MetalcorePCBs are not very common in consumer products, but they abound in industry, aerospace, lighting systems, power electronics, and other areas that require high reliability.   High power systems can generate a lot of heat, and that heat needs to be removed quickly to prevent component failure. Similarly, low power systems might be exposed to high heat, and that heat also needs to be removed quickly to prevent damage to the board and components.

FPCsupplier talk about applications of Metal-Core PCB

Metal core PCBs find their home in nearly any application where high amounts of heat are generated as the device operates. These boards aren’t a great substitute for ceramics as they are a lower cost option, and they provide higher thermal conductivity to remove heat from important components. They tend to be a starting point when looking for a board for a rugged system with high heat dissipation. Some applications of metal-core PCBs include:

LED lighting units.Boards with high power LEDs are normally fabricated on metal core PCBs.   These boards can provide a rugged base for high power LEDs (SMD and through-hole) while dissipating high heat into the metal core.

Power conversion and management.Hybrid vehicles, industrial equipment, base station telecom equipment, and municipal power distribution systems all operate at high power.   Metal-core PCBs are common in these areas.

Photovoltaics. Solar power equipment needs to be especially rugged and operate at high temperatures, as well as high DC voltage/current. Similar board designs could be implemented in geothermal facilities.

Defense (e.g., submersibles, aircraft). Metal-core PCBs provide fast heat dissipation away from electronics that might sit near a high heat source, such as an engine unit or exhaust system.

Grounding the Metal Core

The metal backing on a PCB can act like a large ground plane or a large heat sink. If the board needs to have high speed/high frequency circuit blocks, then using the backside metal plate as a large ground plane provides some shielding. It can also provide some plane capacitance if a power plane is used in the board.

In addition,PCBfactorychina learned that the metal core can be used as a large heat sink, especially if left exposed. latter aspect is very useful when the board needs to be mounted near a high heat source. In this case, it is probably best not to ground the back side when you are connecting the top side to a standard power source; this will prevent ground loops. This will also provide direct heat dissipation into a very large heat sink, which helps the surface temperature low.

Holes in Single-Sided Boards

Holes can be placed in a metal-core PCB, either as mounting holes or as standard through-hole vias on a double-sided board. If holes are simply used for mounting through-hole components on a single-sided board, these holes should not be plat.