A friend is making a spacer to go between a tab on a device and a heat sink. The total thickness will be about 0.25 inch (6 mm?). Of course thermal grease will be used at both matings. I've been asked what kind of aluminum. What (in descending order of preference) are the aluminum types that would be good raw material for this?Thanks.

Aluminum extrusions - may be not much less than that of "poured aluminum", which has heat conductivity of 161 w/m-k.Die-cast zinc-aluminum alloy - 127 for "ZA-27", 115 for "ZA-8".Die-cast zinc "zamak" - 113 w/m-kDie-cast die-castable aluminum alloy - 96.2 w/m-kAnnealed brass - 61 w/m-k copper - 300 w/m-kExtruded aluminum - 200 w/m-k aluminum alloy - 166 w/m-k, if I correctly translated from aluminum alloy - 180 w/m-k(There are heat-treated versions of 6061 including T4 and T6, which have mildly increased electrical resistivity, and I suspect also slightly decreased thermal conductivity.) If this spacer has to conduct several 10's of watts or more and every degree matters, I say make it out of copper or silver. Otherwise, extruded aluminum, poured aluminum and 6061 are close enough to each other for "best aluminum", and I expect ordinary aluminum plate and bar stock (to be machined into shape) to be similar. - Don Klipstein (

What is the best aluminum for heat sink?

May 05, 2009 83 Replies

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SuspendedInGaffa 17 years ago

It is one of the methods given by a major manufacturer and referenced in this very thread by another poster, you biased, retarded twit.

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Greegor 17 years ago

Groan! Is that like when somebody says "ve have vays..." ?

I once worked in a place using a combination shear and punch, and when they first instructed me to weld jigging onto the work surface I got a big knot in my gut.

Cutting it off with an angle grinder to reset for the next part gave me a twisted gut too.

I quickly adapted, got quick at it and cycled through many dozens of different parts and jigs.

I am now back to thinking it was so very wrong.

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James Arthur 17 years ago

Ouch! Groan back atcha!

Ah, the fine art of production. It's amazing how refined it is, and yet we continue refining it year after year: smaller, lighter, cheaper, faster.

It's inspiring.

Cheers, James Arthur

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Abbey Somebody 17 years ago

Iz it zafe?

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