The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
  

  -----

Alternatives to silpads

Q. We are in the automotive electronics industry. We anodize our aluminum to isolate electrical conductivity, and allow thermal conductivity. It is our desire to stop anodizing but still have the same "zero" electrical conductivity, and maximum thermal conductivity.

Jim Allan
automotive - Portland, Oregon, USA
2004

---

Hi,

Thanks for helping me to clarify my problem:

1. These items are used inside and outside the vehicle.

2. They allow for the transfer of heat from devices operating within a range of 10 to 65 watts.

3. These units must pass a hard anodization process with a thickness of 1.5 mils, clear or black.

4. Some of our products use a chromate finish instead of anodizing, but this is for the exterior of the heatsink only. The interior of the device, which is where the electronics are located must be completely isolated from the devices which are physically bolted to the interior of the housing. 5. We have used Berquist silpads for the isolation, but if there is a better, more efficient way to get zero electrical conductivity and maximum thermal conductivity, we would be very interested in sampling these products.

Jim Allan [returning]
- Portland, Oregon, USA
2004