Single Sided Aluminium LED Bar With OSP Finish
A long single sided aluminium bar populated with LED footprints and finished with OSP. Strip format aluminium boards are used wherever a row of LEDs has to be held straight, kept cool and fixed to a metal extrusion.
What This Board Is
This is the same aluminium construction as our profiled driver board, built in a long narrow format. LED bars live or die on two things: how flat they stay when bolted into an extrusion, and how fast heat leaves the junction. Bow and twist below 0.01 mm per mm covers the first, and the metal core covers the second.
Strip boards are routed from the aluminium panel and OSP coated in the same roller coater as other MCPCB work.
- Aluminium PCB
- 1 layer
- OSP
- RoHS
What You Get From This Build
- Long strip format holds a straight optical line when clamped into an extrusion
- Bow and twist below 0.01 mm/mm keeps every LED at the same height along the bar
- Metal core moves junction heat into the extrusion, which protects LED lumen maintenance
- Board length is limited only by the 450 mm maximum board dimension
Who Specifies This Board
- Linear lighting and luminaire assemblers
- Backlight module makers for signage and displays
- Machine vision integrators building bar illuminators
- Manufacturers replacing a bought-in strip with a board of their own layout
Four Failures This Build Is Designed Against
Each one is a real way this class of board goes wrong, and the tolerance or process decision that prevents it.
LEDs sitting at different heights along a bar
A bar that bows puts some emitters closer to the lens than others. Flatness is controlled to 0.01 mm per mm of length.
LEDs dimming early in service
Junction temperature is the single biggest factor in LED life. A metal core keeps it down for the same drive current.
Screw holes that do not line up with the extrusion
Hole position is held to ±0.05 mm and outline to ±0.2 mm.
Paying for gold on a board with only LED pads
OSP costs less and solders cleanly. On a board with no fine pitch or contact surfaces there is no reason to pay more.
Technical Specification
Product detail from the catalogue record, followed by the published process capability for the Aluminium PCB family. Anything the legacy catalogue did not record is marked TBC rather than filled in.
| Item | Technical specification |
|---|---|
| Product name | 1 Layer Aluminium LED Board |
| Legacy catalogue reference | 1 Layer(MCPCB) |
| Product family | Aluminium PCB |
| Layer count | 1 layer |
| Surface finish | OSP |
| RoHS | RoHS compliant process, as recorded on the legacy catalogue |
| Maximum board size | 450 x 450 mm, single and double sided |
| Board thickness | 0.3 to 3.0 mm |
| Minimum track width | 0.15 mm |
| Minimum track space | 0.15 mm |
| Minimum hole size | 0.5 mm |
| Plated hole wall thickness | >0.02 mm |
| Plated hole diameter tolerance | ±0.05 mm for φ≤0.8 mm / ±0.08 mm for φ>0.8 mm |
| Non-plated hole diameter tolerance | ±0.05 mm for φ≤0.4 mm / ±0.1 mm for φ>0.4 mm |
| Hole position tolerance | ±0.05 mm |
| Outline tolerance | ±0.2 mm |
| Insulation resistance | 1012 Ω at normal condition |
| Dielectric strength | >1.3 kV/mm |
| Peel-off strength | 1.4 N/mm |
| Solder mask abrasion | >5H |
| Thermal stress | 265 °C for 5 seconds |
| Flammability rating | 94V-0 |
| Maximum working temperature | 125 °C |
| Bow and twist | <0.01 mm/mm |
What The Board Is Made Of
| Material | Specification |
|---|---|
| Base | Aluminium core, 0.3 to 3.0 mm total board thickness |
| Dielectric | Thermally conductive dielectric, >1.3 kV/mm dielectric strength |
| Copper | Peel-off strength 1.4 N/mm, tested at 2.2 N/mm to GJB1651 |
| Solder mask | Abrasion resistance >5H |
| Surface finish | OSP as standard |
What Can Be Changed
- Board thickness from 0.3 to 3.0 mm
- Single or double sided construction
- Profiled, round and strip outlines
- OSP as standard, other finishes on request
- Board size to 450 x 450 mm
- Assembly in the same plant
How This Board Is Made
Eight stages on equipment sourced from the USA, Japan, Germany and Israel. Every stage listed runs inside our own plant.
