Elementary Mr. Watson: Running the Signal Gauntlet
The Shaughnessy Report: Winning the Signal Integrity Battle
Connect the Dots: How to Avoid Five Common Causes of Board Failure
Book Excerpt: ‘Thermal Management: A Fabricator's Perspective,' Chapter 3
January 26, 2021 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Chapter 3: Metal-Core Boards
Conceptually, a metal-core board is exactly like it sounds—the metal is in the middle of the PCB sandwiched between layers on both sides. Just about any PCBA that will contain active heat-generating components can benefit when designed on a metal-core PCB. On a conventional PCB, the standard FR-4 layers are relatively poor thermal conductors, and heat is normally dissipated from active components using vias and thermal pads, as discussed earlier. A metal core has much greater thermal conductivity, allowing it to easily dissipate heat away from active components. This prevents hot spots that can form in PCBs by dissipating heat evenly across the PCB and increasing performance and lifetime.
One example would be in the LED lighting industry, where LEDs produce a significant amount of energy and heat. A metal-core PCB has two benefits in this application: it provides some natural reflectivity for any light that travels toward the substrate, increasing the device brightness; and the other is extending the life of the product by quickly transferring heat away from the LEDs.
To download The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to…Thermal Management: A Fabricator’s Perspective, click here. You can also view other titles in our full library. Check out other books from American Standard Circuits, including The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Fundamentals of RF/Microwave PCBs and Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
ICAPE Group Unveils Exclusive Report on Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing
09/15/2025 | ICAPE GroupICAPE Group, a global leader in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and custom electronics manufacturing, today announces the launch of its 2025 Industry Outlook & Innovation Report: Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing. This exclusive report is accompanied by fresh insights from a dedicated Statista survey of 100 electronics manufacturing professionals, commissioned by ICAPE Group.
Advanced Packaging-to-Board-Level Integration: Needs and Challenges
09/15/2025 | Devan Iyer and Matt Kelly, Global Electronics AssociationHPC data center markets now demand components with the highest processing and communication rates (low latencies and high bandwidth, often both simultaneously) and highest capacities with extreme requirements for advanced packaging solutions at both the component level and system level. Insatiable demands have been projected for heterogeneous compute, memory, storage, and data communications. Interconnect has become one of the most important pillars of compute for these systems.
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
09/09/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationLarge, irregular, or mechanically unique parts, often referred to as odd-form components, have never truly disappeared from electronics manufacturing. While many in the industry have been pursuing miniaturization, faster placement speeds, and higher-density PCBs, certain market sectors are moving in the opposite direction.
Talking with Tamara: Floor Planning Policies
09/04/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineTamara Jovanovic is an electrical engineer with Masimo, a medical equipment manufacturer. She’s been designing PCBs for seven years and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 2022. I asked Tamara to share her thoughts on floor planning—the challenges, techniques, and advice for designers setting up floor planning strategies.
Yamaha Presents New Ways to Improve Surface-mount Performance at Productronica 2025
09/02/2025 | Yamaha Robotics SMT SectionYamaha Robotics Europe SMT Section will bring innovations that boost flexibility, speed, and efficiency in surface-mount assembly to Productronica 2025 in Munich this November.