Get answers to some of our most frequently asked questions we get right here.
Thermal management refers to the techniques and processes used to control temperature and heat flow in electronic devices and systems, such as heat sinks, LED lights, and circuit boards. It involves managing heat generated by components to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and longevity.
A thermal management solution is a method, typically a heat sink design, that allows excess heat generated by the operation of electronic devices to be pulled away from the electronic components—either by convection or even allowing the heat to radiate away from a specific area–preventing damage to the delicate components on them.
We have provided thermal management solutions for almost every industry out there at one point or another, but we take on a lot of thermal management projects from the electronics, LED lighting, medical equipment, power supply, military and communications industries. If you have a thermal management challenge, regardless of what industry you are in, give us a call at (888) 999-8499 and let us provide a custom thermal management solution for you.
Getec is a turnkey aluminum manufacturing company has been providing thermal management solutions and premium aluminum extrusion services to businesses all over the world since the late 90’s. We also provide full-service turnkey aluminum manufacturing services such as precision metal stamping, custom CNC machining for aluminum and many other services.
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a turnkey solution is: “Where the contractor or provider undertakes the entire responsibility from design through completion and commissioning. The client or customer only has to turn the proverbial key to make everything function as it should.”
This is what Getec Industries does as a turnkey thermal management solutions company: We take your design, create a rapid prototype, test it, refine it, then manufacture it, and provide machining and metal stamping services when necessary, and deliver it to you–ready to use in your products.
The biggest benefit of turnkey thermal solutions manufacturing at Getec is improved product quality. Because we don’t outsource any part of our work to sub-contractors, we handle every aspect of the product from initial design to product assembly.
Using a turnkey thermal management solution manufacturing process also saves you considerable time. Because we don’t sub-contract any of the work, there is no delay between stages in the manufacturing process that are commonly associated with sub-contracted work such as shipping, inspection and testing, and rework. Because all of the work is done “in-house” we can also quickly identify problems that might result in poorly manufactured products before they get mass produced.
Before we added our own billet casting facility, we had a hard time finding aluminum billet that met our purity standards. Lower quality commercial grade aluminum billet was easy to find, but it just didn’t meet the quality standards that we established for our aluminum extrusion designs. So, we built our own aluminum billet casting facility to assure that our aluminum extrusion customers always have a good supply of premium aluminum billet available for their products. In fact, our premium aluminum billet is so good that other aluminum industry professionals buy it from us!
Premium grade aluminum billet is created from pure aluminum ingot, where commercial grade billet often consists of high quantities of scrap and recycled aluminum in it that has not been properly processed and purified. As a result, the lower purity of the billet often impacts the performance of, and the types of shapes that can be extruded from the commercial grade aluminum billet. Using commercial grade aluminum billet may save you a couple of dollars in the short-term, but you will pay for it in terms of thermal management performance and flexibility in the aluminum extrusion profiles you can use.
Getec Industries is deeply committed to the quality of both our products and our service. The best evidence for this commitment to quality is our ISO 9001:2015 certification. This certification can only be earned through an in-depth, physical, certification audit performed by an independent registrar. This audit reinforces our commitment to continuous product and process improvement, enforcement of quality standards, and our customer-centered approach to our business.
In addition to our ISO 9001:2015 certification processes, we use a state-of-the-art Coordinate Measuring Machine with an optical comparator to ensure the measurements of your thermal management products are exact. We also provide comprehensive First Article Inspection (FAI) reports with all shipments for customer inspection.
If you can imagine it, we can produce it. The best way to get a look at the types of heat sink designs we manufacture is to go to our heat sink page on our site. We specialize in custom heat sink designs, but can deliver both active and passive heat sink designs, including machined aluminum heat sinks, impact extrusion heat sinks, folded fin heat sinks and many, many more.
Because we also deliver custom heat pipe bending services, we use a 20” extrusion press, which is satisfactory for most applications. We can also produce larger heat sinks using a process known as friction stir welding. Let us know what size of heat sink design you need by giving us a call at (888) 999-8499 and let our heat sink design team come up with a plan to manufacture it for you.
Rapid (or quick turnaround) prototyping is a process where a manufacturer can quickly fabricate a scale model or example of a specific part using a CAD program. This is a method that allows companies to test their designs to make sure they perform as expected before putting them into mass production, because discovering a problem with the design once the part goes into mass production is very expensive to fix.
Rapid prototyping ultimately will save you time and money. By being able to test your designs before manufacturing them on mass, you can verify that your part works as designed and even tweak that design to improve performance. Quick turnaround prototyping is a low risk approach for improving your product before it goes into mass production.
We can machine anything that can be designed using the latest CAD/CAM software. If you can design it, we can create it using one of our 85+ CNC milling machines at one of 12 CNC turning centers. Our experienced CNC craftsmen can help design tool paths and machining strategies for your project, as well as operate and monitor the cutting and machining process.
Machined heat sinks are heat sinks that require some type of processing and need to be cut and pressed. This can be done even from a solid chunk of aluminum.
Machined aluminum heat sinks tend to cost more and take more time to produce than other types of heat sinks.
If you can design it, chances are we can manufacture it. At Getec Industries, we have considerable experience with every sort of thermal management solution, including both active and passive heat sink designs.
Send us your CAD/CAM design and one of our heat sink design experts can review it and let you know what is involved with manufacturing it. We have experience with all sorts of heat sink designs such as die cast, folded fin, bonded fin, thin fin extrusion heat sinks, impact extrusion, machined aluminum heat sinks, large heat sinks and many other types. Go to our Heat Sink design page and look at our gallery of designs to help select the one that works best for your thermal management issue.
We provide a complete line of precision metal stamping services. We can deliver a variety of precision close tolerance parts and components using a multitude of metals and specifications. Our shop can handle any size project to meet your specific needs. This includes a wide variety of shapes encompassing flat areas, bends, holes, slots, brackets, EMI shields, clamps and screens. We also can deliver custom metal stamped enclosures.
A heat sink is a passive thermal management device that absorbs and dissipates heat away from electronic components, such as LEDs. It usually consists of a metal plate with fins, which increase the surface area for heat transfer. The heat sink absorbs the heat and then transfers it to the surrounding air, cooling down the components.
Thermal conductivity is a measure of a material’s ability to conduct heat. It determines how effectively heat can be transferred through a material. In thermal management, materials with high thermal conductivity, such as metals or certain ceramics, are preferred as they can efficiently dissipate heat and prevent overheating.
Thermal resistance represents how well a material or component resists the flow of heat. It is measured in degrees Celsius per watt (°C/W) and indicates the temperature difference between two points for a given rate of heat transfer. Lower thermal resistance means better heat dissipation and cooling performance.
Heat transfer in LED applications happens through three main mechanisms: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction refers to the transfer of heat within a solid material, such as a circuit board or a heat sink. Convection involves the transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid (e.g., air or liquid). Radiation is the process by which heat is emitted in the form of electromagnetic waves.
A thermal interface material (TIM) is a substance placed between two surfaces to enhance heat transfer. It helps to fill in the microscopic irregularities between the surfaces, improving thermal conductivity and reducing thermal resistance. TIMs can include thermal greases, adhesives, or other specialized materials designed for efficient heat transfer.
