Hi All,

We have several designs in which we use the thru-hole pad and surrounding etch to act as a heat sink for device heat being transmitted via the component leads.  Typically 2 ounce copper and often on 0.090" thick FR-4 boards.  With the added copper thickness and larger pad area for better "heat sinking" we now introduce greater difficulty in getting a quality solder joint and don't get me started on the increased difficulty in removing a bad component.

So my questions are:
Is this a common practice?
Does it really provide effective device heat sinking?

Phil Nutting  |  HVP Development Engineer   |  Excelitas Technologies Corp

Lab: +1 978.224.4332   |  Office: +1 978.224.4152
35 Congress St, Salem, MA  01970 USA
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