IEC 61249-2-12:1999

Overview

IEC 61249-2-12:1999 defines requirements for epoxide non-woven aramid copper-clad laminate used in printed boards and other interconnecting structures. The standard covers clad materials in thicknesses from 0.05 mm up to 6.4 mm and specifies electrical, mechanical and flammability characteristics for a laminate of defined flammability (designation FV1). It is intended to ensure consistent material performance for PCB manufacturing, multilayer fabrication and reliability testing.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and construction
  • Material: epoxy resin bonded non‑woven aramid base with copper foil bonded to one or both sides.
  • Typical designation: 61249-2-12-FV1-IEC-EP-AP-Cu.
• Electrical properties
  • Surface and volume resistivity requirements after damp heat and recovery (e.g., ≥ 10 000 MΩ surface, ≥ 10 000 MΩ·m volume after recovery; optional lower limits while in humidity chamber).
  • Relative permittivity after damp heat: average ≤ 4.5; dielectric dissipation factor ≤ 0.03.
  • Optional electrical strength for thin laminates: 30 kV/mm for thickness ≤ 0.8 mm.
  • Elevated temperature resistivity (200 °C) and other high‑temperature metrics are also specified.
• Non‑electrical and mechanical properties
  • Appearance criteria for copper‑clad and unclad faces (free from blisters, deep scratches, contaminant residues removable by HCl or solvent).
  • Dimensional tolerances and thickness classes (coarse and fine tolerances up to 6.4 mm nominal).
  • Pull‑off and peel strength criteria for copper bond (e.g., pull‑off ≥ 60 N; specified peel strengths after thermal and simulated plating tests).
  • Flexural strength for base material (≥ 300 N/mm for nominal thickness ≥ 1.0 mm).
• Flammability (FV1)
  • Vertical burning test limits: flame application time per specimen ≤ 30 s; total flaming ≤ 250 s for ten applications; glowing combustion ≤ 60 s; no flaming/glowing to clamp and no flaming drips that ignite tissue.
• Manufacturing & delivery
  • Requirements on sheet/panel sizes, tolerances, packaging, marking and acceptance testing.
• Test references
  • Test methods reference IEC 61189‑2 (material test methods) and copper foil specification IEC 61249‑5‑1.

Applications and users

• Primary use: PCB and multilayer board fabrication, especially where defined flammability and reliable copper bonding are required.
• Typical users:
  • PCB designers and materials engineers selecting laminates for signal integrity and thermal requirements.
  • Procurement and quality teams specifying material acceptance criteria.
  • Test laboratories performing electrical, mechanical and flammability verification.
  • Suppliers and manufacturers of copper‑clad laminates and interconnecting structures.

Related standards

• IEC 61189‑2 - Test methods for materials for interconnection structures.
• IEC 61249‑5‑1 - Sectional specification for copper foils used in copper‑clad base materials.

Keywords: IEC 61249-2-12, epoxide non-woven aramid laminate, copper-clad laminate, PCB materials, flammability FV1, electrical properties, peel strength, dimensional stability, IEC 61189-2.