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Custom Copper Powder Heatsinks

ZRTMWA

ZRTMWA

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Would Copper Powder be suitable to use as a heatsink in lasers? I realize it would be very important to seal off the powder once it is poured around the diode/module, as to not interfere with the electronics and not scratch the diode. It seems like it would be much easier and cheaper than having someone custom machine heatsinks for your host of choice.

I am not sure if this is in the right section, but an admin can move it if necessary.
 





Flaminpyro

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WELL.....how you going to do this ? sounds interesting but not to fesabile...
 
Cyparagon

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Powder is inherently full of air, and air is a phenomenal insulator.
 
bobhaha

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Could work.. but wouldn't bet on it. if you do go ahead with it let us know how it turns out!

-Adrian
 
ZRTMWA

ZRTMWA

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Maybe I could mix it with some thermal adhesive. This way it would be easier to mold and the powder wouldn't be loose. Or maybe just use thermal adhesive around the module. Has anyone tried this before?
 
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Meatball

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Do that. You should get a nice paste to fill gaps with, but don't use the paste as your primary heatsink. The gaps left by the powder particles provide surface area where heat is allowed to spread to, except you want the surface area to be where outside air can dissipate the heat away from the heatsink. You don't want air to trap the heat inside instead.
 
Benm

Benm

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Copper powder will make a very poor thermal conductor due to the air in it, but even mixing in adhesive to fill the gap wouldn't yield a very good thermal conductor. If you would like a castable material, solder (tin/lead) would be a reasonable choice. Its thermal coductivity is about a tenth of that of copper, but still many times better then the best thermal grease/expoxy/adhesive/etc.

Obviously you should not cast the heatsink with the diode in place, but somehow insert it after this have set and cooled down.
 
ZRTMWA

ZRTMWA

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How much air could really be in the copper powder if the copper powder crystals are only 1.8 µm (microns) maximum, in size?
 
rangedunits

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Meatball said:
Do that. You should get a nice paste to fill gaps with, but don't use the paste as your primary heatsink. The gaps left by the powder particles provide surface area where heat is allowed to spread to, except you want the surface area to be where outside air can dissipate the heat away from the heatsink. You don't want air to trap the heat inside instead.
Click to expand...
Its called, Daguin Frog Juice ^^.
 
millirad

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The copper would probably need to have molecular bonds to ensure proper conduction to remove heat. The powder probably would not be able to acheive what the solid copper (with its molecular bonds) does in removing heat through conduction of the heat.
 
frostin

frostin

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what id do is:

Make a crucible
Make a foundry
Make a dirt/clay mold

scrap copper=melted=poured into mold=a nice piece to work with if you make your mold good enough ;)
 
millirad

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More power to your crucible/mold creation. It's cheaper to buy copper rod and cut it with a hacksaw though.
 
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