Thermosets' Cost and Reliability Advantages for Automotive Radar PCBs

The car radar market for safety and driver assistance applications is exploding, and the critical mass makes the choice of PCB materials a key consideration amid the crucial importance of cost and reliability factors that are intrinsically linked to the automotive environment. So automakers are looking beyond PTFE and highly filled hydrocarbon resins—traditionally used in high-frequency millimeter wave applications—to lower the cost of built-in vehicle radars and ensure their reliable operation at elevated temperatures. Here, the new thermoset resins are emerging as a viable alternative for advanced automotive safety systems by offering cost and reliability advantages over thermoplastic materials.