One-Stop Heavy Copper PCB Manufacturing and Assembly Service

Highleap Electronics provides a global one-stop solution for heavy copper PCB manufacturing and assembly for the electronics industry.

Highleap’s Capabilities in Thick Copper PCBs

Highleap Electronics specializes in the production of thick copper PCBs designed to handle high current loads, provide excellent thermal performance, and maintain mechanical strength in demanding applications. Our manufacturing capabilities support up to 10oz copper thickness on both inner and outer layers, making us a reliable partner for power electronics, automotive systems, renewable energy, and industrial equipment.

We can achieve minimum trace/space widths of 2/2mil, allowing for precise and high-density circuit designs even with heavy copper. Our advanced drilling technology supports a mechanical drilling aspect ratio of up to 20:1, and laser drilling down to 0.075mm, enabling compact and complex multilayer PCB structures with excellent electrical connectivity and reliability.

Highleap’s thick copper PCBs can be manufactured with board thicknesses ranging from 0.4mm to 8mm, and sizes from 10mm x 10mm up to 22.5″ x 30″ (571.5mm x 762mm). We offer a wide range of surface finishes, including ENIG, HASL, OSP, Immersion Silver, Immersion Tin, ENEPIG, Flash Gold, Hard Gold Plating, and Gold Finger, to meet various functional and aesthetic requirements.

For design flexibility, we support multiple solder mask colors such as Green, Black, Blue, Red, and Matte Green, with solder mask clearance as small as 1.5mil and minimum dam width of 3mil. Silkscreen (legend) is available in White, Black, Red, and Yellow, with a minimum width/height of 4/23mil. Our strict quality control also ensures bow and twist ≤ 0.3%, delivering excellent dimensional stability and overall board performance.

These real-world examples illustrate the precision, reliability, and durability of Highleap’s heavy copper PCBs in action. From wide copper traces for high-current transmission to multilayer boards with tight spacing and complex via structures, each PCB reflects our advanced fabrication techniques and commitment to quality.

The following images highlight different applications and configurations of heavy copper PCBs, showcasing our capability to meet diverse design and performance requirements:

Compact high-density heavy copper PCB with ENIG finish and complex circuit patterns.

Global Heavy Copper PCB Manufacturing and Sourcing

1. Why Choose Highleap for Your Heavy Copper PCB Needs

Highleap Electronics is a leading Heavy Copper PCB manufacturer in China, specializing in producing high-performance, high-current handling PCBs for various industries. The global demand for heavy copper PCBs has been growing rapidly due to their superior performance in high-power applications, such as automotive systems, renewable energy, and industrial equipment. Here’s why you should consider Highleap for your heavy copper PCB needs:

• Competitive Manufacturing in China: Highleap is a top China-based Heavy Copper PCB manufacturer, offering cost-effective solutions with quick lead times and high-quality standards. Our extensive production capabilities allow us to handle copper thicknesses of up to 10oz, ensuring that your Heavy Copper PCB needs are met with superior reliability and performance.
• Global Sourcing: Highleap works closely with international clients, providing heavy copper PCB solutions that meet international standards. Our factory is certified with ISO 9001, ensuring that we meet the highest quality standards across all heavy copper PCB manufacturing processes.
• Tailored to Global Applications: Whether you’re based in Europe, North America, or Asia, Highleap ensures that you receive Heavy Copper PCBs optimized for your application. From automotive systems to renewable energy solutions, we cater to a wide range of industries that demand high-current, high-performance boards.

