1060 Aluminum Sheet vs. Traditional Materials: Why Choose “Pure Aluminum” for Skived-Groove Heatsinks?

Skidded-groove heatsinks often use 1060 aluminum sheet as the base material. Its characteristics and advantages are as follows:

I. Core Characteristics of 1060 Aluminum Sheet

● High-Purity Aluminum Base Material

1060 aluminum sheet belongs to the pure aluminum family, with an aluminum content of up to 99.60% and only trace amounts of other elements (such as silicon and iron). This high purity provides the following advantages:

Excellent Thermal Conductivity: Aluminum has a thermal conductivity of approximately 200-230 W/m·K. Due to its high purity, 1060 aluminum sheet has thermal conductivity close to its theoretical limit, allowing it to quickly transfer heat from the heat source to the heat sink fins.

Excellent Machinability: Pure aluminum is relatively soft, making it easy to cut into thin, dense fins using the skived-groove process, and it is less likely to crack or deform during machining.

● Lightweight and Corrosion Resistance

Low Density: Aluminum has a density of only 2.7 g/cm³, approximately one-third that of copper. This significantly reduces the overall weight of the radiator, making it easier to install and transport.

High Corrosion Resistance: A dense oxide film forms on the surface of 1060 aluminum sheet, providing excellent corrosion resistance under normal conditions. Anodizing further enhances corrosion resistance and extends service life.

● Cost-Effectiveness

Compared to precious metals like copper, 1060 aluminum sheet is less expensive and has abundant global reserves, making it suitable for large-scale applications. Furthermore, aluminum is recyclable, meeting environmental requirements.

II. Compatibility of the Skiving Process with 1060 Aluminum Sheet

● Process Principle

The skiving process uses a specialized tool to precisely cut a single piece of aluminum (or copper) sheet from the top, forming thin fins perpendicular to the baseplate. Repeated cutting creates a densely packed tooth-like structure. Its core advantages include:

No-Joint-Point Design: The baseplate and fins are integrated, eliminating the contact thermal resistance associated with traditional welding or inserting processes, theoretically maximizing the material’s full heat dissipation performance. High-Density Fins: Compared to extrusion, skived-tooth technology enables thinner (down to 0.25mm) and denser fins, increasing heat dissipation area per unit volume by 30%-50%, significantly improving heat dissipation efficiency.

Design Flexibility: No molds are required, making it suitable for small-batch production or customization. Complex shapes can be achieved through CNC machining to meet the cooling requirements of various devices.

●1060 Aluminum Sheet Performance in the Skived-tooth Process

Cutting Stability: Pure aluminum’s uniform texture reduces burrs and chipping during cutting, ensuring a smooth fin surface and reducing airflow resistance.

Forming Precision: 1060 aluminum sheet has excellent ductility and can be machined into high-precision tooth shapes (e.g., tooth height ≤ 120mm, tooth pitch ≤ 6.5mm), meeting the cooling requirements of high-power devices.

Surface Treatment Compatibility: After cutting, 1060 aluminum sheet can be directly treated with anodizing, spray coating, and other surface treatments to further enhance corrosion resistance and aesthetics.

III. Application Scenarios for 1060 Aluminum Skived Tooth Heat Sinks

● Electronic Equipment Cooling

Computer Hardware: Used for cooling high-power chips such as CPUs and GPUs. The densely packed fins quickly dissipate heat, and combined with fans, they achieve efficient convection cooling.

Communications Equipment: In 5G base stations and data centers, skived tooth heat sinks solve the heat dissipation challenges of high-density integrated circuits, ensuring stable equipment operation.

● Industrial Control and Power Electronics

Inverters and Drives: High-power electronic equipment generates significant heat during operation. 1060 aluminum skived tooth heat sinks, with their high-density fin design, effectively reduce device temperatures and extend service life.

Motors and Transformers: Serving as auxiliary heat sinks, they help maintain performance in high-temperature environments.

● New Energy Vehicles and Energy Storage Systems

Battery Pack Cooling: Electric vehicle battery packs are temperature-sensitive. Skived tooth heat sinks evenly distribute heat, preventing localized overheating and improving safety and battery life.

Charging Stations: Rapid charging generates significant heat. 1060 aluminum plate heat sinks ensure efficient heat dissipation of the charging module, preventing performance degradation.

IV. Comparison with Other Materials

1060 Aluminum Sheet vs. 6061 Aluminum Alloy:

6061 aluminum alloy enhances its strength through the addition of elements such as magnesium and silicon, but its thermal conductivity is slightly lower than that of 1060 aluminum sheet. If heat dissipation is a priority, 1060 aluminum sheet is preferred; if structural strength is a concern, 6061 aluminum alloy is the right choice.

1060 Aluminum Sheet vs. Copper:

Copper offers superior thermal conductivity, but it is dense, expensive, and difficult to process. 1060 aluminum sheet significantly reduces weight and cost while meeting heat dissipation requirements, making it a more cost-effective option.

V. Market Trends and Future Outlook

With the increasing power density of electronic devices and the expansion of the new energy vehicle market, the demand for efficient heat dissipation continues to grow. 1060 aluminum sheet skived-tooth heat sinks, due to their lightweight, high efficiency, and long life, have become a mainstream choice for heat dissipation solutions. In the future, with advances in materials science and processing technology, 1060 aluminum sheet skived-tooth heat sinks will develop towards higher densities and more complex structures, further expanding their application in aerospace, medical equipment, and other fields.