The one thing to get right
An entry-only brand covers half the stack. The lubricating layer fixes the top; the exit side underneath is still open. If you are consolidating suppliers, price both layers together — the entry saving is small next to the backup layer that was being bought separately.
What an LE SHEET-type product is
LE SHEET is a brand associated with the lubricated aluminum entry category. The product is an aluminum base — typically 1100 H18 commercial-pure aluminum — with a lubricating layer on the drilling face, carried on top of the drilling stack.
The lubricating layer changes what happens at the first contact. Where a plain aluminum entry relies on the aluminum alone to conduct heat and guide the bit, the lubricated sheet adds a film that cools the tip, releases chips cleanly from the flutes and lets the stack run taller before resin clogging sets in. Those are the three effects the category is bought for, and they are the three things worth measuring when you qualify one. The mechanism is set out in what a coated aluminum entry board is, and the family lives on the lubricant & coated aluminum pages.
Thermoset or water-soluble
Within the lubricated category there are two common coating chemistries, and the choice between them is a real decision rather than a preference:
- Thermoset. Rated to a higher temperature, and the usual choice for the hotter HDI and high-Tg stacks where the film has to survive the thermal load inside the micro-via. YUESHAN's thermoset film is rated 220 °C.
- Water-soluble. A different residue and handling profile, often chosen where clean post-drill removal of the layer matters. YUESHAN offers a water-soluble resin film alongside the thermoset.
Which one is right depends on your hole size, laminate and thermal load — not on the brand on the box. We compare the two directly in thermoset vs water-soluble coated aluminum. A qualifying sample of either travels as production stock cut from our own line, with TDS and SDS attached.
The second decision: the backup layer
The category is an entry sheet — it sits on top of the stack. The exit-side support beneath the panels is a separate consumable, and an entry-only brand does not supply it. That matters in two ways:
- It is a second supplier to qualify. An entry-only source leaves the backup layer to a separate vendor, a separate TDS and a separate qualification.
- It is a second cost to price. The board price of the entry sheet is only half the stack. The exit-side board the run consumes is the other half, and it is usually the bigger line on the per-panel ledger.
If the entry side is the layer you are switching, it is worth looking at both layers at once. The exit-side decision is a class choice — HDF, melamine or phenolic — ranked on cost per good panel in the backup board material comparison, with every family indexed in the backup board materials hub. The high-density fibre (HDF) classes are the cost-first default for standard 2–12 layer work.
The YUESHAN range in the same place
YUESHAN supplies both layers, so a switch against the entry-only category can close the second-supplier gap at the same time:
- Lubricant-Coated Aluminum Entry Board — the lubricated entry family, thermoset and water-soluble.
- Aluminum entry boards — the plain 1100 H18 baseline for jobs that do not need the layer.
- Backup boards — the exit-side families: HDF, melamine, UV-cured melamine and phenolic.
The whole category map is at the alternatives index; the qualification route is in how a drilling-material supplier is qualified.
Trademarks and scope
MGC and LE SHEET are trademarks of their respective owner. They are used on this page only to describe the lubricated aluminum entry category a buyer may already be specifying, within a comparison ("alternative" / "vs" / "benchmark") context. YUESHAN is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a distributor of MGC, and no MGC specification, part number or data sheet is reproduced on this site. See also our Terms of Use.
Questions buyers ask
What is an LE SHEET-type product?
It is a lubricated aluminum entry sheet — an aluminum base with a lubricating layer on the drilling face that cools the bit, carries chips away and lets the stack run taller without resin clogging the flutes. It is the entry layer, on top of the copper. LE SHEET is a brand associated with the category, not a category of its own.
What is the difference between a thermoset and a water-soluble lubricating layer?
Thermoset films are rated higher for heat and are chosen for hotter HDI and high-Tg stacks; water-soluble films behave differently for residue and handling and are often chosen where clean post-drill removal matters. The choice depends on your hole size, laminate and thermal load, not on the brand.
Is an LE SHEET-type brand a backup board too?
No. The category is an entry sheet only — it sits on top of the stack. The backup layer beneath the panels is a separate consumable and a separate decision. Buyers who source an entry-only brand still need a second source, or a second family, for the exit-side support.
Is YUESHAN affiliated with MGC?
No. MGC and LE SHEET are trademarks of their respective owner and are used here only to describe the lubricated aluminum entry category in a comparison context. YUESHAN is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a distributor of MGC, and no MGC specification is reproduced on this site.