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Materials finishes

Zipper fin heat sinks: an interconnected solution

What are zipper fins?

Zippers are a specialized mechanism that can uniformly connect two pieces of material into a single sheet of material. By utilizing a specialized geometry that interlocks with itself, continuous connections can be made. This makes handling a single zippered whole component easier instead of maneuvering a multitude of individual pieces. When we want to use a large quantity of thin fins on a heat sink, it would be a hassle to assemble each individual fin. This is where zipper fin heat sinks come in.

Zipper fins are sheets of metal that are progressively punched out of stock material. First the geometry of the fin is created with the punches. The length, height and fin pitch are determined in this first set of punches. The fin thickness is defined by the thickness of the fin stock used. Secondary punching processes then fold the fin and lock them into place with the previous fin. When the fin stack has enough fins for the application this stack was designed for, it’s removed from the punching area, ready to become a full zipper fin heat sink.

Each zipper fin heat sink has it’s own design for the progressive punches for the fins. This makes zipper fin assemblies more application specific since any new zipper fin heat sink configuration typically needs a new set of punches. Zipper fin heat sinks are ideal for high volume applications since the cost of the punches will be amortized across more products.

Common zipper fin heat sink configurations

Common heat sink designs with zipper fins include a fin stack attached onto a base as a heat sink assembly. More complex zipper fin assemblies include embedded heat pipes within the fin stack to better utilize all fins or additional fin height.

Zipper fin heat sink materials

Depending on your application needs, you may need an all aluminum or all copper heat sink, but having separate components in an assembly enables dissimilar material pairings to optimize performance. The material selection determines the joining method between the fins and the base. Aluminum resists soldering, so aluminum/aluminum joints are epoxy bonded. Epoxy doesn’t adhere well to copper, so copper/copper joints tend to be soldered. If mixed between the two, typically the aluminum component is nickel plated, then the assembly is soldered together.

Zipper fins have a wide range of application and design flexibility. Contact Eaton design engineers for assistance with your zipper fin heat sink design.

Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and protecting the environment for people everywhere. We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy and helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges.

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Zipper fin heat sinks: an interconnected solution

What are zipper fins?

Common zipper fin heat sink configurations

Zipper fin heat sink materials

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Manage favorites

Zipper fin heat sinks: an interconnected solution

What are zipper fins?

Common zipper fin heat sink configurations

Zipper fin heat sink materials

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