Advantages of Aluminum PCBs:
 
Use of Aluminum PCBs offers several advantages over that of regular FR-4 PCBs. Compared to standard FR-4 constructions, the Aluminum PCBs offer a dramatically superior heat dissipation. Although only a tenth of the thickness of conventional epoxy-glass, the dielectrics in an Aluminum PCB can be 5 to 10 times more conductive thermally. This makes thermal management in Aluminum PCBs exponentially more efficient compared to that of a conventional rigid PCB. Therefore, designers can use lower copper weights in Aluminum PCBs than those suggested by IPC in their heat-rise charts.
 
Different Types of Aluminum PCBs
Manufacturers have been successful in innovating different types of Aluminum PCBs such as:
 
Flexible Aluminum PCBs: These use new flexible dielectrics featuring Polyimide resin systems with ceramic fillers for excellent electrical insulation, thermal conductivity, and flexibility. The metal base uses flexible Aluminum such as 5754 or similar. The combination produces a PCB that the user can bend into place, but not use for regular flexing.
 
Hybrid Aluminum PCBs: These use a non-thermal material as the sub-assembly, which the fabricator processes independently, and then bonds to the Aluminum base using thermal materials. For instance, a conventional 2- or 4-layer FR-4 PCB bonded to an Aluminum base helps to improve heat dissipation and mechanical rigidity