Nelco N4000 13 is a very high quality multilayer sheet that is carefully crafted from glass fibre and epoxy resin, with the number of layers varying between approximately 8 and 16, while its thickness varies between 0.25 mm and 5.6 mm. The material’s high insulating ability, excellent thermal stability and strong mechanical strength make it ideal for products such as electronic circuit boards as well as networking equipment.
Nelco N4000-13 sheet properties.
Excellent Electrical Properties: Nelco N4000-13 sheet has excellent electrical properties, including a low dielectric constant (DK) and low loss factor (DF), which make it excellent for high-speed signal transmission and microwave applications. At the same time, its precise thickness control enables tight-tolerance impedance applications, ensuring board stability and reliability.
Thermally stable and mechanically strong: The sheet’s glass transition temperature (Tg) exceeds 210°C, which means it maintains stable performance in high-temperature environments. In addition, it has a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), especially in the Z-axis direction, which helps to minimise dimensional changes due to temperature variations. It also has excellent mechanical strength and can withstand high mechanical stresses, ensuring board stability and durability in long-term operation.
Excellent CAF Resistance: CAF (Conductive Anode Filament) is one of the common failure modes in electronic equipment, and Nelco N4000-13 boards are specially designed with excellent CAF resistance to prevent circuit shorts and failures due to CAF, thus increasing the reliability and service life of the equipment.
Lead-free assembly compatibility: With the improvement of environmental awareness, lead-free assembly has become a mainstream trend in the electronics manufacturing industry, Nelco N4000-13 sheet is fully compatible with lead-free assembly process, can meet the environmental requirements without compromising its performance.
Excellent processing performance: The sheet’s processing performance is also excellent, supporting high T9 FR-4 processing, and can be processed using a similar process to traditional high Tg FR-4 materials. It also meets a range of industry standards and specifications, such as UL94V-0 and IPC-4101, providing manufacturers with additional options and safeguards.
Key application areas for Nelco N4000-13 PCB material:
High-speed storage networks: It has a low dielectric constant (DK) and low loss factor (DF), which can support high-speed signal transmission and reduce signal loss, so it has a wide range of applications in high-speed storage networks. It can meet the requirements of storage devices for high-speed data transmission and low latency, and improve the overall performance of the storage system.
Internet Switches/Routing Systems: In Internet switches and routing systems, the PCB material provides stable electrical performance and excellent thermal stability, ensuring the stability and reliability of the equipment under high loads and prolonged operation. It supports high-speed data transmission to meet the bandwidth and speed requirements of modern networks.
Wireless Communication Infrastructure: Wireless communication infrastructures require high performance PCB materials that support high-frequency signal transmission and low signal loss, and the PCB material meets these requirements, resulting in a wide range of applications in wireless communication base stations, antennas, and other related equipment.
High-end PCB design: Nelco N4000-13’s high precision tolerances and excellent thickness control make it suitable for high-end PCB design. It can meet the requirements of complex circuit layout and wiring, and improve the overall performance and reliability of the board.
Other applications: In addition to the above, the PCB material can be used in other applications that require high performance PCB materials, such as data centres, servers, medical electronics, aerospace equipment, etc.
Compare with N4000-13 EP SI:
Basic Characteristics
Nelco’s N4000-13 sheet, which consists mainly of glass fibre and epoxy resin, is used in a wide range of applications such as electronic circuit boards and networking equipment, demonstrating its versatility and multi-functionality.
Electrical Properties
Nelco N4000-13 sheet has a low dielectric constant (DK) and low loss factor (DF), but values may vary depending on production lot and process.N4000-13 EP SI sheet also has excellent electrical properties, but may be optimised for specific applications such as high-speed storage networks and wireless communications infrastructure to meet higher signal rates and low-loss requirements.
Thermal and Mechanical Properties
Nelco N4000-13 sheet has a higher glass transition temperature (Tg),but the exact value may be lower than N4000-13 EP SI.
N4000-13 EP SI sheet may be even better in terms of thermal properties,with a higher Tg value and lower Z-axis coefficient of thermal expansion (Z-CTE), which helps to minimise the risk of sheet expansion and delamination during high temperature welding processes.
In terms of mechanical strength, both offer high strength, but N4000-13 EP SI may be enhanced for specific applications to provide better durability and reliability.
CAF Resistance and Processability
Nelco N4000-13 sheet offers basic CAF resistance, but may not be as good as the specially engineered CAF resistance of N4000-13 EP SI sheet.
In terms of processing performance, both support conventional FR-4 processing, but N4000-13 EP SI may be optimised for specific applications to provide better processing ease and yield.
Other Considerations
N4000-13 EP SI sheet may have been introduced to compensate for the lack of thermal stability of Nelco’s N4000-13 sheet, especially with the widespread use of lead-free soldering techniques. The high temperature requirements of lead-free soldering techniques present a higher challenge to the thermal performance of conventional sheet.
There may be differences in price and availability between the two. N4000-13 EP SI, as an improved plate, may have a higher cost, but may also offer better performance and reliability.
Nelco N4000-13 and its improved N4000-13 EP SI sheet have become important choices in the electronics manufacturing industry due to their excellent performance and wide range of applications. Whether it’s network equipment seeking high-speed data transmission or wireless communication infrastructure requiring a high degree of reliability, both sheets offer excellent solutions.
