What is FR4?
FR-4 is the code name of a flame-resistant material grade, which means a material specification that the resin material must be able to self-extinguish after burning. It is not a material name, but a material grade. FR4 is a material standard stipulated by NEMA American Electrical Manufacturers Association. It is a composite material made of epoxy resin plus filler and glass fiber. The single-sided, double-sided and multi-layer PCB most commonly used are FR4! Because of its high strength and flame retardancy, most PCB will choose FR-4 as the substrate.
The Features of FR4
The technical characteristics of FR4 are electrical insulation, stable, good flatness, smooth surface, no pits, thickness tolerance standard. It is suitable for products with high performance electronic insulation requirements, such as FPC reinforcement board, PCB drilling black board, potentiometer carbon film printed glass fiber board, precision test board, electrical equipment insulation stay spacer, insulation board, transformer insulation board, motor insulation parts, grinding gears, electronic switch insulation boards, etc.FR-4 sheet has been widely used in military, communication, computer, digital circuits, industrial instrumentation, automotive circuits and other electronic products, and various performance indicators can meet the needs of general industrial electronic products.
The Advantages of FR4
(1) FR4 is a low cost material.(2) It has a high dielectric strength, which contributes to its electrical insulating properties.
(3) The material has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is lightweight.
(4) It is moisture resistant and also has a relative temperature.
(5) The material has good electrical loss properties.
(6) FR4 does not absorb water, so it is also suitable for various PCB applications
(7) The material is yellow to light green and is ideal for any application
(8) These characteristics make it suitable for use in a variety of environments
FR4 Laminate in AiPCBA
The FR4 Laminate we use in AiPCBA are SHENGYI, GDM, ISOLA, ROGERS, NELCO, ISOLA, PANASONIC, etc.AiPCBA is a PCB and PCBA manufacturer that can provide one-stop PCB production services, aiming to create a PCB manufacturer with outstanding quality and cost-effectiveness. AiPCBA relies on its 7 years of experience in the electronic processing industry to strictly control the management of circuit board factories, optimize process capabilities, and improve internal and external sales and service levels. We stand out in the competition of PCB manufacturers and support through-hole PCB (Through-Hole PCB), flexible circuit board (FPC), etc. The PCB manufacturing quality and delivery time have won the trust of many customers at home and abroad in the market. Learn more about AiPCBA’s Turnkey PCB manufacturing.
The Grades of FR4 Material
(1) FR-4 A1 grade copper clad laminateThis level is mainly used in military, communications, computers, digital circuits, industrial instrumentation, automotive circuits and other electronic products. The quality of this series of products has completely reached the world-class level, with the highest grade and the best performance.
(2) FR-4 A2 grade copper clad laminate
This level is mainly used for ordinary computers, instruments, advanced home appliances and general electronic products. This series of copper clad laminates are widely used, and various performance indicators can meet the needs of general industrial electronic products. Has a good price-performance ratio. Enable customers to effectively improve price competitiveness.
(3) FR-4 A3 grade copper clad laminate
This grade of CCL is a FR-4 product specially developed and produced for the home appliance industry, computer products and general electronic products (such as toys, calculators, game consoles, etc.). Its characteristic lies in the premise that the performance meets the requirements, and the price is very competitive.
(4) FR-4 A4 grade copper clad laminate
This level of sheet is a low-end material of FR-4 copper clad laminate. However, various performance indicators can still meet the needs of ordinary home appliances, computers and general electronic products. Its price is the most competitive.
(5) FR-4 Class B CCL
The board of this grade is relatively poor, and the quality stability is poor. It is not suitable for circuit board products with a large area. Generally, it is suitable for products with a size of 100mmX200mm. It is the cheapest, and should be used carefully.
The High TG FR4
Generally, the TG of the FR4 is more than 130 degrees, the high TG is generally higher than 170 degrees, and the medium TG is about 150 degrees.Usually a PCB with TG≥170℃ is called a high TG printed circuit board. The increase in the substrate TG is equivalent to the improvement of the performance characteristics of the PCB board, such as heat resistance, moisture resistance, chemical resistance, and stability resistance. The higher the TG value, the better the temperature resistance of the sheet, especially in the lead-free process, where high TG is used more.
High TG means high heat resistance. With the rapid development of the electronics industry, electronic products represented by computers are developing towards high functionality and high multi-layering, which requires high heat resistance of PCB substrate materials as an important guarantee. With the development of high-precision mounting technologies represented by SMT and CMT, printed circuit boards are more and more inseparable from the support of high heat resistance of substrates in terms of small apertures, fine lines, and thinning.
Therefore, the difference between general FR-4 and high TG FR-4 is the different performance in the thermal state. According to the accumulation of many years of production experience, it is found that the mechanical strength, dimensional stability, adhesiveness, water absorption, thermal decomposition, thermal expansion and other conditions of the material are different under the heat after moisture absorption. High TG products are obviously better than ordinary PCB substrate materials. In recent years, with the rapid development of related electronic products, the number of customers who require the production of high TG circuit boards has increased year by year.
The Common FR4 Brands
|
Brand |
Series |
|
Shengyi |
S1141/ S1000/ S1170/ S1000-2/ S1165 |
|
ITEQ |
IT180A/ IT158/ IT140G/ IT968/ IT968SE |
|
ISOLA |
FR406/ FR408/ PCL-370HR/ IS410 |
|
NELCO |
N4000-6/ N4000-11/ N4000-12/ N4000-13 |
|
TUC |
TU-752/ TU-742 |
|
PANASONIC |
Megtron4/ M4S/ Megtron6/ M6G/ M7E/ M7NE |
|
ROGERS |
RT5000/ RT6000/ RO3000 |
PCB manufacturing and PCB Assembly in AiPCBA
AiPCBA has over 7 years of knowledge and combined experience in rendering high-tech PCB assembly service, PCB manufacturing service and different PCB assembly technologies like Through-hole (THT) and Surface Mount (SMT). Mainly, we work with three types of printed circuit boards including Rigid PCB, Flexible PCB and metal core PCB.
We have customers from different industries in terms of cost-effectiveness, quality, delivery and any other requirements. From PCB layout to PCB prototyping, mass manufacturing, and then PCB assembly, electronic box assembly services, our printed circuit boards are widely used in robotics, medical, automotive, communications, industrial and consumer electronics products.
All PCBs in AiPCBA are produced based on UL and ISO certification standards. All our normal specification PCBs are strictly obeying to IPC-A-6011/6012 Class 2 latest version and IPC-A-600 Class 2 latest version.
Learn more about AiPCBA’s Turnkey PCB Assembly.