FR4 PCB

What is FR4 PCB?

To put it first, FR4 PCBs are printed circuit boards using FR4 laminates. Most PCBs are made of FR4 (Flame Retardant level 4).

FR4 is not the certain name of the PCB FR4 material. It is rather the grade of the material. It refers to the fourth grade of flame retardant material.

In the abbreviation of FR4, the FR stands for “flame retardant”, which shows that the PCB material FR4 used with the UL94V-0standard on plastic materials inflammability.

The code 94-0 would be written on all the FR-4 PCBs, which shows the guarantee to protect the device from fire propagation during the burning of the material.

The composition of the FR4 material constitutes fibers of glass in the epoxy resin. This material has anti-flame properties.

This grade of laminate material has high strength and performance. Moreover, it has a good ratio between strength and weight.

As the FR4 material does not have any capability for absorption of water, it has good electrical insulating properties.

Below are the reasons why the FR4 substrate PCB is in great demand in the market:

Compact and easy-to-design
Strongest plastic fastener materials
Low cost but with multiple functions
Moisture resistance keeps high mechanical strength
Good insulating capacity in dry or humid environments

First, we used the FR4 material as an insulating material for PCB, then by adding copper to it, we made it to use as a conducting sheet. It has a greater strength for resisting and the ability to absorb the moisture on the PCB sheet.

Note

FR4 is a simple PCB base having a very small cost for low-frequency laminate production. However, the dielectric performance of FR4 PCBs is poor. For a high-frequency PCBlaminate, such as Rogers, its price is a bit high.

FR4 makes the PCB a small-cost and good-quality circuit board. The FR4 PCB material is the backbone of PCB devices.

During the PCB fabricationprocess of FR4 PCB, the FR4 boards are laminated with copper layers at a specific temperature.

Unlike Prototype PCB service, our Standard PCB service has tighter production tolerances. The following two articles will give you enough information about those two services on their introductions and differences:

PCB Prototype & Standard PCB Manufacturing Services Comparison
When to use PCB Prototype Service and when to switch to Standard PCB Service

It is recommended to use Standard PCB service when your design is ready to transform from prototype phase to production phase. We can manufacture up to 10 million pieces high quality PCBs in as short as 2 days. To endow your project with expected function and more possibilities, we offer advanced features for Standard PCB services. Comprehensive capabilities can be found in the following table:

Feature	Capability
Quality Grade	Standard IPC 2
Number of Layers	1 – 32layers
Order Quantity	1pc – 10,000,000 pcs
Build Time	2days – 5weeks (Expedited Service)
Material	FR-4 Standard Tg 150°C, FR4-High Tg 170°C, FR4-High-Tg 180°C, FR4-Halogen-free, FR4-Halogen-free & High-Tg
Board Size	Min 66mm \| Max 600700mm
Board size tolerance	±0.1mm – ±0.3mm
Board Thickness	0.4mm – 3.2mm
Board Thickness Tolerance	±0.1mm – ±10%
Copper Weight	0.5oz – 6.0oz
Inner Layer Copper Weight	0.5oz – 2.0oz
Copper Thickness Tolerance	+0μm +20μm
Min Tracing/Spacing	3mil/3mil
Solder Mask Sides	As per the file
Solder Mask Color	Green, White, Blue, Black, Red, Yellow
Silkscreen Sides	As per the file
Silkscreen Color	White, Blue, Black, Red, Yellow
Surface Finish	HASL – Hot Air Solder Leveling Lead Free HASL – RoHS ENIG – Electroless Nickle/Immersion Gold – RoHS ENEPIG- Electroless Nickel Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold – RoHS Immersion Silver – RoHS Immersion Tin – RoHS OSP -Organic Solderability Preservatives – RoHS
Min Annular Ring	3mil
Min Drilling Hole Diameter	6mil, 4mil-laser drill
Min Width of Cutout (NPTH)	0.8mm
NPTH Hole Size Tolerance	±.002″ (±0.05mm)
Min Width of Slot Hole (PTH)	0.6mm
PTH Hole Size Tolerance	±.003″ (±0.08mm) – ±4mil
Surface/Hole Plating Thickness	20μm – 30μm
SM Tolerance (LPI)	.003″ (0.075mm)
Aspect Ratio	1.10 (hole size: board thickness)
Test	10V – 250V, flying probe or testing fixture
Impedance tolerance	±5% – ±10%
SMD Pitch	0.2mm(8mil)
BGA Pitch	0.2mm(8mil)
Chamfer of Gold Fingers	20, 30, 45, 60
Other Techniques	Gold fingers Blind and Buried Holes peelable solder mask Edge plating Carbon Mask Kapton tape Countersink/counterbore hole Half-cut/Castellated hole Press fit hole Via tented/covered with resin Via plugged/filled with resin Via in pad Electrical Test

Advantages to Standard PCB With TXJPCBA

TXJPCBA is a full-service turnkey PCB solution that can handle everything from prototype to fabrication to assembly. We have been fabricating high quality standard PCB for over 10+ years and are fully compliant with ISO9001:2008 quality standards. All of our standard PCBs are IPC2 compliant, and we do strict internal quality assurance testing to ensure the board that arrives at your facility is one you know you can rely on.

We offer PCB solutions that fit your budget. You can order just a few prototype boards to test your design, and then place a bulk order for your standard PCBs to save even more money. We’ll give you a free instant quote so you’ll know just want to expect and so that you can plan accordingly. We also offer complete technical support from PCB experts. Call us up, chat online or email us with any questions, whichever is the most convenient for you. We’ll handle your concerns or questions as quickly as possible. We have obtained over 99 percent customer satisfaction rate, and as soon as you start ordering printed circuit boards from TXJPCBA, you’ll find out why.

Working on automotive, industrial, IoT, or consumer electronics projects?
We provide professional PCB assembly services including SMT, DIP, and full turnkey solutions.

Send us your BOM, Gerber files, or project requirements and get a fast, accurate quotation from our engineering team.

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