Improved high-conductivity thermal spreading for a range of heat transfer and cooling applications in the aerospace industry is provided by new k-Core from leading thermal management technology specialists, Thermacore Europe Ltd.

k-Core is the latest in advanced heat transfer technology and features encapsulated Annealed Pyrolytic Graphite (APG) to provide up to three times the conductivity (k) of solid copper while having a lower mass than aluminium.

The technology extracts heat from electronic components via thermal spreaders and relocates it to a remote heat sink location for rapid dissipation. This significantly reduces peak temperatures and variations in temperature when compared to traditional aluminium solid designs, increasing the reliability, safety and life of electronic devices.

As it can be encapsulated within a wide range of conventional thermal management metals and materials, k-Core heat transfer products provide ‘drop-in’ replacements for conventional solid metal conductors significantly reducing component temperatures.

A high performance and simple lightweight conduction solution is attained through the use of an APG insert within a range of thermal management encapsulants that include aluminium alloys, copper alloys, ceramics and composites. This reduces electronic component temperatures in harsh conditions and confined spaces, significantly extending the life of high value systems.

k-Core is unaffected by the extreme acceleration/deceleration and gravitational forces experienced in the aerospace sector, where typical applications include heat dissipation in precision engineered avionic PCBs, satellites and telescopes, space vehicle payload doublers and radiators and bespoke spacecraft components.

Thermacore’s design team works closely with customers to select the most appropriate materials for applications and has the capacity to develop k-Core heat spreaders with thermal pathways to increase the through-the-thickness conductance of APG if required.

With existing North American manufacturing capabilities of k-Core currently at Thermacore Inc, in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Thermacore Europe has now fully completed the technology transfer of k-Core, which adds European manufacturing capability to provide k-Core thermal solutions directly to the European market.  With its state-of-the-art ISO-certified manufacturing facility in Northumberland, UK, Thermacore Europe Ltd is able to provide diverse technologies which include intelligent thermal management systems (ITMS), heat spreaders, heat pipe assemblies and liquid cooling systems alongside material development and testing programmes.