Extrusion Heat Sink

Heat sink extrusion, also called aluminum extrusion heat sink or aluminum heat sink extrusion, is one of the most widely used thermal management solutions today. Thanks to its lightweight design, excellent heat dissipation performance, and cost-effectiveness, it has become the preferred choice across many industries.

The manufacturing process involves heating aluminum ingots to about 520–540℃, and then forcing the softened material through an extrusion heat sink mold under high pressure. This forms continuous heat sink extrusions with fin structures. The profiles are then cut, machined, and anodized to improve corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and overall appearance.

AL6063 aluminum alloy is the most commonly used material for extruded aluminum heat sinks, as it combines high thermal conductivity with excellent machinability. Because the extrusion process is relatively simple and equipment costs are low, it is especially suitable for high-volume production.

Today, extruded heat sinks are available in many variations, such as electronic heat sinks, computer heat sinks, sunflower heat sinks, and power semiconductor heat sinks. They are widely applied in machinery, automotive, wind power, construction equipment, compressors, railway locomotives, and household appliances.

Another major advantage of aluminum extrusion heat sink profiles is the flexibility of design. Complex fin structures can be easily achieved with extrusion molds, increasing the cooling surface area while reducing secondary machining time. In addition, customized heat sink extrusion is highly feasible. For advanced designs, aluminum fins can even be combined with a copper base, leveraging copper’s superior thermal conductivity together with aluminum’s lightweight and cost-saving benefits.