PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes vs. Plastic LCP GF30

Compare PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes vs. Plastic LCP GF30 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planesComposite

Plastic LCP GF30Bulk polymer (molded or machined)

Mechanical	PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes	Plastic LCP GF30
Yield strength	not given (tensile used)	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	the bare laminate's246–385MPa1	tensile strength115MPa2
Flexural strength	not sourced	184MPa2
Elongation at break	not sourced	tensile elongation1.5%2
Young's modulus (stiffness)	the bare laminate's21.9–25.8GPa1	tensile modulus11.5GPa2
Density	not sourced	1,610kg/m³2
Strength to weight	not sourced	71.4kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weight	not sourced	7.14MN·m/kg
Poisson's ratio	the bare laminate's0.171–0.1771	not sourced
Shear modulus	10.2GPa	not sourced
Bulk modulus	12.2GPa	not sourced
Speed of sound	not sourced	2,673m/s

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes	Plastic LCP GF30
Thermal conductivity	not sourced	hot disk0.5W/m·K2
Thermal expansion	the bare laminate's13–14µm/m·K1	flow direction20µm/m·K2
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	67.5µm growth48% less	100µm growth
Specific heat	not sourced	ASTM E1269839J/kg·K2
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	not sourced	0.37mm²/s
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced
Max service temperature	not sourced	HDT 1.8 MPa288°C2

Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight

Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated

Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser	Open in LessCAD	Open in LessCAD

Sources2 documents: Isola, Sumitomo Chemical

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes: A whole circuit board read as one orthotropic plate: the JEDEC high-K thermal test board (JESD51-7, "2s2p"), 0.062 in (1.575 mm) thick with two internal solid copper planes 0.0014 in (1 oz) thick, as Texas Instruments SZZA017A Table 1 gives it. Copper C110 and the Isola 370HR laminate from this library; the layers conduct in parallel along the board and in series through it (boardStackup.ts). Its two 0.0028 in trace layers cover little of the board and are left out; vias are ignored. Mechanical values are the bare laminate's.
Plastic LCP GF30: Sumitomo Chemical SUMIKASUPER LCP E6006L (30% glass fibre; high strength, low shrinkage); SUMIKASUPER LCP Technical Note, Version 04 / Nov. 2023, typical values.

1
370HR Laminate and Prepreg Data SheetIsolaarchived copyPCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes · Ultimate tensile strength: the bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D3039)PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes · Young's modulus (stiffness): the bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length direction (ASTM D790-15e2); the copper planes are left outPCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes · Poisson's ratio: the bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane: cross direction .. length directionPCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes · Thermal expansion: the bare laminate's (fr4-370hr), in-plane X/Y-axis, below Tg (IPC-TM-650 2.4.24C)
2
SUMIKASUPER LCP Technical Note, Version 04 (2023)Sumitomo Chemicalarchived copyPlastic LCP GF30 · Ultimate tensile strength: tensile strength (ISO 527)Plastic LCP GF30 · Flexural strength: typical (ISO 178)Plastic LCP GF30 · Elongation at break: tensile elongation (ISO 527)Plastic LCP GF30 · Young's modulus (stiffness): tensile modulus (ISO 527)Plastic LCP GF30 · Density: typicalPlastic LCP GF30 · Thermal conductivity: hot disk (ISO 22007-2), temperature not statedPlastic LCP GF30 · Thermal expansion: flow direction (MD), mean 50-150 °CPlastic LCP GF30 · Specific heat: ASTM E1269, temperature not statedPlastic LCP GF30 · Max service temperature: HDT 1.8 MPa (ISO 75)

Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.

Questions

Mechanical

Is PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes stronger than Plastic LCP GF30?

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes is stronger: its tensile strength is 315 MPa against 115 MPa for Plastic LCP GF30 (2.74x).

Which is stiffer, PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes or Plastic LCP GF30?

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes is stiffer: Young's modulus 23.9 GPa against 11.5 GPa for Plastic LCP GF30, so the same part in PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes deflects less under the same load.

Thermal

Which expands less with temperature?

PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes expands less: 13.5 µm/m·K against 20 µm/m·K for Plastic LCP GF30.