Precautions for using thermal conductive paste

The problem of equipment heating is the main task of heat dissipation design engineers, and it is also the key to the safe and reliable operation of products for a long time. The main reason for equipment heating during operation is that when the current passes through a resistor, heat is generated, and the heat is dissipated from the surface of the heat source to the outside. However, air is a poor conductor of heat, which makes it difficult to effectively transfer heat to the outside, resulting in an increase in internal temperature and affecting the performance of the body.

Thermal conductive material is to reduce the contact thermal resistance between the heat source and the radiator, so that the heat source and the radiator can be in close contact, thus improving the heat transfer efficiency. Thermal conductive paste is one of the traditional process thermal conductive materials widely used in the field of thermal conductive materials at present. Although in recent years, with the emergence of thermal conductive gel, it was proposed that thermal conductive paste might be replaced by thermal conductive gel, but thermal conductive paste is still the choice of many engineers because of its excellent performance. So what is thermal conductive paste? What should be noted when using?

Thermal conductive paste is a semi fluid paste like composite material based on silicone resin, which has high thermal conductivity, low thermal resistance, and excellent lubrication performance. It can form an extremely thin surface layer at rough interfaces and is easy to be reworked. It is commonly used to fill the gaps between power consuming electronic components and heat sinks, improving the thermal conductivity efficiency of heat sinks. It is widely applicable in the current industrial process field.

Thermal paste has characteristics such as high thermal conductivity, low thermal resistance, and lubricity. However, if used hastily without understanding its characteristics, it may not achieve the expected effect. So, what are the precautions for using thermal paste?
Firstly, do not apply too thick thermal paste. Many people believe that the more thermal paste there is, the better its thermal conductivity effect will be. In fact, the thicker the thermal paste, the lower its heat transfer efficiency. When people use it, they only need to apply a thin layer on its surface, not too much, and too much is useless.

Then, when using the thermal paste, attention should be paid to the application range. The thermal paste is filled between the heat source and the radiator. If the application range is too large, it is likely that the thermal paste will overflow due to compression when the heat source is attached to the radiator, polluting the surrounding environment.

Secondly, the storage environment and usage amount are not appropriate. Although the storage management of thermal conductive paste is very convenient, it is generally recommended to use it up as soon as possible. If it is stored for a long time and the environment is not suitable, it may cause oil powder separation and affect its quality. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase it as needed to avoid waste.