Aluminum Extrusion Profiles

For a large number of integral heatsink applications, the use of aluminum extrusion profiles has been a beneficial component for electronics manufacturers throughout the years. Simply defined as a component made of material - inexpensive and malleable aluminum alloy, in this case - forced through a die, these extrusion profiles can be used for countless products on the market today. One of their applications, however, has proven highly advantageous to heatsink manufacturers who are able to utilize aluminum extrusion profile technology to deliver efficient cooling mechanisms while maintaining the strength and light weight that electronic products manufacturers have come to expect.

Based on the standard heatsink design, an extrusion can be molded into a wide variety of forms for the varied functions and space requirements needed by different manufacturers. Due to the fact that the aluminum alloy is relatively easy to work with, extrusions can be die cast and put through many other unique designs in order to give these extrusion profiles the flexibility that they are known for. In addition to casting dies and extrusions, the makers of aluminum based heatsink profiles are able to pound this alloy into foil, fins and sheets through the processes of refining, smelting and scrapping.

Aluminum becomes particularly desirable when compared with other popular heatsink materials. Copper, for instance, is incapable of being worked with so well. Although it has nearly twice the thermal conductivity of aluminum, it is not as easy to use copper to adapt to any form requirements such as extrusion profile and die casting.

Customizing aluminum extrusion profiles is also very feasible, due to the ease of production already outlined above. In the form of fins, profiles can easily be attached to a copper base so that a large amount of thermal energy is conducted to the cooling fins which are made of the lighter, less expensive aluminum alloy.