GlacialTech Provides the Universal Thermal Solutions for Customers
December
13, 2016 - Taipei Taiwan - GlacialTech,
was established in 2001 with a background in thermal products. In 2005,
it expanded into Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) and LED lighting
products.
Heat dissipation is not the only consideration for superior thermal
design – lighter weight, smaller size, and lower costs are also key.
Heavy and large thermal solutions increases the cost of mechanisms and
accessories. Of course, packing and transportation costs also increase.
Heavy weight lighting fixtures are not good for ceiling installation
either, as they might affect the structural integrity. If each bay
light fixture weighs more than 2 kg, then 500 fixtures installed on the
ceiling would bring one extra ton of weight. Therefore, GlacialTech’s
thermal design philosophies are cost performance, weight performance,
and volume performance.
Most thermal solutions are designed using aluminum and copper
materials. The manufacturing process of aluminum extrusion, cold
forging, and die casting are all based on aluminum, but thermal
conductivity is variable. Using AL1070 aluminum, the thermal
conductivity of cold forging is 227 W/mK and 2.36 times more conductive
than die casting at 96.2 W/mK. Most thermal solutions in LED lighting
fixtures is based on passive design, using no cooling fan. Based on the
thermal conduction point, and under the same power consumption, die
cast designs need at least double or even triple the size and weight –
much bigger and heavier than cold forge designs. This is the main
reason cold forged heat sinks are more popular in LED lighting fixtures.
The Cold forge process is a very good solution, especially in low-power
applications eg. below 100W. When power demand goes up to 200W, 300W,
or even 400W, cold forge solutions begin to become challenging to
manufacture compared to other processes, especially given weight
considerations. If we want to produce very large cold forged heat
sinks, we might combine the process with other manufacturing
technology, for example Friction Stir Welding (FSW).
Stamping is the standard process for creating sheet metal parts and
GlacialTech applies it to make stake fins and insert fins for its
thermal modules. The advantages are lighter weights and improved
scalability, especially designed for high power solution. Stamping can
expand the scalability of thermal solutions from tens watts easily up
to several hundred watts.
Aluminum die casting is very popular for a wide range of applications
and is not limited to thermal designs. In the lighting industry, it is
easy to find die casting designs in bay lights, explosion-proof lights,
flood lights, spot lights, street lights, and even general lighting
accessories. The size can vary from small to large with a variety of
shapes. In general, the disadvantage of this process is thermal
conductivity if designed for thermal solutions, but there are myriad
possible design styles.
Aluminum and copper are popular materials in manufacturing skived heat
sink fins, the advantage is higher density especially suitable for
active cooling design heat sinks. The disadvantage is unique fin
direction. These styles are usually designed for servers and IGBT
applications.
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is the manufacturing process by which two
separate metal pieces are melded into a solid single piece. This
process removes the necessity of large molds in creating cold forged
and aluminum extrusions. There are several important parameters in the
melting process: tool design, rotation, traverse speeds, tilt, and
plunge depth. Inexpensive lighting products seldom use the FSW
manufacturing process.
About
GlacialTech
GlacialTech
Inc., was established in 2001 by a team with many years of experience
in thermal module design and manufacturing for internationally renowned
brands including Apple, Canon, Dell, Foxconn, HP, Intel and SONY. Since
being established, GlacialTech has designed thermal modules for Acer,
AdvanTech, Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH, Panasonic and Siemens AG.
GlacialTech's thermal solutions are designed with a focus on
cost-effective performance, as well as weight, noise and volume
reduction. Applications include commercial and industrial computers,
telecommunication products and LED lighting solutions. Please visit the
company
homepage at www.GlacialTech.com
or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GlacialTech/.