Flexible circuit material cools components on curved surfaces

When MH&W International developed a new way to mount LEDs and other hot components onto surfaces, it pulled them off the printed circuit board. Traditionally, LEDs attach to FR4s and MCPCBs, which mount only onto linear surfaces because of their rigidity. The company’s engineers added a twist to traditional mounting technology when they developed Keratherm 86/77, a flexible, thermally conductive material with conductive bonding sites that attach to curved, heat spreading structures.

What’s more, since sheets, strips, and custom shapes of the material are lighter and more flexible than both FR4 and MCPCBs, it also replaces thicker, heavier PCBs where size and weight are restricted, such as in portable electronics. Keratherm 86/77 is a flexible thermal circuit, (FTC), which consists of a thin layer of copper that can be etched, bonded to a highly thermally conductive silicone film. Simply peel and stick the material to curved and irregular heat spreading surfaces. LED arrays can be placed along stairs and railings, inside headlights, across display cases, and other locations where LED usage requires attachment and thermal management.