Core preparation
Aluminium core scrubbed on the scrubbing line to prepare the copper surface.
Imaging
Dry film laminated, exposed and developed to define the circuit.
Etching
Etching line removes the unwanted copper, then film stripping clears the resist.
Through holes
Double sided boards run the automatic PTH line to a wall above 0.02 mm.
Mask and legend
Solder mask and legend applied, with the dielectric verified for insulation resistance.
OSP finish
Applied on the WYD 0302 OSP roller coater.
Profiling
CNC routed to the finished outline at ±0.2 mm, including profiled and round shapes.
Flatness check
Bow and twist verified against the 0.01 mm per mm limit.
What Is Checked Before It Ships
- Dielectric strength verified above 1.3 kV/mm
- Insulation resistance at 1012 Ω at normal condition
- Thermal stress check at 265 °C for 5 seconds
- Bow and twist held below 0.01 mm per mm
- Laminate flammability rated FV-0 to GB/T4722 clause 26
What The Plant Holds
- ISO 9001:2000. Quality management system certification recorded by the company. Current revision year available on request.
- ISO 14001:1996. Environmental management system certification recorded by the company.
- UL. Certification recorded by the company. File number available on request.
- RoHS and lead free. Listed in the company environmental policy alongside pollution prevention and resource reduction.
Certificate numbers, issue dates and current revision years are not published on the legacy site. Ask for copies with your enquiry and they will be sent with the quotation.
How It Compares With The Alternatives
Three boards from our own catalogue, side by side, so the trade-off is visible rather than argued.
| Board | Layers or build | Finish | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Layer Aluminium LED Board | 1 | OSP | Linear LED bars and backlight strips |
| 2 Layer Aluminium PCB | 2 | See specification | Round or double sided LED and driver boards |
| 1 Layer Aluminium PCB | 1 | OSP | Profiled driver and motor control boards |
What To Send With Your Enquiry
Four things that decide whether the quote comes back right the first time.
- Give the LED part number and its thermal pad footprint rather than a generic land pattern.
- State the pitch between emitters and the total bar length you need.
- Mark the screw or clip positions relative to the extrusion, not to the board edge.
- Say whether the bar ships as one piece or as a V-cut array to be snapped on your line.
1 Layer Aluminium LED Board Questions
How long can a single aluminium bar be?
Maximum board size in our aluminium capacity table is 450 x 450 mm, so a single piece bar is limited to 450 mm. Longer runs are made from several bars joined end to end.
Can you supply the bars already assembled with LEDs?
Yes. Assembly is one of our four product families, and our PCBA range includes both rigid and flexible assemblies.
What copper weight do you recommend for LED bars?
Tell us the drive current per emitter and the number of emitters in series, and we will confirm the copper weight against the track width your layout allows.
Is the finish RoHS compliant?
OSP is an organic coating with no lead content and the board is recorded as RoHS in our catalogue.
Other Boards In The Aluminium PCB Family
Boards built on the same line, with the same tolerances, in a different configuration.
Single Sided Aluminium Board With OSP For Motor And Driver Circuits
Double Sided Aluminium Board For Round Driver Modules
Double Sided FR4 Board With Lead Free HASL
Four Layer Immersion Gold Board For Dense SMD Routing
Where This Board Is Used
The fields the legacy catalogue records for this class of board.
This Board In Context
Get 1 Layer Aluminium LED Board Priced Against Your Own Files
Send Gerber RS-274X with an NC drill file, or an ODB++ package, with the layer count, thickness, copper weight, surface finish and quantity. We check it against the published capability before quoting.