An Aluminum heat sink is the most widely used product for thermal solutions. Aluminum (Aluminium) is the second most widely used metal in the world after Iron. After oxygen and silicon, aluminum is the most common element in the Earth’s crust. The properties that make a aluminium heat sink popular include:

· Good thermal and electrical conductivity

· Low density with a density ~ 2,700 kg/m3

· Low weight

· High strength of between 70 and 700 MPa

· Easy malleability

· Easy machining

· Excellent corrosion resistance

· non-magnetic which avoids interference of magnetic fields

· Easy to recycle

Compared with other metals, aluminum has a relatively large coefficient of linear expansion. Aluminum’s  malleability is essential for the extrusionprocess, and in bending and other forming products.

An Aluminum heat sink is an excellent conductor of heat.

· A6061 has a thermal conductivity of ~ 167W/m-K and is typically used for machined heatsinks

· A6063 has a thermal conductivity of ~ 167W/m-K and is typically used for extruded heatsinks

Although the thermal properties are less than copper, An aluminum heat sink weighs approximately half as much as a copper conductor having the same conductivity, and is also less expensive.

Aluminum reacts with oxygen in air to form an extremely thin layer of Aluminum Oxide. Anodizing increases the thickness of the oxide layer and improves the strength of the natural corrosion protection.