Torrance, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/01/2016 -- Getec Industrial, manufacturers of heat sinks, extruded aluminum, and drawn tube, provides an overview of how to select a heat sink. The problem is that every device builds up heat as waste energy during operation, energy that lowers the operating efficiency and can damage the device. Designers employ a heat sink to conduct heat away from a hot surface, distributing it across a broader area and dissipating the energy into another medium, usually air. This maintains the device temperature at the operating levels prescribed by the designer and manufacturer. Here's what's required to select a heat sink.

1. Required Heat Sink Thermal Resistance

Designers must determine the required heat sink thermal resistance before approaching a custom heat sink company for manufacture. The thermal budget of the device determines the maximum amount of heat the device can tolerate and still function.

The heat sink must accommodate a variety of external conditions during operation and still perform within the desired parameters. Because external conditions are difficult to control there is no such thing as standard value of thermal resistance for heat sink manufacturing.

Airflow within the environment must be classified as natural, low flow mixed, or high flow forced convection. The absence of externally induced air flows and heat transfer means the device operates on natural convection.

Devices using forced convection employ a blower to mechanically move air across the convection surface. A mixed system employs a combination of forced and natural air flow across a spectrum of flow velocity. Airflow is the most easily controllable element of the external environment and a primary determinant of heat sink volume.

2. Require Heat Sink Volume

Airflow and heat sink volume work together to drive the performance of the heat sink, dissipating energy away from the device in direct proportion to the size of the heat sink. Greater energy dissipation occurs when moving air across a broader heat sink width. Heat sink manufacturers prefer to increase the width of a heat sink rather than the length of the sink so that airflow and energy dissipation become more efficient.

Radiant heat transfer can be responsible for up to 25% of total heat dissipation in natural airflow systems. Heat sink surfaces should always be painted or anodized to enhance the radiation. Components that face a hotter external surface will radiate energy less efficiently as the two surfaces compete for the available air.

For more information on how to select a heatsink with equations, visit http://www.getecna.com/how-to-select-heatsink.php

About Getec Industrial
Getec Industrial's North America is the industry leading, full service provider of turnkey manufacturing. Our services include aluminum extrusion, die casting, CNC machining, metal stamping, plating and assembly and packaging. We have a broad product line and offer solutions for nearly every thermal management and CNC machining need - from the most complicated solutions to the simplest. We take pride in providing our customers with on time delivery of turnkey manufacturing, high quality products that both meet and exceed our customer's expectations.

Contact:
Getec Industrial
Hart Cardozo, III, Vice President
Phone: 888-999-8499
Website: http://www.getecna.com
For Sales Inquiries: sales@getecna.com
For General Information: info@getecna.com