2

I was looking for a heat sink in a long list of products. In heat-sink datasheets, I usually see terms like anodized, no finish or degreased finish. What do these terms mean? What information they give about the heat-sink. Do they give information about surface insulation of the heat-sink?

enter image description here

hkBattousai
  • 13,913
  • 31
  • 114
  • 190

1 Answers1

2

It is literally how the heat sink material is finished after fabrication. Using your examples:

  • Anodizing a conductive heatsink makes it nonconductive. Use this if you want the part's case voltage isolated from the heatsink.
  • No finish would be raw material. If the heatsink is aluminum, it will come with no paint, completely bare aluminum.
  • If you intend to use a thermal paste between the part and the heatsink, a degreased finish, free from machine oil, would be a good starting point.

This is an area where you really need to consider your application, and what you need from the heatsink.

Matt Young
  • 13,734
  • 5
  • 34
  • 61
  • 1
    Please NOTE anodisation really shouldn't be relied upon for voltage isolation. While it is true Anodisation does vastly increase the oxidiation layer and THUS the insulation, it is VERY easily scratched and most certainly compromised if tapped –  Nov 18 '13 at 21:16