
By defining rules and constraints on routing and component placement, Altium Designer helps ensure your aluminum PCB is manufacturable and reliable. Altium Designer gives you the tools you need to ensure your board meets important DFM guidelines for aluminum PCBs. One big difference between standard FR4 laminates, metal-core boards, and ceramics is their thermal conductivity, which is summarized below:Īluminum Circuitry Requires the Best PCB Design SoftwareĪfter defining your layer stackup, you’ll need to capture your schematics and start placing parts in your PCB layout. However, they are hard, brittle substrates that can be expensive to fabricate, and they cannot be constructed as multilayer PCBs. These materials provide extremely high thermal conductivity and can be fabricated as 2-layer PCBs. If placed on the back side of the board, a cutout can be placed to provide space for connectors, transformer mounting, or other components.Ĭeramics are an alternative material to aluminum-core or aluminum-backed circuit boards. Aluminum can be placed in the core layer of the board and bonded to the surrounding dielectric layers with a separator membrane, or it can be used as a back-side mounted plate that takes up a surface layer. Getting Started with Aluminum PCB DesignĪll aluminum PCBs start by determining a PCB stackup, layer count, and the materials used in each portion of the PCB. Take control over everything in your next printed circuit board layout with Altium Designer. No matter which materials you want to use in your PCB stackup, Altium Designer is here to help you design and document all aspects of your circuit board. There are other materials that can provide high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength, such as alumina ceramic or flexible aluminum PCBs. If you work in power conversion or on systems that need rugged constructions, you may find yourself designing an aluminum PCB.

The most commonly used metal in these MCPCBs is an aluminum base, which might be mounted on the back side of the board, or as an aluminum core layer with a separator membrane.


MCPCBs are being used for LED boards, solid state relays, and power conversion PCBs to name a few applications. The metal substrate provides a mechanically robust core material with high thermal conductivity, while the dielectric layer allows components to be mounted on the board with standard manufacturing processes. The most powerful, modern, and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use.
