Folded Fin Heat Sinks

Folded fin heatsinks may best be described as a continuous strip of a convoluted or corrugated sheet metal stamping, formed to a specified height, and manufactured from either aluminum or copper coil stock. This "fin stock" is then attached to a heat sink base plate by either brazing or using a thermally conductive epoxy. Heatsinks manufactured with folded fin technology eliminate a major limitation of extrusions – that is the ability to produce a component with a fin thickness as low as 0.005 inches (0.13 mm) (for comparison, the minimum, reproducible fin thickness from an extrusion for a high power density application is generally confined to greater than 0.025 inches (0.64 mm). For most thermal applications, a fin thickness of about 0.010 to 0.025 inches (0.25 to 0.64 mm) is sufficient to dissipate the heat into the environment without encountering any constriction resistances. One of the advantages to folded fin heat sinks is that the cooling fins are independently attached to a base plate. This property enables designers and manufacturer to reap independent benefits. For the designer, a wider range of thermally conductive materials, for both the base and fin stock, becomes available. For the heat sink manufacturer, it allows the heat sink base plate to be independently manufactured from the assembly. This result is lower cost since more effective manufacturing processes can employed to make the folded fin heat sink assembly. The unique ability to produce a hybrid folded fin heatsinks (i.e. copper and aluminum) provides a effective, high performance heat sink, that is lightweight product that is not restricted from limitations present in older technologies. All these features allows a heat sink to be produced that increases the cooling capacity within a fixed volume when compared to alternative heat sink manufacturing methods.

Folded Fin Specifications and Design Guidelines Parameter Specification Materials Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Inconel, Stainless Steel, Copper Minimum Wall Thickness 0.002 inches (0.05 mm) Maximum Wall Thickness 0.040 inches (1.02 mm) Maximum Fin Pitch 86 Maximum Aspect Ratio 40:1 Maximum Flowlength 24.0 inches (609.6 mm) Maximum Height 0.02 to 4.00 inches (0.51 to 101.6 mm) Width Not Restricted Material Crest Flat, Round Attachment Methods Epoxied, Brazed, Soldered

From design to production, we are able to assist you in all stages of the development cycle to ensure the most cost-effective design, material and process configuration for your folded fin heatsink. Our engineers are prepared to work with your designs, while taking into consideration the necessary production and design requirements (assembly) to help you achieve the most economical part configuration at the optimum performance level.