Standard or Coated: Where the Film Pays for Itself
The rule of thumb the site publishes is a hole-size line. For standard multilayer work with holes above 0.20 mm, plain 1100 H18 full-hard aluminum entry at 0.15–0.20 mm is sufficient and cheapest — buying a coated sheet there buys friction reduction the process does not need. Below that line — HDI, BGA, IC substrates, microvias — the economics flip: a lubricated sheet runs the drill bit 15–25 °C cooler, which shows up as fewer regrinds, less bit consumption and lower smear rejection. That saving never appears on the invoice, which is exactly why it has to be priced into the comparison before the quote arrives, not after.
One more line matters for the quote: base thickness. For sub-Ø0.15 mm vias the aluminum base must be ≤0.10 mm, so the coated grade you need may be a different stock item than the plain sheet you buy today — and different stock means a different price line and a different pallet.
The Two Film Chemistries You Can Quote
Two coating systems are quoted against each other, and the quote differs on more than price:
- Thermoset, 220 °C class. The default recommendation: a heat-stable resin film that does not soften at drilling temperature, so no hole-halo on dense IC/HDI microvias. Base aluminum ≤0.10 mm, stable uniform film with a consistent CpK. Best for microvias below Ø0.15 mm.
- Water-soluble. Lower material cost, easy post-process rinse, base up to 0.15 mm, best on holes above Ø0.10 mm. The exposure is humidity: in a rainy-season or high-humidity plant the sheets can stick, so it is quoted with a storage condition attached — not just a price.
Quote both only if the process genuinely straddles the line; a plant that runs dense microvias is buying the thermoset grade, and the water-soluble quote is there to price the saving, not to win the order. The chemistry-level differences are in the lubricated entry board material profile, and both chemistries are stocked and quoted on the coated aluminum entry product page.
Sheet Sizes, MOQ and What a Minimum Means Here
The thermoset grade is stocked in two formats, and the minimum follows the pallet:
- 940 × 1245 mm, 0.10 mm base — 400 sheets per pallet, MOQ 100 sheets.
- 520 × 620 mm, 0.10 mm base — 1000 sheets per pallet, MOQ 200 sheets.
A format outside these two has to be scheduled into the press calendar, which raises the minimum and the lead time; the mechanism is the same one set out in the procurement walkthrough for backup board. Coated film is stored flat at ≤25 °C and RH <50%, film side protected from moisture before use — a warehouse that cannot hold that condition should be quoted the thermoset grade, not the water-soluble one, whatever the price difference says.
How the Price Is Built and Quoted
Aluminum-based entry board is priced the same way across the range: the metal basis follows the SMM spot price plus a conversion charge, so a coated quote moves with the metal market the way a plain sheet quote does — the film is a conversion item on top. The payment schedule is the standard 30% deposit with the order acknowledgement and the balance before shipment, and the standard production lead time is about one week with weekly shipping capacity of four containers. What the coating changes is not the structure but the comparison: the coated sheet is quoted against the bit-life and rejection savings it produces, which is the cost-per-hole method set out in the drilling consumables cost-per-hole guide.
Locking the Specification: Base, Film and Storage
A coated grade carries every parameter a plain sheet carries, plus the film. On the purchase order:
- Base: alloy and temper (1100 H18 is the site standard), nominal base thickness with tolerance — ≤0.10 mm for microvia work.
- Film: chemistry (thermoset or water-soluble), side (one or both faces), and the temperature class for thermoset film.
- Format: sheet size, packing method, pallet quantity.
- Storage: the ≤25 °C / RH <50% condition and film-side protection, written so the receiving dock knows what a compliant pallet looks like.
The seven-parameter specification-locking set used across the material range is in the the procurement and landed cost walkthrough; a repeat order without these lines can arrive as a different product at a different price, exactly as with any other grade.
From Quote to First Order
The sequence that keeps a first order of coated entry clean: request the TDS with the quotation so the film class is documented before the PO; take a sample against the production spec, not a general one; put the base, film and storage lines on the purchase order; and confirm the deposit schedule, since production scheduling is reserved from the acknowledgement and the deposit. The sample-to-order sequence is the same one described for the material range in the first-order ramp guide, and what happens after the first delivery — incoming inspection, ramp to mass production, repeat orders — is in the backup board production ramp guide, which applies to entry material on the same schedule.
When do I need coated aluminum entry board instead of plain
Above a 0.20 mm hole on standard multilayer work, plain 1100 H18 full-hard entry at 0.15 to 0.20 mm is sufficient and cheapest. Below that line — HDI, BGA, IC substrates and microvias — the lubricated film runs the bit 15 to 25 °C cooler, which pays back in fewer regrinds, less bit consumption and lower smear rejection. For sub-Ø0.15 mm vias the aluminum base must also be 0.10 mm or less.
What is the difference between thermoset and water-soluble coated entry board
Thermoset film is heat-stable to about 220 °C and does not soften at drilling temperature, so it avoids hole-halo on dense microvias — it is the default for microvias below Ø0.15 mm. Water-soluble film is lower cost and easy to rinse, with base up to 0.15 mm, but it is humidity-sensitive: in a high-humidity plant the sheets can stick, so it is quoted with a storage condition attached.
What MOQ applies to coated aluminum entry board
The thermoset grade is stocked at 940 by 1245 mm with 0.10 mm base, 400 sheets per pallet and a 100-sheet minimum, and 520 by 620 mm with 1000 sheets per pallet and a 200-sheet minimum. A format outside these two has to be scheduled into the press calendar, which raises the minimum and the lead time.
How is coated aluminum entry board priced
On the same basis as the plain range: the SMM spot price for the aluminum plus a conversion charge, with the film as a conversion item on top. Payment is the standard 30% deposit with the order acknowledgement and the balance before shipment, the production lead time is about one week, and weekly shipping capacity runs to four containers.
What storage conditions do coated sheets need
Store flat at 25 °C or below and under 50% relative humidity, film side protected from moisture before use. A warehouse that cannot hold that condition should be quoted the thermoset grade rather than the water-soluble one, whatever the price difference says, because sticking sheets are a handling defect before they are a drilling defect.
What has to be on the purchase order for a coated grade
Everything a plain sheet carries — alloy and temper, base thickness with tolerance, sheet size and packing — plus the film lines: chemistry, side, and the temperature class for thermoset. Write the storage condition on the PO as well, so the receiving dock knows what a compliant pallet looks like before the first delivery arrives.