Skived Fin Heat Sink

With the rapid growth of data centers, AI computing, and high-performance electronic systems, heat flux density continues to increase while available installation space becomes more limited. Conventional extruded or bonded heat sinks often struggle to meet these thermal challenges.

Skived Fin Heat Sinks provide a highly efficient and reliable air-cooling solution by enabling ultra-dense fin structures formed directly from a solid metal base. Through advanced heat sink skiving technology, thermal resistance is minimized, making skived fin heat sinks ideal for high-power and high-reliability applications.

What Is a Skived Fin Heat Sink?

A skived fin heat sink—also referred to as a skived heatsink or skiving heat sink—is manufactured using a precision skiving process. During this process, a specialized cutting tool gradually slices thin layers of metal from a solid aluminum or copper block and lifts them into vertical fins.

Unlike extrusion, brazing, or bonded-fin processes, skived fin structures remain fully integrated with the base material, creating a monolithic heat sink with no thermal interface between fins and base.

This structure significantly improves heat conduction efficiency and mechanical strength.

How Heat Sink Skiving Improves Thermal Performance

1. Reduced Thermal Resistance

Because the fins and base are formed from the same piece of material, there is no solder layer, adhesive, or brazing interface. This eliminates interface thermal resistance and ensures direct heat flow from the heat source to the fins.

2. Ultra-High Fin Density

The skiving process allows:

• Thinner fin thickness

• Smaller fin pitch

• Higher fin aspect ratio

This results in a much larger heat dissipation surface area compared to traditional extruded heat sinks.

3. Optimized Airflow Efficiency

High-density skived fins increase turbulence in forced-air environments, improving convective heat transfer when paired with fans or ducted airflow.

Material Options: Aluminum vs Copper Skiving

Aluminum Skived Fin Heat Sink

• Common alloys: Aluminum 6061 / 6063

• Lightweight and cost-effective

• Suitable for most server, telecom, and industrial air-cooling applications

skived copper heatsink

• Manufactured through copper skiving

• Extremely high thermal conductivity

• Ideal for high heat flux applications where rapid heat spreading is critical

• Commonly used in AI accelerators, GPUs, and power modules

Skived copper heatsinks are often selected when performance is prioritized over weight and material cost.

Detailed Skived Fin Heat Sink Manufacturing Process

Our skiving heat sink production follows a tightly controlled, step-by-step process to ensure consistency, precision, and traceability.

1. Raw Material Management

• Aluminum or copper coil material incoming inspection

• RoHS / REACH compliance testing

• Material certificate verification

• Batch traceability and controlled warehouse storage

2. Engineering & Process Development

• Review of customer drawings and 3D models

• Skived fin feasibility analysis

• DFM (Design for Manufacturability) report

• Process route confirmation with customer

• CAM programming for skiving and CNC operations

• Custom fixture design

• First article inspection plan preparation

3. Skived Fin Machining

Base Preparation

• Coil material feeding and blank cutting

• CNC rough machining and reference surface creation

Fin Skiving

• Dedicated skiving machine setup

• Tool installation and calibration

• First article skived fin inspection

• Adjustment of fin height, pitch, and geometry

• Mass production skiving with real-time monitoring of:

• Tool wear

• Fin consistency

• Surface finish

Precision Machining

• CNC finishing of mounting holes, threads, and locating features

• Chamfering and deburring

4. Surface Treatment (Optional)

• Ultrasonic cleaning to remove oil and debris

• Drying process

• Optional surface treatments:

• Anodizing (natural, black, custom colors)

• Electroless nickel plating

• Sandblasting

• Polishing (mirror or brushed finish)

• Secondary cleaning and drying

5. Quality Inspection & Reliability Testing

• CMM inspection: fin height, fin pitch, flatness, parallelism

• Optical inspection of fin profile and angles

• Visual inspection for scratches, dents, or coating defects

• Optional salt spray testing

• Coating adhesion testing (when applicable)

6. Packaging & Documentation

• Anti-static and anti-scratch packaging

• Desiccant placement

• Optional vacuum packaging

• Labeling with part number, batch number, and inspection status

• Complete documentation delivery:

• Dimensional inspection reports

• Material certificates

• Quality inspection records

Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) Control Points

Typical Applications of Skived Fin Heat Sinks

• Data center servers

• AI computing and GPU modules

• Telecom and 5G equipment

• Power electronics and inverters

• Industrial automation systems

• High-reliability embedded systems

Why Choose Skived Fin Heat Sinks?

• Higher fin density than extruded heat sinks

• Lower thermal resistance than bonded or brazed designs

• Strong mechanical integrity and long service life

• Excellent performance under forced-air cooling

• Highly customizable for complex thermal requirements

FAQ – Skived Fin Heat Sink

Q1: What makes skived fin heat sinks better than extruded heat sinks?
Skived fin heat sinks offer higher fin density and lower thermal resistance, making them suitable for higher power densities and compact designs.

Q2: When should I choose a skived copper heatsink?
When heat flux is extremely high or rapid heat spreading is required, skived copper heatsinks provide superior performance.

Q3: Can skived fin heat sinks be customized?
Yes. Fin geometry, base thickness, mounting features, and surface treatments can all be customized.

Q4: What is the typical production lead time?
Standard lead time is 7–15 working days, depending on complexity and quantity.