A Battle of the Heat Sinks: Skived Fin Vs. Folded Fin

There are a wide variety of copper heat sinks all with different applications, pros, and cons. We wanted to create a brief resource for those trying to compare these heat sinks. Before we got started, we wanted to recommend if you want to learn even more about copper heat sinks to contact professionals.

Pros and Cons of Folded Fins

This type of copper heat sink was originally developed to be used on airplanes and satellites. The folded fins are made by folding a strip of copper repeatedly in a wave pattern. On each there is thermal conductive epoxy attached onto the copper.

Advantages of Folded Fins

• Lightest of all heat sinks
• Can have the finest fin
• Minimize the amount of space need to mount
• Dissipates the most heat per surface area

Cons of Folded Fins

• More costly than skivs
• Sometimes nickel plated required for soldering
• Require joints which reduce thermal conductivity

Pros and Cons of Skived Fins

Skived fins evolved from folded fins, and they offer higher fin density with improved thermal conductivity when compared to folded fins. These heat sinks are carved from the base of the heat sink with a very thin blade which is folded and then aligned.

Advantages of Skived Fins

• Ideal thermal conductivity with base
• Inexpensive prototyping
• Thin fins
• Can be made from copper or aluminum

Disadvantages of Skived Fins

• Fin and base have to be same material
• Fins have to be parallel
• Sometimes extra machining step is needed if the base is 3.0 mm or less


Conclusion on Copper Heat Sinks

As you can see, each type of fin has unique features and applications to consider. To learn more about a variety of copper heat sinks visit this website.

For further details about copper heatsinks and heat sinks please visit the website.