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RT/duroid 6010LM and 6010.2LM material identity

Confirm whether the design calls for the current 6010.2LM construction before using its data. Review the material data, use the engineering model, and send a defined construction for quotation.

Bring your band, stackup, quantity and acceptance requirements. Preliminary files are welcome for review.

³Ô¹Ïtv rogers 6002 pcb construction example
Related ROGERS 6002 board photograph from the ³Ô¹Ïtv media catalogue. Used to explain construction; not evidence that the pictured board uses the material discussed on this page.

Start with the engineering decision

Resolve 6010LM versus 6010.2LM first

The current product designation commonly encountered in supplier material data is RT/duroid 6010.2LM. A drawing that says 6010LM needs an identity check before those values are adopted. Record the original document and intended construction. A high-Dk replacement can alter line geometry, resonance and fabrication sensitivity even when the overall board size stays constant.

RT/duroid 6010LM and 6010.2LM material identity decision framework
Planning itemWorking definition
Primary taskConfirm whether the design calls for the current 6010.2LM construction before using its data
Model boundaryIdentify the construction, units, method and acceptance question before calculation.
Useful outputA documented decision, a reproducible model or a complete fabrication brief.
Next engineering stepRogers PCB impedance control

A verified single design Dk has not been assigned to this construction. The tool leaves uncertain material fields open. Obtain the original designation and applicable supplier document before adopting numeric properties.

RF engineering workbench

Use explicit construction inputs. Results can be downloaded or opened as an email draft; the tool does not upload project information.

Worked planning example

Example: for model Dk 2.20, dielectric height 0.508 mm and target impedance 50 Ω, an ideal zero-thickness microstrip gives approximately 1.568 mm width and effective permittivity 1.881. At 10 GHz its guided wavelength is approximately 21.857 mm. These are illustrative model inputs, not properties assigned to every material discussed here.

Use the result to inspect scale and sensitivity. Preserve the input units and assumptions in the downloaded brief, then use the actual finished geometry and appropriate solver or measurement method for release.

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Rogers Engineering Workbench

Rogers Engineering
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Using this tool & sharing results

Use the stated units, input limits and model assumptions. Results support an engineering discussion; they do not approve a design, process or production order.

After changing inputs, update the result before using it. Where a download or copy action is available, review that brief and attach or paste it into your enquiry. Opening Contact does not transfer these inputs or send a request.

How to use and share tool results

Microstrip cross-section: W is conductor width and h is local dielectric height. Illustration, not an approved stackup.
Microstrip cross-section: W is conductor width and h is local dielectric height. Illustration, not an approved stackup. Original engineering illustration.

Read the datasheet as a set of measurement definitions

A laminate data sheet is most useful when each value remains attached to its definition. Begin by recording the manufacturer, exact product designation, revision and thickness construction. Then separate electrical measurements from thermal and mechanical properties. A typical value describes the supplier's reported material behavior; a tolerance, an acceptance limit and a guaranteed finished-board result are different records. The purchasing specification should identify which requirements actually apply to the ordered construction.

Read the dielectric-constant columns before entering a number in a field solver. Process Dk supports the supplier's stated material test and quality-control method. A design Dk is a separate modeling reference derived for its stated purpose. Effective permittivity is calculated for a transmission-line geometry that may occupy both dielectric and air. Those three quantities can differ without any of them being a printing error. Keep the source method with the number so a later engineer can reproduce the selection.

A tabulated Df is a frequency-dependent reference, not a broadband insertion-loss specification for a finished board. Identify the measurement frequency and any footnote before comparing two materials. A lower typical Df can reduce a dielectric contribution under otherwise comparable conditions, but measured circuit loss also contains conductor, surface, launch, radiation and mismatch terms. If two suppliers report different methods, establish a common circuit or measurement basis before ranking the materials.

Thickness needs the same care as dielectric data. Distinguish core dielectric thickness from copper-clad thickness, cured bonding thickness and total board thickness. If a construction is specified in mils or inches, record its original nominal designation as well as the metric conversion. A convenient rounded metric number can otherwise become an unintended purchase change. Do not interpret a family-level product table as a promise that every thickness and foil combination is currently orderable.

