CuClad 217 is a cross-plied woven-glass PTFE laminate at the low-Dk end of the CuClad family. The reinforcement architecture is a meaningful difference from ordinary woven-glass or random-fiber PTFE products. Its current product sheet gives the listed dielectric constant at 1 MHz, so that number is not mislabeled here as a 10 GHz process measurement.
Material system
Cross-plied woven-glass-reinforced PTFE
Technical properties
| Property | Reported value | Conditions / source |
|---|---|---|
| Dissipation factor | 0.0009 | Typical, 10 GHz, 23°C; IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.5; direction is not separately recorded here. Source |
| Process dielectric constant | 2.17 or 2.20 | Typical; 1 MHz, C23/50, IPC-TM-650 2.5.5.3, current product datasheet electrical table. Frequency differs from the selector heading. Source |
Typical reported values are not a purchase specification. Process Dk, design Dk and values measured at different frequencies are not interchangeable.
Selection and design notes
- Consider it when low permittivity and balanced reinforcement are useful to the antenna or microwave layout. Compare line widths and radiator footprint with CuClad 233 before selecting a construction.
- Choose the ordered 2.17 or 2.20 dielectric variant explicitly. A nearby nominal value can still shift a large array's phase distribution or a tuned component's response, particularly when the artwork was calibrated to a specific lot construction.
Thickness and copper options
The selector lists 10, 20, 31 and 62 mil examples; verify current thickness and tolerance for the ordered Dk variant.
ED copper is listed. Cross-plying describes reinforcement, not a guarantee of low copper roughness.
Fabrication considerations
- Retain panel orientation and core details in the manufacturing package even for a cross-plied material. Ask the fabricator to qualify PTFE hole preparation and dimensional compensation using the actual thickness, foil and panel copper distribution.
Application fit
- Low-Dk antenna panels
- Balanced microwave substrates
- Cross-plied RF structures
Limits and substitution checks
- The current datasheet and selector use different dielectric test presentations. A 1 MHz value cannot be silently promoted to a microwave Design Dk. No automatic preset is supplied until a frequency-appropriate construction model is selected and checked on a representative circuit.