Choosing the Right Manufacturing Solution for Custom Heat Sinks

With the continuous upgrading of electronic devices, heat dissipation has become an increasingly prominent issue. I will use concise and straightforward language to elaborate on the development of heat dissipation technology and the advantages of custom heat dissipation, ensuring the content is clear and easy to understand.

As electronic technology advances rapidly, heat dissipation has become a “stumbling block” to improving the performance of electronic devices. Now, let’s take a look at the actual data and the reasoning behind it.

Today’s electronic devices are increasingly pursuing smaller sizes, higher performance, and the ability to work normally in various harsh environments. This places higher demands on heat dissipation. According to a 2023 report released by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the heat generation power per square centimeter of electronic components using ordinary surface-mount technology was 50 watts in the past, but now it has exceeded 200 watts. For example, the local heat generation power of artificial intelligence computing devices cooled by liquids even exceeds 500 watts per square centimeter.

Faced with such changes, the universal heat dissipation methods used in the past are becoming less and less effective. Professional simulation tests have shown that customizing heat dissipation solutions based on actual needs can increase heat exchange efficiency by 35.2% and reduce the unexpected downtime of equipment by 60.7% in a year. This advantage is particularly evident in fields with extremely high requirements for equipment stability, such as aerospace and data centers.

Why Not Choose Standard Heat Sinks

Nowadays, using standardized heat sinks in many scenarios is really problematic, mainly stuck in the following three aspects:

Mismatched Sizes: The casings of smart home devices are getting smaller and smaller, while medical equipment comes in a wide variety of shapes. However, the fin sizes of standardized heat sinks are fixed. This either makes them impossible to fit in, or leaves some areas unable to dissipate heat effectively even after installation.

Compromised Performance: Different devices have entirely different requirements — electronic components in automobiles need to dissipate heat quickly while withstanding vibrations; outdoor equipment requires strong heat dissipation capabilities and resistance to rain corrosion. But most standardized products are made of ordinary aluminum, which simply cannot meet so many demands at the same time.

Stalled by Special Requirements: Medical equipment must use materials that are harmless to the human body; photovoltaic inverters need to withstand wind and sun exposure; coastal base stations require salt spray resistance. Standardized products adopt a one-size-fits-all design and thus cannot pass these special certifications at all.

The advantage of custom heat sinks lies in their ability to tailor the heat dissipation performance to be just right, like made-to-measure clothing, based on equipment parameters, operating environments, and budgets. This is why high-end industries such as 5G, new energy, and medical care have begun to adopt custom heat sinks nowadays.

Custom Heat Sinks Selection of Materials and Structures

Material Selection: The Art of Balancing Thermal Conductivity, Strength, and Cost

The quality of materials directly affects heat dissipation performance. However, the know-how for material selection varies across different scenarios:

For low-power devices like low-consumption LED lights, pure aluminum (1070) is sufficient. It has good thermal conductivity with a thermal conductivity coefficient of up to 237 W/(m·K), and is also inexpensive — its cost is only one-third of that of copper, making it a cost-effective solution for basic heat dissipation needs.

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For consumer electronic products such as daily-use smart speakers and ordinary computer motherboards, aluminum alloy (6063-T5) is an ideal choice. With a thermal conductivity coefficient ranging from 160 to 180 W/(m·K), it has a certain level of strength, is easy to process, and offers excellent cost performance.

For high-end devices like server GPUs and 180kW charging piles, an aluminum-copper composite solution is more reliable. By combining the advantages of copper (high thermal conductivity with a coefficient of 401 W/(m·K)) and aluminum fins (lightweight) through welding technology, the composite material can achieve a thermal conductivity coefficient of 280 to 320 W/(m·K).

For harsh environments such as automobile engine compartments and industrial machine tools, high-strength alloy (7075) is necessary. Although its thermal conductivity coefficient is only 130 W/(m·K), its impact resistance is three times stronger than that of pure aluminum, enabling it to withstand vibrations, high temperatures, and oil contamination.

Structural Design: Optimizing Around the Core of “Effective Heat Dissipation Area”

The structural design of a heat sink is crucial to its performance, and adjustments must be made based on the device’s air duct and heat-generating locations:

For devices with limited space, such as IoT terminals, ultra-thin fins of 0.2-0.3mm can be used, with a gap of 2-5mm between the fins. This design can increase the heat dissipation area by 40% compared to ordinary heat sinks.

