Aluminum is a high utility material. Its usage can be traced down to different fields and areas of manufacturing. Aluminum is an excellent choice for manufacturing heatsinks. Aluminum has excellent thermal conductivity and hence, often considered a common option for manufacturing heatsinks. Apart from this, it is also used in the manufacturing of different applications like CPUs, refrigerators, lasers, and different medical devices. Heatsinks are essentially required for heat dissipation purposes in many industries. Some of the common areas where heatsinks are used include consumer electronics, LED lighting, appliances, computers, defense and military, medical equipment, etc.
Why is Aluminum Regarded as the Best Choice for Manufacturing Heatsinks?
- Better thermal conductivity
Aluminum is an alloy that promises excellent thermal conductivity. When it comes to manufacturing of heatsinks, this factor becomes the most decisive one. Aluminum heatsinks promise a high level of efficiency, fast heating, high strength metal heating, and less time to cool down.
- Lighter in weight compared to other radiators
Aluminum radiators weigh one third that of steel and one-tenth that of iron radiators. This makes aluminum heatsinks easy to handle and get installed.
- Truly versatile and reasonably priced
Aluminum anodizing is regarded as the best protective layer post anodizing method, promising to be both corrosion and oxidation proof. Also, aluminum can be easily squeezed into different shapes to create highly decorative radiators. Aluminum is reasonably priced, thus making it a favorite option among the masses. Aluminum heatsinks are used in different industries and fields, be it machinery, household appliance, railway locomotive, wind power generation, air compression, or construction machinery. The superior performance and true versatility of this alloy make it possible.
- Eco-friendly, as well as, saves space and energy
Aluminum heatsinks are beautifully manufactured, thanks to the versatility of the material. These heatsinks take minimal space and possess excellent energy-saving properties. At the same time, these heatsinks are eco-friendly.
- Allows for customizations without any hassle
While there are regular heatsinks available, customized solutions have a greater demand in the industry. Extruded heatsinks, made from aluminum, have always gained an upper-hand in the industry. Customized heatsinks are highly appreciated because of the varying demands and requirements. With customized aluminum heatsinks, certain areas like height, weight, width, length, speed, noise level, and the overall style can be managed accordingly. Engineers, naturally, embrace the presence of aluminum extrusion for developing customized heatsinks for the industry.
- Cost-effective
There are different elements available to meet the demands and style requirements of clients when constructing heatsinks. Some of these methods include bonded, folded, and stamped options. However, they are a lot expensive compared to extruded aluminum sinks. Because of this, often manufacturers prefer to go with building large-sized heatsinks due to their ability to rapid level heat dissipation. However, designers first identify the needs of the clients, plan the proceedings, and calculate the cost accordingly. Offering the best solutions most cost-effectively is what matters.
Which Type of Aluminum Alloys Are Used for the Production of Heatsinks?
You will find several types of aluminum alloy in the market. But only a selective few promises the best safety and durability of heatsinks. The common options include 6061 and 6063 aluminum alloys since they promise the best durability, stability, strength, and safety. However, when using the 6063 variant, the tensile strength may vary based on the thickness and temperature. Tensile strength for 6063 aluminum can vary in the range of 19.0 to 30.0, based on the temper and thickness.
However, heat dispersal is a more important issue in comparison to the choice of the alloy. Although choosing a suitable aluminum alloy certainly improves the thermal efficiency level of the heatsink, what matters most is increase the surface area to optimize better airflow. Whether you are going for 6061 or 6063 alloy, the thermal conductivity between these two differs minutely. Therefore, it is necessary to focus more on optimizing the airflow for better performance.
Maximize the surface area is essentially required.
Finally, you need to make sure that the sink is tightly attached to the heat component with minimal gapping in between. The smaller the gap, the better will be the thermal conductivity, and hence, the performance will improve.
Understanding the Principle Behind the Manufacturing of Heatsinks
Heatsinks are manufactured in a way that supports the rapid transferring of thermal energy. Yes, that is the most crucial part of the process. Heatsinks usually require a fast transfer of heat energy. So heatsinks are designed in a manner where the heat source is bonded thermally at the base of the sink via a suitable thermal compound to ensure suitable heat transferability.
Silver is the most common compound used for the bonding part.
Yes, minute particles of silver are used for the procedure since silver has a lower thermal resistance over other metals. The moment these silver particles bonds the source to the sink, the heat source temperature will be brought down to a certain thermal equilibrium in culmination with the heatsink. This is done to adjust the temperature, most notably to lower it down.
Passive Vs. Active – Aluminum Heatsinks Can Be Either of the Two
It all comes down to the requirements of the clients. Yes, aluminum heatsinks can be both ways. Either it can be active or passive, but what the client needs will decide the result.
If you are using an active heatsink, the working fundamental requires a power source for cooling the heat source. In most of the cases, specially designed directed fins bases fans are used to direct the airflow to cool the surface area of the heat source. Actively designed heatsinks usually feature flat aluminum based with an attached fan (radiating fins vertically) that increase the overall surface area so that the thermal energy can be transferred rapidly.
On the other hand, passive heatsinks require no kind of mechanical component for heat transfer purposes. Passive heatsinks usually dissipate the heat through the use of gas or liquid with a certain level of molecular motion.
What’s next?
Get in touch with a well-known aluminum heatsink manufacturer to explore suitable options. Look for an aluminum manufacturer offering the best-customized aluminum heatsinks at an affordable price.