Product category:
Floor-Standing Racks, Cabinets and Enclosures
News Release from: Norse Precision Castings | Subject: Aluminium castings
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 21 June 2005
Aluminium offers economical thermal
management
A change in chassis or enclosure material can solve overheating problems quickly and easily.
Frequently a problem, rarely an asset, the question of heat and its management often arises late in the design stages of any component or system, but a change in chassis or enclosure material can solve overheating problems quickly and easily Sand casting in aluminium offers a late yet economical solution even in fairly high batch quantities, and accommodates change without high financial penalty
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 9 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Although aluminium lies fourth after silver, copper and gold in the league of heat conduction, take into account its economy and ease of production, and it rises to the top.
Custom aluminium enclosures solve design dilemmas
The heat transfer characteristics of aluminium, the electrical conductivity, and the economies of sand castings combine to present some very useful benefits in the design of enclosures and chassis.
Although aluminium lies fourth after silver, copper and gold in the league of heat conduction, take into account the economy and ease of production and it comes up "top".
Recognisable as the most practical of the best four, aluminium has twice the conductivity of zinc and brass, three times that of magnesium and over ten times the figure for stainless steel, one of the worst conductors.
The solution is often found in the management of the heat extraction.
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When it came to choice of materials for the front panels of Drake's Refresh Range of voice communication modules, rigid polyurethane offered the ability to cope with shape without compromising cost.
Polyurethane case combines function with style
Moulded at room temperature, rigid polyurethane is highly fluid, with exceptional ability to form complex three-dimensional patterns to near net shape.
In the extremes of say outer-space and some aviation systems, heat pipes can be employed, but for the majority of industrial applications simple, more economic solutions are needed.
Norse Precision Castings offers a solution to both the component or enclosure design and by sand casting, the fast economical provision of the parts.
Sand casting offers prototypes and low to medium batch production with a very short lead times and has the particular advantage in the early production stages that design changes to prototypes are relatively easily accommodated and at minimal cost.
The excellent fluidity enables aluminium to form complex three dimensional shapes, which can be used to form substantial conductors of heat without excessive weight penalty.
Add to this the ability incorporate heatsinks onto the outer surfaces of the enclosure at the extra costs of just the additional material and major benefits become significant.
Case examples include a sand cast housing for mounting printed circuit boards where low tolerance slots provided high contact pressure for heat to be transferred to this frame, and the high frequency radio where the sink is incorporated into the chassis.
Heat is transferred via mounting studs and several pads designed to make contact under the PCB.
On a marine radar VDU, the heat dissipater is build into the back section of only the higher power variant, other models using the lighter weight version of the same chassis.
In such complex shapes, the key lies in accurate pattern making to produce near net shape components.
When post-cast machining is necessary aluminium cuts easily providing low machine usage times.
The particular processes at Norse Precision also give high quality finish, with accurate repeatability.
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