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The Properties, Benefits, and Applications of Arlon HF-50 PCB

Material
The demand for high performance PCBs in electronic applications is rising. The PCB
material is a core material for PCB fabrication. Therefore, its importance can’t be
overemphasized. When we say PCB material, we don’t necessarily mean PCB
laminate.

Some PCB materials are compounds that help to fill clearance holes. Arlon is a
prominent PCB material manufacturer. This company produced the Arlon HF-50 PCB
material to meet great demands.

Table of Contents

What is Arlon HF-50 PCB Material?

Arlon HF-50 is a polyimide compound that helps in filling holes in metal core PCBs.
Hence, this PCB material help manufacturers to fill holes drilled via the metal
for through hole interconnections. Also, the ‘HF’ in Arlon HF-50 simply stands for
Howefill. Arlon HF-50 manufacturing is based on a polyimide chemistry. Therefore,
this material is completely compatible with other Arlon polyimide laminates and
processes.

This material is specifically formulated to enhance thermal conductivity. Also, it

improves crack resistance and resin shrinkage back in holes.

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Processing Guidelines for Arlon HF-50 PCB Material

Arlon HF-50 PCB material is a free-flowing powder. Some settling occurs during
storage or shipping. Therefore, users should tumble it before use. Also, this helps to
ensure even distribution of contents. Copper surfaces treatment can help to enhance
bonds to metal. Therefore, use oxide process to treat copper surfaces. Also, you can
treat aluminum surfaces by using passivation & chemical film deposition.

 Sift Arlon HF-50 onto the package on the two sides of the core you need to fill.
Ensure you sift it onto the material. Also, sift more Arlon HF-50 on the core

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board’s top. Focus on areas with cutouts or holes. You can use a template to
achieve this. Also, don’t forget to level the surface.
 Make use of pieces of prepreg on any of the side of the sifted Arlon HF-50.
Place the powder evenly into the holes.
 Regulate the rate of heatup at 4.5-6.5oC per minute. Also, use full pressure.
However, this depends on the size of the panel. Cure HF-50 at 218oC for 2
hours. Follow laminating instruction when laminating a core board
with laminate and prepreg. Also, it is important to abide by the laminating
instructions for the particular polyimide system used. This will offer full cure
of all the components.
 After the cure, cool tit in the press. Also, ensure you use the suggested cooling
rate which is about 4oF/min.
 Panel can be either sanded or ground if required before subsequent operations.
The drilling and plating processes will be similar to that of polyimide.

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Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Arlon HF-50

Arlon HF-50 is an optimized polyimide hole fill PCB material with great properties.
Due to these properties, it replaces HF 60B. Arlon HF-50 is a highly preferred
polyimide compound in the PCB industry. This polyimide hole fill compound is ideal
for multilayer PCB designs.

Exceptional Tg value

The glass transition temperature of this polyimide compound is more than 250oC.
Therefore, it functions well when in PCB laminates. This means that this compound
can function well in PCBs subjected to high temperatures.

Excellent thermal conductivity

The thermal conductivity of Arlon HF-50 PCB material is above 0.5 W/m-K. Due to
this value, Arlon HF-50 features enhanced thermal conductivity.

Low Z-axis CTE

The CTE on the Z-axis is 26 ppm/oC. Also, this is a very low Z-axis CTE. Therefore,
this material doesn’t expand in size when subjected to high levels of temperature.

Water absorption rate

The water absorption rate of Arlon HF-50 PCB material is 0.4%. This is a bit high.
Normally, PCB materials should have a water absorption range between 0.1 and
0.2%.

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Benefits of Arlon HF-50 PCB Material

Arlon HF-50 PCB is a very reliable PCB material that features great benefits. Due to
these benefits, it is a great alternative to other polyimide compounds.

Non-MDA polyimide

Arlon HF-50 PCB material is a polyimide compound free of MDA. Therefore, this
material replaces composite materials that feature methylenedianiline (MDA).
Generally polyimide materials feature high heat-resistance. Due to this, they are
widely used in applications that require rugged materials.

Compatible with other polyimide materials

Arlon HF-50 is highly compatible with other Arlong polyimide materials. Also, it is
specially formulated based on polyimide chemistry. Therefore, it is compatible with
35N, 85HP, and others.

Low shrinkage

Another great benefit of using Arlon HF-50 is its low shrinkage. This material reduces
resin shrinkage back into the holes. Also, it minimizes radial cracking when used to
fill clearance holes.

Excellent thermal properties

Arlon HF-50 PCB material offers excellent thermal properties. Therefore, this ensures
thermal reliability. This polyimide powder features low Z-axis CTE and very high Tg.

Applications of Arlon HF-50 PCB Material

Arlon HF-50 PCB material is different from other polyimide products. This is because
it is a polyimide compound formulated for filling holes in metal core PCBs. Typically,
Arlon HF-50 PCB material helps to fill up clearance holes in metal core PCBs.
Therefore, its areas of applications are quite different.

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Aluminum cores

The use of polyimide compound to fill aluminum core PCBs is very common.
However, not all compounds function well in aluminum cores. Arlon HF-50 PCB
material features enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. Therefore, it is ideal

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for aluminum cores. Arlon HF-50 increases the thermal conductivity of aluminum
cores when used to fill clearance holes.

Copper cores

Arlon HF-50 PCB material is a high performance polyimide compound with great
properties. Due to these properties, Arlon HF-50 is widely used in high performance
boards. Also, this compound is ideal for filling holes due to its excellent properties.
One of the most important benefits of this compound is its thermal resistance. Copper
cores PCB fabrication requires materials with great thermal resistance.

Copper-Invar Copper

Copper-Invar Copper strengthens PCBs in high temperature environments. Also this

PCB material controls expansion when used in circuit boards. However, the use of
Arlon HF-50 in copper-invar-copper contributes to its exceptional performance in
PCBs.

Conclusion

Arlon HF-50 is anon-MDA polyimide compound with great properties. This article
provided in-depth information about Arlon HF-50 PCB material and its uses. We
hope you have been able to gain more knowledge with this information.

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