Aluminium Heatsinks

Probably one of the most obvious and simple ways of cooling electronic components, however some thought needs to be applied to how you will interface the LED to the heatsink. Generally there will be a PCB between the LED and the heatsink, which means various thermal interface materials need to be employed to enable the efficient transfer of heat from the LED to the heatsink whilst maintaining electrical isolation.

Traditionally heatsinks employ either an aluminium or copper material hence the need for thermal interface materials to provide electrical isolation.

Ceramic Heatsinks

A further type of heatsink is also available which uses a ceramic material that is electrically neutral and does not require electrically isolated thermal interface materials. In some cases the LEDs can be mounted directly onto the heatsink meaning no PCB is required. These ceramic heatsinks are useful in applications where a much higher thermal performance is required. We are happy to offer advice on the use of these materials, please click on this link to contact our technical teams to discuss your requirements.

Anglia represent Aavid and Calinar heatsinks who provide a range of aluminium heatsinks in standard extrusion sizes or stamped formats to suit most applications, Calinar are also able to offer a fast turnaround custom heatsink design service.

• Click here to see the Aavid range of heatsinks
• Click here to see the Calinar range of heatsinks
• Click here to see the range of thermal interface materials from Laird Technology
• Click here to see the range of thermal interface materials from Bergquist

A more efficient way of removing heat is by using a heatpipe, which allows you to remove large amounts of heat whilst only requiring a relatively small surface area compared to a traditional heatsink. The heatpipe works using a combination of vapour, condensing and capillary action all contained within a sealed pipe which has fins attached to further aid cooling. Anglia are able to offer thermal solutions utilising this technology. Please contact us to discuss your requirements by clicking this link.

MCPCB's offer one of the most effective methods of thermal management for lighting designs utilising LEDs.

MCPCB's comprise of 3 main components;

1 - Copper conductor layer where the LEDs are mounted.

2 - Insulator; a very thin thermally conductive but electrically isolated laminate material.

3 - Metal cladding - a sheet of aluminium or copper substrate which dissipates the heat produced by the LEDs.

These MCPCB's also allow easy interface to a heatsink or the outer housing of the customers application to aid cooling further.

Anglia are able to offer full technical and design advice for customers wishing to utilise this technology into their LED lighting application. Please contact us to discuss your requirements by clicking this link.

Anglia offer a full range of Radial Fans and Blowers from NMB-Minebea which can be used in combination with the other thermal technologies mentioned above to increase the thermal performance of your application even further.

Click here to see the NMB-Minebea range of fans and blowers.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements by clicking this link.