For high-heat-generating devices like 5G base station AAUs, designs inspired by nature (e.g., honeycomb structure) can be adopted, which can improve heat dissipation efficiency by more than 20%.

For devices with high installation precision requirements, such as radio and television transmission devices, integrating the heat sink with the mounting bracket into a single unit can avoid reduced heat dissipation performance caused by installation errors.

Custom Heat Sink Processes for Different Requirements

1. CNC Precision Machining
If your equipment has limited space and requires extremely high precision (such as medical imaging devices and high-performance servers), CNC machining is the ideal choice. It can produce heat sinks with various complex shapes, including stepped heat sinks and wave-shaped diversion grooves. The finished surface is extremely smooth, with an error controlled within 1/500 of the diameter of a human hair. Although the processing cost is relatively high, it is particularly suitable for small-batch high-end customization, with a typical delivery time of 7 to 10 days.

2. Welding Composite Process
For heat sink production volumes ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 pieces (such as photovoltaic inverters and power supply equipment), the welding composite process is well-suited. This process first processes the heat sink’s base plate and fins separately, then welds them together—allowing targeted reinforcement in areas with severe heat generation. Additionally, this process enables the combination of copper and aluminum, resulting in a heat sink that is 50% lighter than an all-copper heat sink and 30% cheaper than one produced via CNC machining.

3. Extrusion + Secondary Processing
For order quantities between 10,000 and 100,000 pieces (e.g., LED outdoor displays and industrial computers), the “extrusion + secondary processing” combination is recommended. First, 6063 aluminum alloy is extruded into the basic shape, then CNC machining is used for fine grinding of the mounting surface and cutting of heat dissipation grooves. Mold development takes only 15 to 20 days, and the resulting heat sinks are thinner and longer—with a heat dissipation area 22% larger than that of heat sinks made by ordinary extrusion processes. The cost per unit is only 2 to 3 ＄.

4. Die Casting Molding
For products with complex structures featuring various concave-convex interfaces and cavities (such as smart home components and automotive sensors), die casting molding can produce the entire heat sink in one step without the need for subsequent assembly. After reducing air bubbles using vacuum die casting technology, the thermal conductivity of ADC12 aluminum alloy is further improved. When the order quantity exceeds 5,000 pieces, the advantages in production efficiency and cost become even more prominent.

Surface Treatment Options for Custom Heat Sinks

Surface treatment not only enhances the durability of heat sinks but also improves their heat dissipation performance. Different application scenarios have distinct requirements for surface treatment:

For consumer electronic products such as mobile phones and computers, both aesthetics and functionality are essential. The brushing process is used to create metallic textures, followed by hard anodization. This not only gives the heat sink a premium appearance but also allows the surface stripes to facilitate better air circulation, increasing heat dissipation efficiency by 5% to 8%.

For outdoor equipment—such as solar power stations and signal base stations in coastal areas—corrosion resistance is the top priority. First, the sandblasting process is applied to roughen the surface, then thick-film anodization is performed to form an oxide film with a thickness of at least 15 micrometers. This treatment enables the heat sink to withstand a 5,000-hour salt spray corrosion test, ensuring long-term stable operation of the equipment.

For equipment with special needs—for example, servers requiring grounding—the nickel plating process is suitable. A nickel layer with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.1 millimeters is applied, which not only provides electrical conductivity and wear resistance but also reflects heat to further improve heat dissipation performance.

How to Choose the Right Supplier for Custom Heat Sinks

When selecting a custom heat sink service provider, keep these three key factors in mind:

Compatibility: Has the provider worked on projects in your industry? Can they provide data from real cases—such as heat dissipation performance and equipment stability duration? Companies with years of industry experience, for example, will immediately understand that medical devices require biocompatibility and industrial equipment must withstand vibrations, making communication seamless.

Technical reliability: Do they offer thermal simulation and environmental testing? Is their production quality control rigorous? Do they hold general quality certifications like ISO9001, or industry-specific ones such as ISO13485 for medical applications? These directly affect the usability and durability of the final product.

Price negotiability: Can the provider flexibly combine processes—for instance, using extrusion as a base and CNC machining for critical parts? Can they source more cost-effective materials, such as replacing pure aluminum with 6063-T5 aluminum alloy? Are molds reusable? Experienced, reliable providers can help reduce costs by 20%–40% even for medium-volume orders.

Ultimately, custom heat sinks are designed to solve practical problems, save costs, and improve efficiency. Partnering with a professional provider streamlines the entire process, which is why we always emphasize: “Customize solutions based on actual needs, and let results speak for themselves.”