2. The Benefits of Choosing Highleap as Your Heavy Copper PCB Supplier

Choosing Highleap for your heavy copper PCB manufacturing needs comes with numerous benefits. Here’s why clients trust Highleap Electronics for their heavy copper PCB projects:

• High Current Handling Capacity: Our Heavy Copper PCBs are specifically designed for high-power applications. With copper thicknesses ranging from 4oz to 10oz, we can provide low-resistance, high-current capacity PCBs, ideal for electric vehicle chargers, power inverters, and motor drives.
• Global Recognition and Trust: Highleap has earned a reputation as a reliable Heavy Copper PCB supplier for global clients. We consistently deliver high-performance PCBs that meet stringent quality and durability requirements, making us a preferred partner for industries like aerospace, automotive, and industrial electronics.
• Rapid Prototyping and Fast Delivery: We offer fast lead times for heavy copper PCB prototyping, helping our customers accelerate their product development cycles. With our efficient manufacturing processes, we can provide short turnaround times, ensuring your project stays on schedule.
• Internationally Recognized Certifications: As a trusted heavy copper PCB manufacturer in China, Highleap meets ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and other relevant certifications. This ensures consistent, high-quality manufacturing for all our clients, whether you’re developing heavy copper PCBs for automotive, industrial equipment, or RF systems.

3. Why Highleap’s Heavy Copper PCB Solutions Are Perfect for Power Electronics, Automotive, and RF Applications

Highleap Electronics specializes in designing Heavy Copper PCBs for high-power electronics, automotive systems, and RF applications. Here’s why our heavy copper PCBs are perfect for these industries:

• Power Electronics: Heavy Copper PCBs are ideal for power electronics that require high current handling and efficient heat dissipation. Our heavy copper PCBs provide better thermal conductivity, making them perfect for applications like power supplies, electric vehicles, solar power inverters, and battery management systems.
• Automotive Electronics: Automotive systems require PCBs that can withstand high thermal loads and mechanical stress. Highleap’s Heavy Copper PCBs are built to handle high currents for applications like engine control units (ECUs), lighting systems, and safety systems. With high thermal conductivity and low impedance, our heavy copper PCBs ensure reliable performance in demanding automotive environments.
• RF and Microwave Applications: Heavy copper PCBs are also crucial for RF and microwave applications due to their low impedance and excellent signal integrity. Highleap provides heavy copper PCBs for RF amplifiers, antennas, radar systems, and telecommunication devices, ensuring minimal signal loss and improved performance at high frequencies.

4. How Highleap’s Heavy Copper PCBs Help Reduce EMI and Improve Signal Integrity

One of the significant benefits of Heavy Copper PCBs is their ability to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) and improve signal integrity. Here’s how Highleap’s heavy copper PCBs help achieve this:

• Superior Shielding for EMI: The thicker copper layers in heavy copper PCBs act as effective shields, preventing electromagnetic interference and signal noise. This makes our Heavy Copper PCBs ideal for high-frequency applications where maintaining signal integrity is critical.
• Lower Impedance and Reduced Signal Loss: Heavy Copper PCBs offer lower impedance, which is essential for high-speed circuits and RF applications. The thicker copper traces provide better power distribution, helping to maintain consistent performance and reduce signal loss in high-speed digital and analog circuits.

5. Choosing Highleap for Custom Heavy Copper PCB Solutions

If you’re looking for a custom heavy copper PCB solution, Highleap can provide a tailored approach to meet your unique needs. Here’s what sets us apart:

• Customized Heavy Copper Solutions: Highleap offers custom heavy copper PCBs designed to meet your exact specifications. Whether you need a PCB with 10oz copper for a power application or a 4oz copper PCB for RF circuits, we can create a design that matches your current requirements and long-term needs.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Our design for manufacturability (DFM) process ensures that your heavy copper PCB designs are optimized for efficient production, reducing costs and ensuring high yields.
• One-on-One Engineering Support: Highleap provides expert engineering support throughout the design and manufacturing process. Our team works closely with you to ensure that your heavy copper PCB designs meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability standards.

Heavy Copper PCB Design Guidelines

Designing a heavy copper PCB goes far beyond simply widening traces or increasing plating thickness. It requires a holistic approach—balancing materials, thermal management, electrical performance, structural reliability, and manufacturability. This guide outlines the critical design considerations to help you achieve robust and reliable performance in high-current, high-thermal-load applications.

