VICTORIA, Australia – The PCB Company Pty Ltd. has released AL-Back PCBs, aluminum backed printed circuit boards designed for the thermal conduction of heat away from high power dissipating components.

The product is basically a thin FR-4 PCB bonded to an aluminum backplate. Excess heat being generated is said to easily pass through the FR-4 of the board and then dissipate quickly into the aluminum, allowing the board to have its own large heatsink permanently attached.

The aluminum backplate is offered in varying thicknesses and can be folded, machined and/or routed according to specific requirements. Final profiling of AL-Back PCBs is generally achieved by routing, although for larger volumes the circuits can also be stamped or pressed.

The simplest form available of AL-Back PCB is single-sided surface mount. For more complicated circuits, double-sided PTH and multi-layer PCBs can also be manufactured. Access to the bottom layer (bonded to the aluminum) can be gained via routed openings.

The use of AL-Back is ideal for high power LEDs, but can be used for any product where heat dissipation is important.