December 7, 2021
What is the Heavy Copper PCB?
Heavy copper technology is one of the solutions to reach the needs of modern power electronics, and heavy copper printed circuit boards are the latest trend in PCB industry. Heavy copper PCBs are highly used for high power and current applications in power supplies, welding equipment, electrical power distribution, power converters, solar panel devices, medical, automotive, aviation and etc. because the heavy copper layers are helpful for controlling the thermal dissipation and running high power and current. Our heavy copper PCB manufacturing service covers single-sided, double-sided and multilayer PCBs. Moreover, heavy copper PCB fabrication can be on FR4, Polyimide, aluminum based, copper based, ceramic based and PTFE laminate materials.
Benefits of Heavy Copper PCBs:
Heavy copper PCBs can deal with high-temperature stress as they have excellent thermal conductivity. Due to the increase in copper thickness, copper can carry more current. With the increase in current, the heat dissipation also increases; however, the copper traces conduct heat away with the help of heat sinks present on the board. Moreover, the traces can also dissipate heat in the surrounding. Thus, the PCB has the capability to handle high thermal stress.
The thermal stress that a heavy copper PCB can bear depends on its substrate and the cooling of the PCB. The maximum amount of current is calculated to ensure optimal performance.
The primary advantage of heavy copper PCBs is that they can be used in high-power applications. The current flow is excessive in such applications, so normal PCBs cannot provide optimal performance and might suffer wear and tear because of heat dissipation. Heavy copper PCBs have thick copper traces that can conduct more current; thus, it is suitable for high-power applications.
With the excess use of copper, the circuit develops more mechanical strength. The layers on the circuit are also reduced; consequently, the structure becomes stronger. A heavy copper PCB can bear more mechanical stress than a simple PCB.
Due to excellent heat dissipation, the life of the components and the board is increased. At the maximum current carrying capacity, the heat dissipation is equal to the rate of cooling. Therefore, there is no overheating of the components and high-temperature stress on the board. Consequently, the components provide the optimal result for a long span.
The circuit becomes more compact. A heavy copper PCB can have heavy copper traces for high power applications and low copper traces for controlling. All this can be achieved in a single PCB, which makes the PCB more compact. You can accommodate different copper thicknesses in one PCB; thus, there is no need to create multiple boards for the project. The size of the product is greatly reduced as there are no extra PCBs and connectors.
Heavy copper boards display a high elongation performance and are not limited by the working temperatures. They are commonly used in hot-melt welding equipment and severe corrosive atmospheric conditions. Below is a comprehensive list of thick copper PCB applications.