Thermal conductivity, CTE and a temperature coefficient of dielectric constant answer different questions. Conductivity describes a material contribution to heat flow. CTE describes dimensional change in a stated direction and temperature interval. The dielectric coefficient describes electrical-property variation. None alone is a safe continuous-use temperature or a maximum RF power rating. An axis-dependent thermal or mechanical result should retain its direction; one value should not silently stand in for all three axes.

Flammability, moisture absorption and environmental results also require their test conditions. A material listing is not a certification of a completed assembly. When an application has a specific acceptance requirement, identify the required specimen, conditioning, test method and supporting record. Ask whether the reported construction corresponds to the material actually being purchased. A generic family claim is weaker evidence than a document tied to the relevant thickness, foil and grade.

Finally, turn the table into a reusable material record. Include the selected electrical model, thickness and copper choice, any bonding system, relevant source revisions and unresolved questions. Link that record to the fabrication drawing. If a newer document changes a nominal property, investigate whether the construction, measurement method or interpretation changed before altering an already validated design. This gives engineering and purchasing a controlled starting point for an alternative review.

³Ô¹Ïtv rogers 4003c pcb construction example
Related ROGERS 4003C board photograph from the ³Ô¹Ïtv media catalogue. Used to explain construction; not evidence that the pictured board uses the material discussed on this page.
Process, design and effective dielectric values describe different measurements or models.
Process, design and effective dielectric values describe different measurements or models. Original engineering illustration.

How to turn a datasheet into usable design inputs

Read the property, the test method and the condition as one record. A dielectric constant without frequency, temperature or method can be ambiguous. A typical value is also different from a purchasing tolerance. The table on this page separates supplier process Dk from design Dk so that an engineer does not accidentally transfer a quality-control measurement into a circuit model with a different definition.

Effective permittivity belongs to the transmission-line structure. For an air-covered microstrip, some of the field occupies air and some occupies the substrate. For a homogeneous centered stripline, the field arrangement is different. Neither quantity should be casually relabeled as the material's process Dk. The same laminate can therefore appear in two correct calculations with different effective permittivities because the geometries differ.

Preserve document revisions when recording values. A supplier may publish a design reference that depends on thickness, copper configuration, frequency range or a particular extraction method. The presence of a newer document does not mean that an old approved circuit should be changed without review. Compare the relevant construction and determine whether the design model, procurement specification or acceptance record needs revision.

A useful material comparison holds the circuit task constant. Begin with the same electrical length or board geometry, then state which variable is allowed to change. Comparing one material at a different thickness, foil type and fixture can obscure the reason for a performance difference. Keep the comparison small enough to answer a defined question, such as trace-width change at equal impedance or dielectric attenuation under an explicitly constant-Df assumption.

When the material is selected, carry the chosen construction into the fabrication drawing. Specify the supplier grade, core thickness, copper type, finish, bond layers and critical RF dimensions. Leave unresolved items visibly open for engineering review. This page is the data interpretation step; the linked manufacturing page carries the selected material into a quote-ready board description.

Cost planning and a direct RFQ route

Price the construction described by the data

A material data sheet does not contain the complete cost of a circuit board. Procurement needs the exact laminate, dielectric thickness, foil, usable panel format and quantity. A family name with a nominal Dk can leave several materially different offers on the table. Ask which construction is included and whether cutting, special copper, minimum purchase quantities or certification documents affect the quotation.

The cost model below lets you attach your own panel and fabrication allowances to a named construction. Its panel count is geometric bookkeeping; it does not confirm supply availability or predict process yield. A substitute with a lower sheet price can require new models, coupons, fixtures or qualification. Compare that complete change effort with the expected production quantity rather than treating the raw laminate difference as the total saving.

For an enquiry, attach the selected data-sheet revision with the fabrication files and mark any open material decision. If no current construction has been verified, request an identification and availability review first. A fabricator can then distinguish the price of the specified build from the price of a proposed alternative. Keep those offers separate until the design authority has approved the choice.

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Rogers Fabrication Budget & RFQ

Rogers Engineering
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Using this tool & sharing results

Budget outputs are planning scenarios. Check the included costs and rate assumptions; a confirmed quotation requires a review of your files and scope.

