Alloys for flat aluminium strip used in heat sinks

Flat aluminium strip used in heat sinks are mostly made of aluminum alloys rather than pure aluminum which has a poor hardness and is not suitable for process by current technological level. Although some manufacturers are able to supply aluminum strip stock of pure aluminium, it’s much easier to simply process aluminum alloys, and the cost is much lower as well. Some might wonder why they do not adopt copper whose conductivity is the highest, which is a little misleading, for high coefficient of heat conductivity does not mean equally high heat dissipation effect. The heat dissipation effect of a heat sink is influenced by more factors than material conductivity. High density of copper means manufacturers have to the volume of a heat sink to ensure quality). And copper has poorer competition in price and hardness, although some heat sinks contain copper.

Alloys for flat aluminium strip used in heat sinks are as below.

1. Al6063 or Al6061

Excellent plasticity of aluminium makes it possible to extrude it into heat sinks of various shapes and popular prices.

2. Cast Aluminium

Cast aluminum strip stock is mainly used for large scale heat sinks in integrated cabinets.

3. LF/LY Series

LF/LY series of flat aluminium strip products are mainly used in electronic equipment radiators for special use environments. The use environment has certain requirements for hardness and corrosion resistance. At present, LY12 is used more frequently.

4. Pure Aluminum

Pure flat aluminium strip is rarely used in heat sinks unless the products have a high requirement of heat conductivity.

The usage of aluminum alloys is up to combined consideration of heat conductivity, applying conditions and special requirements.