PCB Capabilities
Metal Core PCB (MCPCB)
Aluminum and copper core boards for superior thermal performance.
Metal core PCBs use a thick metal base plate — aluminum, copper, or steel — as the structural and thermal foundation of the board. A thin dielectric layer bonds the copper circuit to the metal core, and the metal core conducts heat from power-dissipating components to a heatsink, chassis or ambient air. MCPCBs provide dramatically better thermal performance than standard FR-4 boards, making them the standard substrate for LED lighting, power conversion, motor control, and any application where thermal management is the primary board design driver.
Aluminum core vs copper core
Aluminum-core PCBs are the most common MCPCB type. Aluminum provides thermal conductivity of approximately 200 W/mK, adequate mechanical rigidity, low weight, and reasonable cost. Aluminum MCPCBs are the standard for LED lighting (street lights, automotive, architectural, commercial), general-purpose power electronics, and cost-sensitive thermal management applications.
Copper-core PCBs provide thermal conductivity of approximately 400 W/mK — double that of aluminum. Copper core is specified when the thermal load exceeds what aluminum can handle, or when the thermal resistance budget between the component junction and the heatsink is extremely tight. Power amplifier modules, high-power laser driver boards, and concentrated-heat power electronics use copper core. The trade-off is higher weight and significantly higher material cost.
Dielectric layer
The dielectric layer between the copper circuit and the metal core is the thermal bottleneck in an MCPCB. Standard dielectric thermal conductivity is 1.0-1.5 W/mK. High-performance dielectrics reach 3.0-5.0 W/mK. Premium ceramic-filled dielectrics achieve 5-8 W/mK. The dielectric must be electrically insulating (withstanding the circuit operating voltage plus safety margin) while being as thermally conductive as possible. Thinner dielectric layers provide lower thermal resistance but must maintain adequate dielectric breakdown voltage for the application’s safety requirements.
The thermal resistance through the dielectric layer is calculated as: R_th = thickness / (thermal conductivity × area). Reducing dielectric thickness from 100 microns to 75 microns reduces thermal resistance by 25%. Increasing thermal conductivity from 1.5 to 3.0 W/mK halves the thermal resistance. Both parameters should be specified based on the thermal analysis of the actual design.
Single-sided vs multi-layer MCPCB
Standard MCPCBs are single-sided: one copper circuit layer on one side of the metal core. This construction is simple, cost-effective and provides the shortest thermal path from component to metal base. For circuits requiring more routing complexity, two-layer MCPCBs place circuit layers on both sides of a thin FR-4 or polyimide layer, which is then bonded to the metal core. True multilayer MCPCBs (3+ circuit layers) are possible but uncommon — the fabrication complexity and cost increase significantly with each additional layer.
Common MCPCB applications
LED lighting accounts for the majority of MCPCB production volume. High-brightness LEDs generate 2-5 watts of heat per device, and an LED luminaire may contain dozens of LEDs in a compact area. The MCPCB spreads this heat across the full board area and conducts it to the heatsink or housing. Motor controllers and power inverters use MCPCBs for the gate driver and power stage where switching MOSFETs or IGBTs generate concentrated heat. Automotive electronics — headlights, power steering controllers, brake light modules — use MCPCBs for combined thermal and vibration resistance.
Request an MCPCB quote
Specify core material (aluminum or copper), core thickness, dielectric thermal conductivity requirement, copper weight and operating voltage. Upload design files for a DFM-reviewed quotation.