After changing inputs, update the result before using it. Where a download or copy action is available, review that brief and attach or paste it into your enquiry. Opening Contact does not transfer these inputs or send a request.

How to use and share tool results

Prefer to send files now? Contact the ³Ô¹Ïtv team with the requested material, construction and quantity. An exact quotation is based on the agreed scope.

Verify the construction that matters to the product

Keep source data separate from your acceptance evidence

Build a short evidence register for the chosen grade. At minimum, record where the electrical values came from, which construction was modeled, and what the finished board will actually be tested for. A supplier sheet, a material certificate, an impedance coupon and a system RF measurement answer different questions. Putting them in separate rows prevents a typical property from being mistaken for proof that the product meets its specification.

For the dielectric model, record frequency, method and any thickness limitation. For the manufacturing record, keep the actual material identity, drawing revision and agreed stackup. For the RF result, define the fixture and reference planes. This allows an unexpected result to be investigated in the correct place: material identity, geometry, measurement setup or a design assumption. Without these distinctions, teams often debate a single Dk value while the real difference lies elsewhere.

An alternate-material evaluation should begin with an explicit delta list. Compare resin and reinforcement, nominal electrical properties, copper construction, thickness options, relevant expansion behavior, bonding and processing. Mark unknown information as unresolved. A matching headline Dk does not close the review, and a different nominal Dk does not by itself prove that the alternative is unsuitable. The consequence depends on the circuit and the dimensions that can be changed.

Choose representative validation structures. A long line can help assess propagation and attenuation, while a resonator, coupled structure, antenna element or high-power assembly may need its own evidence. State why each specimen is included and how its result will influence the material decision. This avoids paying for tests that produce numbers without answering the substitution or procurement question.

Once the construction is accepted, preserve the source revisions and the approved deviations with the manufacturing release. Purchasing should be able to identify a material change before a repeat build begins. If the supplier document is updated, compare the relevant sections and ask whether the ordered construction has changed. The website tool remains a planning aid; the released project record is the reference for the actual order.

rogers 4350b copper base pcb construction example
Related ROGERS 4350B board photograph from the ³Ô¹Ïtv media catalogue. Used to explain construction; not evidence that the pictured board uses the material discussed on this page.
Define reference planes and representative geometry before comparing model and measurement.
Define reference planes and representative geometry before comparing model and measurement. Original engineering illustration.
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Rogers Construction Explorer

Rogers Engineering
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Using this tool & sharing results

Use the stated units, input limits and model assumptions. Results support an engineering discussion; they do not approve a design, process or production order.

After changing inputs, update the result before using it. Where a download or copy action is available, review that brief and attach or paste it into your enquiry. Opening Contact does not transfer these inputs or send a request.

How to use and share tool results

Questions before the next design or purchase decision

What should this page help me decide?

Confirm whether the design calls for the current 6010.2LM construction before using its data. Start with the named construction and the relevant engineering requirement. The photographs show physical circuit examples, while the original-source links and explicit model assumptions support the technical review.

What is the most important construction detail here?

Exact 6010 suffix and revision. Keep that decision in the released drawing and ask the supplier to identify the offered construction explicitly. For this material, the follow-up verification should address high-dk model and controlled substitution.

Does the design tool approve this PCB for manufacture?

No. It calculates the stated preliminary model or organizes a construction brief. Finished copper, transitions, mixed dielectrics, assembly interfaces and process limits may require a more complete review. The downloaded result preserves assumptions so engineering can evaluate the same inputs.

Can I obtain a price without completing the tool?

Yes. Use the direct Contact or email route with your drawing, quantity and construction requirements. The optional budget uses your entered allowances and an explicit panel model; it is not a calibrated ³Ô¹Ïtv tariff. Complex constructions need a file-based quotation.

What should I send with an enquiry?

Include the exact material designation, fabrication artwork, drill data, outline, proposed stackup, copper, finish and quantity. Add the relevant impedance, RF, thermal or mechanical acceptance requirements. If assembly is included, provide the BOM, placement data and test expectations.

Continue with the right engineering task

Original technical references

Supplier documents support material identity, properties and methods. They do not establish current stock or qualify an unspecified finished board. Check the exact grade, construction and document revision for your order.