1. Material and Copper Foil Selection

In heavy copper PCBs, the type of copper foil used is pivotal. Rolled Annealed (RA) copper offers superior ductility and a smoother surface, making it ideal for high-reliability and high-frequency applications. Electro-Deposited (ED) copper is more commonly used for conventional high-current designs.

Per IPC-4562, surface roughness (Rz) significantly impacts high-frequency losses and interface thermal transfer. For the substrate, materials should be selected with a high Tg (≥170°C), low CTE (≤14 ppm/°C), and thermal conductivity ≥0.6 W/m·K to maintain structural stability under thermal cycling.

2. Electrical and Thermal Co-Design

Current-carrying capacity should be calculated based on IPC-2152, with adjustments for copper thickness above 4oz. The relationship between current density, temperature rise, and trace width must be precisely evaluated. For external copper, the approximation I = 0.048 × ΔT^0.44 × A^0.725 (in Amps) can be used.

At high frequencies, skin effect becomes non-negligible. Also, thicker copper reduces trace impedance—particularly critical in impedance-controlled circuits. Designers must adjust trace width and dielectric thickness accordingly, while accounting for copper thickness tolerance (±10%), which can introduce impedance variations of ±3Ω.

3. Thermal Management and Stress Control

Heavy copper PCBs often deal with high thermal flux. Thermal simulation tools like ANSYS Icepak are recommended to model 3D heat distribution and flow paths. Effective thermal solutions include embedded copper blocks, differential copper layering (e.g., 4oz top / 2oz bottom), and dense thermal via arrays.

Mechanical reliability should be addressed by limiting thermal strain in critical areas (ε_max < 0.3%). Drilling strategies—including hole aspect ratio, back drilling, and pad support—must be optimized to avoid fatigue failures like via cracking or pad lifting.

4. Manufacturing-Oriented Design Optimization

Etching thick copper presents significant challenges. Side etch compensation should be pre-calculated using ΔW = 2 × Copper Thickness / Etch Factor, where the etch factor varies with copper weight (e.g., 3oz: 3.0, 6oz: 2.5).

Use increased copper weights (e.g., 4oz, 6oz, or higher) only when they provide a tangible benefit—such as improved current-carrying capacity or reduced impedance. Overuse may lead to unnecessary manufacturing complexity and cost.

To accommodate heavy copper during drilling, via design must be adjusted accordingly. Start with 0.6mm vias for 4oz copper and increase to 0.8mm or larger for thicker layers to avoid tool wear and ensure reliable plating. In addition, annular ring sizes should be increased to ≥0.25mm. The added drill force required for heavy copper increases the risk of drill bit wander and pad damage—wider rings reduce this risk and enhance mechanical integrity.

Likewise, trace widths should be increased. Heavy copper offers lower resistance, enabling wider traces to carry high current more effectively. For 4oz–6oz copper, use 0.2–0.3mm trace width as a baseline, scaling up to 0.5mm or more for ultra-heavy copper applications.

For localized copper variation, define region-specific copper weights in your Gerber or ODB++ files, ensuring smooth transitions—recommended ≤45° taper with ≥3mm length. Plated through-hole copper thickness should be ≥25μm, and via filling with solder mask clearance must meet combined electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance requirements.

5. Simulation Validation and Quality Assurance

Prior to mass production, verify trace resistance using the four-wire method and assess thermal distribution with infrared thermography. For power integrity, Sigrity simulation is advised, while ANSYS can validate thermal and mechanical stresses.

Manufacturability checks using Valor NPI help optimize prepreg flow, copper uniformity, and lamination stack-up, increasing final yield. For high-reliability applications in automotive, industrial, and energy sectors, conduct thermal shock tests (-55°C to +125°C) and triaxial vibration tests to ensure long-term durability under harsh conditions.