USING Thermally CONDUCTIVE COMPOUNDS TO PROVIDE PROTECTION and Extend Product Life
The rapid growth of electronic components manufacturing and the trend toward miniaturized and lighter weight designs have significantly increased the demand for thermally conductive compounds. Thermal conductivity is now a primary concern for lighting, automotive, medical device and electric vehicle (EV) original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that need reliable solutions to manage heat buildup, and hot spots in sensitive electronic devices.
Americhem’s InTherm™ thermally conductive compounds are commonly used in LED enclosures, battery housings, chargers, connectors, sockets and other electronic devices and components, achieving thermal conductivity levels up to 100 times that of unmodified resins depending on the proprietary filler technology applied. Like our other engineered compound offerings, InTherm™ optimizes thermoplastic materials to increase product life and performance while reducing complexities in your manufacturing process.
Ready to conduct at higher performance levels with InTherm™?
The rapid growth of electronic components manufacturing and the trend toward miniaturized and lighter weight designs have significantly increased the demand for thermally conductive compounds. Thermal conductivity is now a primary concern for lighting, automotive, medical device and electric vehicle (EV) original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that need reliable solutions to manage heat buildup, and hot spots in sensitive electronic devices.
Americhem’s InTherm™ thermally conductive compounds are commonly used in LED enclosures, battery housings, chargers, connectors, sockets and other electronic devices and components, achieving thermal conductivity levels up to 100 times that of unmodified resins depending on the proprietary filler technology applied. Like our other engineered compound offerings, InTherm™ optimizes thermoplastic materials to increase product life and performance while reducing complexities in your manufacturing process.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL CONDUCTIVITY. VARYING SURFACE RESISTIVITY RANGES.
Thermoplastics are inherently poor conductors of heat and electricity because of the nature of the chemical bonding within and between their polymer chains. InTherm™ utilizes two main types of proprietary thermally conductive technologies – ceramic-based fillers and carbon-based fibers/fillers – to create compounds that are: 1) thermally conductive and electrically insulative or 2) thermally and electrically conductive.
Ceramic fillers can provide in-plane thermal conductivity in the range of 5-50 times that of unmodified thermoplastics while being electrically insulative.
Carbon based fibers/fillers can provide in-plane thermal conductivity up to 100 times that of unmodified thermoplastics while being electrically conductive with surface resistivities ranging from 101-109 ohm/sq.
PRECISE COMBINATIONS OF ADVANTAGES
Primarily developed for injection molding applications, InTherm™ offers greater design freedom than metals and ceramics. Our thermally conductive polymers enable complex shapes that serve as a heat sink while providing opportunities for parts consolidation and weight reduction.
Depending on the type of fibers/fillers utilized, Intherm compounds can als provide for EMI/RFI shielding and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection requirements while meeting thermal conductivity requirements.
In many applications, InTherm™ is an excellent alternative to metal when corrosion can cause part failure and its weight adds to overall costs. Besides imparting thermal and electrical conductivity these engineered compounds can be further tailored with custom color, friction and wear additives, flame retardants, heat stabilizers, impact modifiers and other structural reinforcements like glass fibers to maximize properties of interest.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT Thermally CONDUCTIVE COMPOUND
Americhem offers unbiased help in specifying base resins, fillers and fibers to meet the specific design needs of our customers. We start by determining all of the application material requirements and identifying the finished component’s specific end-use, then factor in considerations like price, quality and lead times in the selection process. We have produced numerous InTherm™ products based on PPS, PPSU,and PEEK, but we can also develop products using lower-cost elastomers and resins like TPU, TPE, Nylon 6/6 and PBT.
PROVEN PRODUCTS BACKED BY GLOBAL SUPPORT
Americhem’s expertise in thermally conductive compounds is built upon over 40 years of compounding excellence. We have been solving complex thermal and electrical conductivity challenges for over a decade, keeping pace with the rapid evolution of electronics technology and innovations shaping an even more connected, automated and data-driven future. InTherm™ represents Americhem’s ability to empower our customers to design and manufacture cutting-edge products, fully backed by global technical support.