There are many kinds of common thermal conductive interface materials on the market, such as thermal conductive silicone film, thermal conductive silicone grease, silicon free thermal conductive gasket, thermal conductive phase change sheet, thermal conductive gel, thermal conductive insulating sheet, etc. The more mainstream thermal conductive interface materials are thermal conductive silicone sheet and thermal conductive silicone grease, which are widely used in all walks of life.
Thermal conductive silicone grease is an excellent thermal conductive interface material, which has the characteristics of high thermal conductivity, low thermal resistance, interface lubrication, and relatively affordable price. However, as time goes by, some of the disadvantages of thermal conductive silicone grease have led users to look for a thermal conductive interface material that can replace it in the future. The successful development and launch of thermal conductive gel has led people to find solutions.
Thermal conductive gel is a soft silicone resin thermal conductive gap filling material, which has high thermal conductivity, low interface thermal resistance and good thixotropy. It is an ideal material for large gap tolerance applications. It is filled between the electronic components that need to be cooled and the heat sink/housing, making them in close contact, reducing thermal resistance, quickly and effectively lowering the temperature of the electronic components, thereby extending their service life and improving their reliability. Thermal conductive gel has excellent self-adhesive properties, is easy to operate, and can be reused. It is widely used under low pressure.
Thermal conductive gel has many excellent properties, such as long service life, non cracking, anti sag, good compressibility, etc. When people consult the thermal conductive gel, they often ask about its cracking in addition to the necessary performance parameters. How is the thermal conductive gel cracking test conducted?
At present, the main test method is to put the thermal conductive gel sample in the cold and hot shock box, after a long time of ultra-low temperature and high temperature exchange, to simulate the operating environment of the thermal conductive gel in work. Generally, multiple groups of temperature differences alternate to test whether there is cracking or the degree of cracking. The qualified heat conduction gel has not cracked after testing, while the unqualified heat conduction gel has cracked like heat conduction silicone grease.
Many people know that thermal conductive silicone grease has a disadvantage, that is, it will dry up and crack after a long time of use and needs to be cleaned and reapplied regularly. Thermal conductive gel is different from thermal conductive silicone grease. Thermal conductive gel does not crack and has a long service life. This is why thermal conductive gel has always been respected by people, even though its price is higher than that of thermal conductive silicone grease.
The raw materials, production equipment and process of thermal conductive gel are more complex than thermal conductive silicone grease, so not all thermal conductive material manufacturers can produce them. The cracking performance test is an important test to test the reliability of thermal conductive gel. Therefore, in addition to a test report from the manufacturer, customers can test or submit it to a third-party testing agency before purchasing.