Heat sink keeps you cool by pinning you down

Bill Schweber, Editor, EE Times' Planet Analog -- EDN, July 20, 2011

Norwood, MA – Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc. (ATS) has announced their maxiFLOW™ heat sinks with an integral push-pin mounting system for fast, safe attachment of the heat sinks onto BGAs and other hot components.


Plastic pins are lighter and non-electrically conductive; brass pins have added strength and durability for more rugged applications or thicker devices. An integral spring on each pin provides approximately 2 lbs (1 kg) of retention load, depending on the height of the component and the PCB thickness.

The patented ATS maxiFLOW sinks feature a low-profile, spread-fin array that maximizes surface area for more effective convection (air) cooling in the restricted-airflow conditions, common with today’s condensed-size electronic packages. The heat sinks are fabricated from light-weight extruded aluminum which minimizes thermal resistance from the base to the fins. They have a protective green anodized surface.

Tests on maxiFLOW heat sinks with an airflow rate of just 100 lfm (linear feet per minute) show that device junction temperatures (Tj) can be reduced by more than 40 percent below the temperatures achieved using conventional straight-fin heat sinks.

The push-pin-mount maxiFLOW heat sinks are available in sizes ranging from 37.4 x 37.5 x 10.0 mm (L x W x H) up to 41.4 x 45.75 x 24.5 mm (L x W x H). Each maxiFLOW heat sink is provided preassembled with a Chomerics T766 phase-change thermal-interface material (TIM) for improved component-to-sink thermal transfer. The pad is centered on the base of the sink.

Pricing: Prices for ATS push-pin-mounted heat sinks start at $3.56 in high volume.

For more information: go to http://www.qats.com.

This article originally appeared on EE Times.