Extruded Aluminum Heatsinks from Cooling Source Are the Ultimate in Heat Sink Extrusions

It would be great to have someone walk into your place of business and meet all of your extruded aluminum heatsink needs. Cooling Source is the next best option. We have an extensive inventory of heat sink extrusions.

Any order can be fulfilled quickly. We offer both standard and custom extruded aluminum heatsinks. On our website, you can browse through our catalog of heat sink extrusions we have in stock. We have an online form for customers to use to request a quote with or without an existing heat sink. A customer representative will respond quickly.

Custom Heat Sink Extrusions

Benefits of custom heat sink extrusions include:

• Keeping tooling costs low
• Achieving a low per piece cost
• Little or no secondary machining

Heat sink extrusions are made in a variety of shapes. Each is designed to fulfill a particular need. Our Cooling Source experts can explain the benefits of a process and help determine which of our extruded aluminum heatsinks best fits your needs.

The advantages of extruded aluminum heatsinks are:

• Improved cooling performance provided by high fin density
• Lighter in weight than copper
• Work more efficiently than stamped heatsinks
• Cost less than machined assemblies
• Wide variety of customized designs
• Useful flat backs for power module components
• Geared unique shapes for electronic power assembly use

Time associated with the machination of an equivalent block aluminum form is eliminated

Extruded Aluminum Heatsink Finishes

Cooling Source offers finishes that protect heat sink extrusion parts against hazardous environments. For extruded aluminum heatsinks, we use an anodizing finish and chromate finishing. Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process that increases the surface's natural oxide layer.

The finish is made of aluminum oxide. It is a sturdy finish that has excellent emissivity. Hard anodizing is implemented for high-temperature applications. The finish is electrically non-conductive. It is a low-cost option that is available in custom colors upon request.

A chromate finish is a conversion coating option that passivates aluminum. Chromate finishes are corrosion inhibitors. They prevent the extruded aluminum heatsinks from tarnishing. A chromate finish is electrically conductive. It is also a low-cost option that is available in yellow or clear.

We have earned the trust of our customers by offering service, reliability, and quality products. The world class customer service, extensive inventory, and the latest technology and engineering solutions are what we use to maintain excellence. Call us at 925-292-1293 for your in-stock or custom heat sink extrusions.

To know more about heat sink extrusions and extruded aluminum heatsinks please visit the website.

Uses for Heatpipe-Assembly

Heatpipe-assembly offers solutions for thermal performance, help in the control of energy costs, and maximize the reliability and life of a system even under conditions that are harsh. When space is limited, a heatpipe-assembly is a compact thermal solution for cost-effective cooling.

A variety of heatpipe-assembly systems can be used to accomplish the task. The heat technology gives an effective means of moving heat for remote dissipation. Low thermal resistance heat spreads from isolated cooling or concentrated heat sources to protect applications such as:

• Military systems
• Transportation control systems
• Consumer electronic devices
• Computer components

When a system design makes it difficult to place a heating device adjacent to a critical component for essential cooling, remote dissipation thermal management is a solution.
Application Constraints that Benefit from Heatpipe-Assembly

• Space constrained by footprint or height – The height over an electronic module may be insufficient in the amount of space provide direct cooling at the location. Remote heatpipe assemblies can be effective solutions. When where is not enough room to increase the footprint or height of an existing heat sink, vapor or embedded chamber assembly may be the solution. When there is no restriction above the heat sink, vapor tower technology can be used. 

• Zero or limited electrical power construction – Natural convection cooling improves reliability and eliminates fan noise. A heat pipe will produce less noise than a large fan system when volume constraints limit natural convection cooling solutions. 
• Low maintenance – Electromechanical devices such as fans require maintenance and have a finite life. A heatpipe-assembly has no moving parts to fail. Maintenance requirements are reduced or eliminated. 
• Cooling in sealed enclosures – Electronics are sometimes sealed in an enclosure as protection from the environment. Heat needs to be dispelled to the outside of the housing. A heatpipe-assembly provides a thermal path to the wall of the enclosure. 

Any of the above constraints merit the use of a heatpipe-assembly.
To know more about copper heat pipes and heatpipes please visit the website.

How Customization Affects Copper Heat Pipes

The data for the thermal conductivity that is published ranges from ten thousand to one hundred thousand W/m.K. This figure is between 250 and 500 times solid copper or aluminum thermal conductivity. 

These numbers are not reliable for most electronic applications. The conductivity of copper heat pipes varies greatly with the length of the heatpipes and to some degree with evaporator and condenser sizes, and the amount of transported power.

