Cooling with heat pipes

As the performance and packing density of electronic components increase, the waste heat generated in a confined space also rises dramatically. This leads to dangerously high temperatures and thus increases the risk of device and system failure. Around 55 percent of electronic component failures today can be attributed to increased temperatures. 

New solutions for cooling with heatpipes

We offer comprehensive heat pipe-related services for industrial and research applications. Our focus is on specific and new applications and heat pipe designs that are not yet established in the mass market.

System development and consulting
In system development, we focus on the specific application and the thermal and geometric parameters. We advise you and work with you to develop the right heat pipe-based solution for your needs.

Laboratories
Our labs offer a wide range of possibilities for prototype production: We can weld and solder heat pipes, create wick structures, produce heat pipes (including additively using 3D printing), and fill heat pipes with various working fluids.

Measurment setups
We use special measurement setups and IR thermography to characterize the heat transfer capability of tubular and flat heat pipes. To investigate the internal structure of heat pipes, we use a state-of-the-art 3D computer tomograph.

We can support you in the production, testing and integration of heat pipes, from 3D-printed test samples to series production.

Switchable heat pipes

Regulating the temperature of components in the fields of electromobility, battery technology or mechanical engineering becomes increasingly important as power density rises. Fraunhofer IPM is developing a new generation of thermal switches using switchable heat pipes, which provide an autonomous and efficient heat management system – without complicated sensor technology or control engineering. Using a switchable heat pipe, the effort for temperature control can be substantially reduced in many systems.