromising quality.

To learn more, please log on www.bestpcbs.com 

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3 Steps to Recycle PCB

January 25th, 2019

Everything will break if it has been operated for a long time, especially electronic products. However, the broken items, which can be recycled, are not completely waste, and the printed circuit board is the same. With the development of technology, the amount of electronic products increase rapidly. Their operating cycles are shortening and many products are discarded without damage, resulting in serious waste. Meanwhile, there are some substances of electronics will d harms to the environment. Therefore, it is required to recycle them.

There are many kinds of metals in PCB, including aluminum, copper, gold etc.. It also has amount of high polymer from petroleum directly or indirectly, which have high calorific value. They can be used to generate energy as well as related chemical products. Many of them are toxic and harmful, and if discarded, they will cause great pollution.

1. Paint Removing

The surface of the printed circuit board is coated with protective metal, so it is required to remove the paint if you would like to recycle the PCB. The paint strippers can be divided into organic one and alkaline one. The organic paint stripper is highly toxic and harmful to human body and environment. It can be dissolved by heating with sodium hydroxide and corrosion inhibitor.

 2. Crushing

After the paint on the PCB was removed, it will be crushed by the methods of impact crushing, extrusion crushing and shear crushing. Ultra-low temperature freezing crushing technology is commonly used, which can cool the tough materials and make them fragile and crush, so that metal and non-metal can be separated completely.

3. Sorting

The material after crushing need to be sorted according to the characteristics of its components such as density, particle size, conductivity and so on. The methods of sorting usually can be divided into dry and wet methods. The dry sorting includes dry screening, magnetic sorting,  density sorting, etc.. Wet sorting includes hydrocyclone classification, flotation, hydraulic shaker, etc. In this way, the separated substances can be reused.

EBest Circuit (Best Technology) is the premier expert in PCB manufacture of electronics, brings a unique combination of technology and quality that offers a competitive supply of printed circuit board and PCBA. With high qualified engineers, we are able to help you find a PCB with high quality. To find out more, contact EBest Circuit (Best Technology) at 0755-29091601 or check the website: https://www.bestpcbs.com/

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