Heatpipes that are approximately 100 mm in length can achieve 10,000 W/m.K of thermal conductivity. A 200 mm length yields less than 33 percent of the 100,000 W/m.K thermal maximum that is typically published.

The calculation of the effective lengths of heatpipes is a function of the adiabatic condenser and evaporator lengths. The specified performance data for heatpipes is adequate for most standard applications but is limited for specific use.

The customization of heatpipes markedly affects performance and operational characteristics. Changing the internal structure of heatpipes, such as their wick thickness and porosity, allows tuning of heatpipes to meet specific performance features and operating parameters.

When the given heatpipe diameter needs to operate against gravity or at a higher power load, there needs to be an increase in the wick's capillary pressure. Higher power handling capacities require a larger pore radius.

To effectively work against gravity requires a smaller pore radius or increased wick thickness. Suppliers who specialize in the customization of heatpipes frequently use formulated copper powders or individual mandrels to meet the requirements of the product application.

Size is generally the most important factor with heatpipes. However, outward design changes such as bending or flattening degrade the performance of heatpipes. Gravity also has an influence. Copper heat pipes are capable of being flattened between 30 to 60 percent of their diameter.

The two significant performance limits for the application of heatpipes is the vapor limit and the wick limit. Flattening heatpipes alone does not degrade performance. Performance depends on the amount of excess vapor space available before heatpipes are flattened.

To know more about copper heat pipes and heatpipes visit to website.
 

The Need for LED Heatsinks

Not producing heat is frequently an advantage listed by LED users. That statement is only partially correct. A LED  feels cool to the touch because it does not produce infrared radiation (IR) heat. Without IR, a LED can be placed in areas that other heat sources would be problematic such as illuminating food, reef tank lights, and grow lights.

Though a LED feels cool to the touch, there is unwanted heat within the device. Inefficient semiconductors generate light and heat. Sixty to 95 percent of the power output is lost as heat. What is the solution to the excess internal heat?

LED Junction Temperature Management

It is crucial to use efficient thermal management to remove heat from high-power LEDs. Without good heatsinks, the internal temperature of LED junctions rises. The increased temperature causes the LED characteristics to go from good to bad. 

As junction temperature increases the lumen output and forward voltage decrease. Not only is the efficiency and brightness of a LED decreased, but the junction temperature affects the lifespan of a LED.  Catastrophic failure is not the usual outcome, but it can be.

Typically, the LED lumen output decreases over time. A higher junction temperature leads to faster deterioration. For that reason, LED junction temperature must be kept low. Using more current than rated drives the temperature high enough to cause permanent damage.

Heatsinks are necessary to LED lighting because they provide a path for heat to travel from a light source to an element on the outside. Heatsinks dissipate power in three ways.

Radiation - Heat is transferred from two bodies, having different temperatures, via thermal radiation.

Convection – Heat is transferred from a solid to a fluid that is moving, usually air.

Conduction – A solid to solid heat transfer occurs.

Materials Used for LED Heatsinks 

The thermal conductivity of LED heatsinks directly affects the heat dissipation efficiency. The price point of copper makes it a good choice. Aluminum is more widely used than copper. The majority of LED heatsinks are made of aluminum. Smaller LEDs can use thermoplastic heatsinks because the heat dissipation requirements are lower.

To know more about led heatsinks and heat sinks visit to website.

Look to Cooling Source as One of the Heatsink Manufacturers That Provide Custom Heatsinks

Cooling Source is one of the heatsink manufacturers that make custom heatsinks. Below is a list of heatsinks the company designs. The heatsinks presented here are only a sample of custom heatsink manufacturers by Cooling Source

Custom aluminum heat sinks are used at nearly every level of electronic cooling because the cost of tooling is low. Cooling Source designs custom aluminum extrusions that are suitable for forced air and natural convection environments.

Die casting heat sinks is a method used by Cooling Source to design custom aluminum heat sinks. The manufacturing process forces liquid aluminum that is under high pressure into steel molds that can be reused. This solution is frequently used when a design calls for low thermal conductivity and high volume.

As one of Livermore, CA's leading heatsink manufacturers, Cooling Source makes custom bonded fin heat sinks. Applications for this type of heat sink include motor drives, variable speed motor controls, and uninterruptible power supplies.

Industries such as transportation, renewable energy, laser and optics, power electronics, medical equipment, and military and space look to heatsink manufacturers for cooling solutions. The custom cold plate options offered by Cooling Source include passive and active cooling solutions. The thermal performance needed dictates the method of manufacturing. For various applications, the methods used include copper brazed, aluminum-vacuumed brazed, machine-path water blocks, epoxy joint, and press-fit copper tubes.

