The benefit of the copper heat sink is an old acquaintance. It is used in different electronic devices to preserve their performance and durability. They are made from a range of materials. However, the most common materials are copper and aluminum.
Among these two, copper is the most beneficial, given that it has better thermal conductivity than aluminum. Such heat sinks are used in the most diverse electronics that we need in our daily tasks, as well as in automobiles.
The heat sink is crucial for the good performance and useful life of components in an electronic device or parts of an automobile, for example. In a car, in addition to improving performance, the heat sink acts as a safety device. Due to its importance, automakers have sought new technologies to improve the performance and safety of automobiles, including improving heat sinks.
One example is the copper heat sink mounting device on diesel injectors developed by Delphi Technologies / BorgWarner last year. This device, called Heat Shield (BT203), is considered an innovative and challenging project because it arose from a specific need of Mercedes, one of the company's clients at the time.
The project was coordinated by Davi de Araujo, an engineer with more than three and a half decades of experience in the area of production engineering. Davi not only worked for several multinationals such as SKF, The Timken Company and Kennametal, but also received awards in recognition of his performance. Davi coordinated the development and construction of the Heat Shield (BT203), which was launched in the middle of last year by Delphi Technologies / BorgWarner.
According to Davi, "the Heat Shield (BT203) is an assembly device that adds the copper heat sink in the diesel injectors. This equipment assembles the heat sink, ensuring precision in the assembly phase, correct dimensions required and integrity of the product, greater productivity and safety, given that it has a light curtain and bimanual activation, guaranteeing the physical safety of the equipment operator."
Explaining the importance of this device, Davi adds: "as the name suggests, the heat sink has the function of removing the heat produced by electronic components or parts of the automobile and dissipating it into the environment, preventing overheating. It is composed of material that is both resistant to excessive heat and has good thermal conductivity. Therefore, the materials most used in its production are copper and aluminum. The difference between the two materials is that while aluminum is easier to process and cheaper, copper has better thermal conductivity."
This innovative project, developed and built in Brazil, follows the trend of technological development around the globe also in the automobile sector. It shows the world the talent Brazil has and how they are contributing to the development of such industry. In fact, the development of a mounting device that included the copper heat sink on the diesel injectors was a good outcome for both the manufacturer and the customer. Now we await the new technologies that will emerge in this sector. Development does not stop.
