At Productronica 2023, coating materials developer Peters will highlight the benefits of its ELPEPCB HSP 801 heatsink paste featuring increased thermal conductivity.
“The density of electrical components on printed circuit boards continues to rise inexorably,” says Sven Kramer, Head of Application Technology at the Kempen-based coatings manufacturer. Ever more complex circuits have to be accommodated in ever smaller spaces. Along with the use of power components, some of which generate a high power loss in the form of heat, a targeted dissipation of the power loss from the point of origin and its release into the environment is necessary. “Otherwise, there is a risk of the components overheating, which would result in malfunctions and even destruction in extreme cases,” adds Kramer. In various applications, the situation is aggravated by the fact that high temperatures are already prevailing at the site where the PCB is applied. “The thermal management of the circuits is therefore gaining more and more importance.”
The heatsink paste is printable
The new printable heatsink paste ELPEPCB HSP 801 is based on a special polymer-matrix, which enables the system to be applied to a PCB and functionally fixed after a curing process. This polymer is filled with special finely distributed (dispersed) solid particles. “These ultimately provide the required thermal conductivity, which was tripled to 3 W/mK with ELPEPCB HSP 801 compared to previous heatsink pastes,” explains Kramer.
This solder-resistant heat transfer paste can be printed onto a PCB in defined shapes using the common screen or stencil printing processes of PCB production.
”The desired shape can be achieved cleanly and with high definition, with sharp borders or edges,” says Detlev Schucht, Head of Research & Development at Peters. The high definition and easy printability enable the representation of practically any heat-dissipating surface on the PCB. When changing the geometry or “changing the shape, only the corresponding screens or stencils have to be exchanged.”
The layer thickness is variable over a wide range and thus permits to fulfil different requirements. The printable heat sink paste can be applied directly – i.e. without insulation print or foil on metallic surfaces – as it is an insulator. “In terms of its electrical properties, the printed heatsink shows properties that are comparable to an insulating ink,” explains Kramer. Here we are looking at insulation resistance, tracking resistance and dielectric strength.
Cost-saving and efficient
The use of printable heatsinks is not only of advantage to the PCB manufacturer, but also for the user.
“In many applications, the customer can save the use of a classic heatsink paste and cut or punched TIM foils, says Kramer.” Furthermore, there is a higher functional reliability, due to the fact that the heatsink paste has no electrical conductivity. “Malfunctions due to possible short circuits are therefore ruled out”.
Productronica, Booth A2.354 & B3.343