A progressive stamping method is used in the creation of folded fin heat sinks. The fins are bonded to a base with metallurgical bonds such as welding, brazing, or epoxy that are thermally conductive. Folded fin heat sinks combine copper and aluminum to tailor heat sink performance for particular applications.

High conductivity copper is used when heat must be spread over large heat sink bases. When the spread of heat over a large surface is not necessary, low cost and weight aluminum is used by heatsink manufacturers. Common applications requiring folded fin heat sinks are automotive electronics, telecommunications, and power models that require high-density cooling.

Cooling Source makes skived fin heat sinks by literally shaving fins up from an extruded copper or aluminum base. A high fin-to-gap aspect ratio is created by slicing the fins then standing them up individually. Uniform height is maintained by cutting the fin tops. The increased surface area makes a drastic improvement in the thermal performance in environments of forced airflow.

Cooling systems is a one-stop shop for engineered, prototyped, and manufactured thermal solutions. The cutting-edge solutions are backed by knowledgeable engineers and first class customer service. Call them at 952-292-1293.

For further details about heatsink manufacturers and custom heatsinks please visit the website.

Disputing the Effectiveness of Aluminum Over Copper Heatsinks and Praising BGA Heat Sink

A base plate made of copper offers some advantages over aluminum such as transferring heat faster. Because copper retains heat longer, some are of the opinion that a copper base plate at the bottom of an aluminum heatsink is the ideal design because aluminum will transfer heat away from a central processing unit (CPU).

Forced convection is used when heat is released to ambient air. Forced convection efficiency depends on the temperature of the heatsink surface and air velocity. The heatsink material is irrelevant. To say heat is released better in aluminum rather than copper heatsinks is incorrect.

The only thing that matters regarding cooling effect is the temperature of the heatsink that is touched. While aluminum heatsinks are heating and releasing heat in the air, copper heatsinks absorb the energy and stay cooler. A cooler heatsink is best for the CPU.

When in use, the CPU continuously produces heat. The capacity of any heatsink to absorb energy is exhausted quickly. To dissipate heat steadily, both aluminum and copper heatsinks have to reach the same pin temperature. The thermal conductivity of the heatsink is all that matters. The temperature delta of a copper heatsink is smaller, resulting in a cooler CPU.

Copper round BGA heat sinks are highly efficient. They have an ideal omnidirectional flow and convection environment. BGA heat sinks mount with mounting clips or thermal tape to provide optimal cooling for packages over various sizes and airflow.

The high-efficiency BGA heat sinks install easily and have no complex assembly or special board modifications. The heat sinks are made of oxygen-free copper for optimal heat transfer. BGA heat sinks drastically increase gate count, chip input and output, chip size, power consumption, and operating frequency.

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

Copper Heat Pipes are Designed as Heatpipes for Military and Commercial Use

Military and commercial designers of heatpipes turn to copper heat pipes that use water as the working fluid for superior power density capacity. The choice is made without regard to gravity or orientation. The copper heat pipes are specifically designed for thermal challenges presented by gravity or high-heat loads.

Long life and reliability are critical. The copper heat pipes have a wick structure made of sintered copper powder that flawlessly operates against gravity and is tough enough to withstand temperatures from -55° C to 180° C and numerous freeze-thaw cycles.

With water as the working fluid, heat moves smoothly through the heatpipes from its source to the point where it is effectively managed through air or liquid dissipation or radiated to space. The heatpipes are integrated into a cold plate or heat sink to improve efficiency and conductivity.

The overall system performance is improved. The integration is accomplished through mechanical, solder, or epoxy interference. Copper heat pipes can last over 20 years. Copper heat pipes transfer heat more evenly than solid copper because they total thermal resistance is lower.

Both planar and cylindrical heatpipe variants have inner surfaces lined with capillary wicking material. Copper heat pipes are extremely effective in high-thermal conductivity. Solid copper conductivity ranges somewhere between 250 to 1500 Watts per meter Kelvin. Heatpipes range from 5000 to 200,000 W/m.K.

A small quantity of water fills the heatpipes. Vaporizing water absorbs the heat. Heat is transported by the vapor to the condenser region. There, the condensed vapor releases the heat to a cooling medium. The condensed water returns to the evaporator by gravity or the heatpipe wick structure. Capillary action is created.

A liquid-vapor phase change occurs in two-phase heat transfer. Passive capillary driven heatpipes are the most common of two-phase systems. Passive two-phase heat transfer devices have been designed, developed, and manufactured since 1970.

For further details about heatpipes and copper heat pipes please visit the website.