Skived heat sinks are thin finned heatsinks with a dense population of consistently shaped and distributed fins that offer superior thermal properties compared to other production methods. For heatsinks that are made using stamping or folding techniques, additional thermal resistance is expected, such as a copper or aluminum block, to be added. Fins with low thermal resistance contact and high aspect ratios produce the best cooling performance in high airflow environments. This post will provide information on the process applied in manufacturing a skived heatsink.
Skived Heatsink Manufacturing Process
Using a skiving machine, small slices of material are sliced using a blade, and the skived fin is then pushed upward. High aspect ratios provide maximum heat dissipation because of the increased surface area.
Copper skived heatsinks are the most common. However, aluminum skived heat sinks are also an option. Its simplicity allows for the rapid development of new ideas at a low cost because of the low setup costs. Additional features can be machined after the skiving operation has been completed to minimize stressing the heatsink.
How to Determine a Heatsink is Skived
A skived heatsink is easy to identify since it has a curve where the blade ends its cut at the base of the heatsink. There is a slight arc to the fins. When the fins grow taller, this effect becomes more noticeable. However, the curvature of the plate fins can be rotated in the opposite direction, allowing heatsinks up to 400 mm wide to be made by running a second pass through the block of material.
The only true restriction to the length of a skived heatsink is the length of the block of material used to construct it. The block of material can be machined to a variety of heights. Any extras are recycled to cut down on waste.
Anodization and nickel plating are the most common finishes for aluminum skived heatsinks. Anti-oxidant or nickel plating is the most common finish for copper skived heatsinks.
Materials Used for Skived Heat Sink Production
Aluminum 6063 is the most popular material used in the manufacturing of heat sinks. This material is easier to machine and has a higher level of strength. Fin thickness can vary from 0.25 mm to 0.8 mm. Fins with a lightweight and narrow profile are the result of this process. Fins with a height of up to 150mm can be produced using this method.
Final Thoughts
An increasing number of manufacturers are using skiving technology high fin density and thin fin heat sink geometries to get the best n fin heat sink geometries to get the best possible thermal performance. Heat sinks with a skived fin design are more efficient at conducting heat than those with extruded aluminum heat sinks since they have more fin surface area packed into a smaller volume. Some information about this technology has been made available to heat sink manufacturers. If you have ideas or information you want to share about the topic, feel free to comment below.
