FR-4 PCBs are a combination of woven glass, epoxy, and resin in which the letter “F” stands for Flame, the letter “R” stands for Retardant, and the number “4” signifies the reinforced woven glass epoxy resin. At Blind Buried Circuits, we offer standard, medium, and High TG FR-4 PCBs depending on the design needs of our customers. FR-4 PCBs are used in various industries and are considered cost-effective and easily available.
FR-4 Materials
The word FR4 itself is a symbol for the grading of material. The grading indicates the resin material’s capability to expand after burning. FR4 material can be found in various types and with different manufacturers. But all the materials used in PCB manufacturing consist of the composition of Filler with Tera function epoxy and fiberglass. The material made with the composition of epoxy resin and fiberglass is FR4 PCBs.
FR4 materials are used in single-sided, double-sided, multi-layer printed circuit boards. The categories of FR-4 materials can be selected based on the function, impedance requirement, and number of layers. The following are the categories of FR-4 material:
- Class A1 – FR4 Copper Clad Laminate: Class A1 is benchmarked as the highest grade and best in performance. Military, communication, digital circuits, industrial applications, automobile, and electronic products such as computers mainly use this class.
- Class A2 – FR4 Copper Clad Laminate: Class A2 is benchmarked as the standard grade and best in price. This class is mainly used by companies that create personal computers, advanced domestic applications, meters and instruments, and standard electronics products.
- Class A3 – FR4 Copper Clad Laminate: Class A3 is benchmarked as the below-standard grade and is particularly down in price. This class is mainly used by companies that create domestic appliances, computer output devices, and ordinary products such as toys, calculators, and gaming consoles.
- Class A4 – FR4 Copper Clad Laminate: Class A4 is benchmarked as low-end material with the most competitive pricing. This class is mainly used by companies that create basic domestic household appliances, personal computers, and basic electronic products.
- Class B – FR4 Copper Clad Laminate: Class B is benchmarked as having the poorest quality and stability. Not all companies use this class, which is only suitable for 100 mm x 200 mm PCBs. Due to these reasons, many companies pay attention before selecting Class B – FR-4 copper-clad laminate.
Features of FR-4 Printed Circuit Boards
FR-4 printed circuits boards possess the following features:
- Physical Appearance: Copper clads are on the top and bottom sides, and an insulation substrate is in the middle.
- Material thickness: FR-4 material is available in various thicknesses and used as per the design requirements. Thicknesses from 1.3 thou to 3 inches are usually used in most designs. It is also used in flexible printed circuit boards due to the thinner material thickness.
- Functionality: To make a working circuit, the FR-4 PCB is a basic skeleton for connecting all the components per the circuit design.
- Impedance matching: Most FR-4 PCBs are used in high-frequency circuit designs. It can be matched by considering the DK and DF of FR-4 material.
- Material Composition: At Blind Buried Circuits, we offer a composition of FR-4 for single-layer, double-layer, and multi-layer PCBs, which includes 4 layers, 6 layers, 8 layers, 12 layers, 16 layers, and up to 24 layers.
- Operating Temperature: FR-4 printed circuits board are good conductors of heat. The value of the thermal coefficient of the dielectric constant determines the temperature management of FR-4 material.
Blind Buried Circuits FR-4 PCB Manufacturing Capabilities
Blind Buried Circuits is a leading PCB manufacturer of FR-4 PCBs in the United States and Canada; we serve our customers in Wisconsin. Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Washington DC, and Texas. Following are our manufacturing capabilities:
- Number of Layer Count: 2 – 50 Layers
- Board Sizes (Maximum):24 inches X 22.51 inches
- Substrate Materials: FR- 4, FR- 4 Hi TG, FR- 406, 370 HR
- Surface Finishes: Leaded HASL, Lead-Free HASL, Leaded HASL+Gold finger, ENIG, OSP, Immersion silver, Immersion Tin
- Legend (Silk Screen) Color: White, Black, Yellow
- Board Thickness:0078″ (Min) to 0.3149″ (Max)
- Minimum Line and Spacing: 3 mil / 3 mil
- Smallest Drill Size: 8 mil
- Stiffener Material: Aluminum, Steel, and FR4
- Copper Thickness: H oz – 6 oz
Benefits and Applications of FR-4 Printed Circuit Board
At Blind Buried Circuits, our FR-4 PCBs are used in various industries and provide various benefits to our customers. Below are some benefits and applications of FR-4 PCBs.
- Using FR-4 PCBs saves a good amount of space, as thicker PCBs cover more space than thinner PCBs.
- The epoxy resin layer makes it a highly fire-resistant substance, making it a good conductor of heat.
- FR-4 PCBs are cost-effective
- FR-4 PCBs provide excellent mechanical and electrical properties.
- FR-4 PCBs are adaptable to hot environments as they are thermally low coefficients in board thickness. Therefore, they are the ideal choice for a hot temperature environment.
Why Choose Blind Buried Circuits For Your FR-4 PCB Manufacturing in USA and Canada
If you want to get your FR-4 PCBs manufactured by an industry expert, then Blind Buried Circuits is your ideal choice; we are a team of experienced experts who understands PCB manufacturing, Component Procurement, and Assembly labor. We have been serving our customers for the last 10 years without delays in lead time. All our customers belong to the USA and Canada. To get a quick quotation today, please submit our quote form or send your quote request to [email protected].