Which is better material for heatsink? Aluminum or Copper

Copper and aluminum are common heat sink materials. For which of these two materials has better heat dissipation, we should choose a heat sink in the choice of which material heat sink, which may be a lot of people have questions? Coolsole heat sink manufacturers below through this article to share with you Which is the better material for heatsinks, Aluminum or Copper.

Aluminum heat sinks

Aluminum is one of the most common heat sink material. In particular, extruded aluminum heat sinks suit most projects' needs. The metal is light in weight and has relatively good thermal conductivity.

Copper heat sinks

Compare to aluminum, copper has even better thermal conductivity. Its disadvantages, however, are weight and cost. Sometimes metal is used where the importance of thermal conductivity outweighs weight reduction.

Copper and aluminum heat sinks have their advantages, and both are suitable heat sink materials. As to which one is better, you should judge it according to the scenario of your actual application and choose the most suitable one. The most cost-effective one is the best.

6 types of heat sinks 

Each heat sink manufacturing process has its advantages and disadvantages. There are many different process to custom heat sink. Let's take a look at 6 common types of heat sinks.

1. Extruded heat sink

Most heat sinks are made from extruded aluminum. This process is helpful for most applications. Extruded heat sinks are low-cost and can be easily manufactured to custom specifications. The performance of extruded heat sinks can range from low to high. However, their main drawback is that the maximum extrusion width limits their size. Learn more

2. Bonded Heat Sinks

These are typically used in applications where large heat sink sizes are required. One advantage of this is that the base and fin materials can differ. In addition, a combination of aluminum and copper fins can be used to replace just one fin material. This way you can improve thermal performance while adding minimal weight. Bonded finned heat sinks are usually moderate in performance but higher in cost.

3. Turned heat sink

heat sinks produced by this method are usually made of copper. They are made from a solid block of metal. These heat sinks offer a high degree of design flexibility, and you can achieve high fin densities. This creates more surface area and opportunities for heat dissipation. They offer medium to high performance, but they usually have the disadvantage of high weight and orientation sensitivity.

4. Stamped Heat Sinks

In this process, metal fins are stamped and welded to the base. These are typically used for low-power applications. The advantage of stamped heat sinks is their meager cost due to the ease of production automation. However, the biggest drawback is the low performance.

5. Forged Heat Sinks

Forged heat sinks are made by compressing aluminum or copper and have many applications. Heat sinks can be cold forged or hot forged. These offer moderate performance and can be produced in high volume at a low cost. However, they offer limited design capabilities.

6. CNC Machined Heat Sinks

With this process, they have high thermal conductivity, and you can achieve the most complex geometries. This means that you have a lot of flexibility in your designs. However, they are costly, and the production time for each product can make them less suitable for high-volume production.

Choose the correct type of heat sink for your needs.

Heat sinks help absorb and dissipate the heat generated by electronic devices. You must make sure you choose the right type for your design needs and volume requirements.

Remember that active heat sinks are sometimes needed to enhance heat dissipation. However, passive heat sinks with no moving parts can also be used.

In addition, aluminum offers weight and cost savings when it comes to materials. In contrast, copper offers the highest level of thermal conductivity.

From extrusion and bonding to forging and machining, many different manufacturing options are available. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.