This board's not so hot
ProductDecember 07, 2010
Alice Moss
Military Embedded Systems
Chris A. Ciufo
General Micro Systems, Inc.
When dealing with challenging thermal management issues, many technicians would undoubtedly like to change the axiom "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" to "If you can't stand the heat, get out of my system!"
When dealing with challenging thermal management issues, many technicians would undoubtedly like to change the axiom “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” to “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of my system!” (as if the board would understand such instructions …). The good news is that Laird Technologies, Inc. developed its Tflex XS400 Series thermal pad to aid in eliminating such thermal management frustrations. The pad provides conductivity between a board’s hot components and heat sinks at a moderately rugged level, effective in relatively benign venues such as a command and control center, for example.
Providing 2.0 W/mK thermal conductivity, the naturally tacky Tflex XS400 Series is easy to apply, voiding the need for adhesive coating. It is vended in 0.010 thickness increments ranging from 0.020" (0.50 mm) all the way to 0.200" (5.0 mm). Stable at -40 °C to + 160 °C and RoHS compliant, the gap filler provides electrical isolation and is certified to UL 94V0 for flammability. And that’s not all: The thermal pad’s soft texture requires only minimal pressure when conforming to the board’s design, thus thermal resistance and stress on mating parts are reduced or even eliminated.
