Thermal GAP PAD^® Gap Fillers

Enhanced thermal conductivity through highly conformable gap filling capability

Bergquist GAP PAD^® brand gap fillers provide effective thermal interfaces between heat sinks and electronic devices, accommodating for uneven surfaces, air gaps and rough surface textures. The thermally conductive pad's soft construction offers high conformability to reduce interface resistance. In addition to effective heat dissipation, thermal GAP PAD^® gap fillers also help reduce vibration stress for shock dampening.

Exceptionally simple to use, Bergquist GAP PAD^® materials are manufactured to size and facilitate easy application: operators simply peel the protective film and place the thermal management pad on the desired component.

GAP PAD^® gap fillers are produced in a variety of standard dimensions and thicknesses, but can also be customized for specific application requirements. Available as custom die cut parts with the ability to individualize thickness and constructions, thermal GAP PAD^® materials are always fit for purpose to ensure optimized thermal control no matter what the application.

GAP PAD^® Materials

Photo of blue thermal interface material on top of components on a green pcb

With shock dampening abilities, thermal GAP PAD^® gap fillers are recommended for applications that require a minimum amount of pressure between components. For applications that do not allow silicone, such as silicone-sensitive optic components and automotive lighting, thermal GAP PAD^® materials are available in a silicone-free formulation.

The broad GAP PAD^® family provides an effective thermal interface between heat sinks and electronic devices where textures are present, and the GAP PAD^® thermal conductivity range is extensive — going as high as 12.0 W/mK. Henkel application specialists work closely with customers to specify the proper GAP PAD^® material for each unique thermal management pad requirement.

Features

Each of the many products within the GAP PAD^® portfolio is unique in construction, properties and performance. Thermal gap filler include the following features:

Low-modulus Polymer material
Available with fiberglass/rubber carriers or in a non-reinforced version
Innovative filler technology to achieve specific thermal and conformability characteristics
Highly conformable to uneven and rough surfaces with very low-stress thermal gap filler compression
Electrically isolating
Natural tack on one or both sides with protective liners
Variety of thicknesses and hardnesses
Range of thermal conductivities
Available in sheets and die-cut part

Benefits

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GAP PAD^® brand thermal products are designed to improve an assembly’s thermal performance and reliability.

Eliminate air gaps to reduce thermal resistance
Ultra-conformable with minimal thermal gap filler compression, low modulus reduces interfacial resistance
Low-stress vibration dampening
Shock absorbing
Easy material handling
Simplified application
Puncture, shear and tear resistance
Improved performance for high-heat assemblies

Options

Some GAP PAD^® products have special features for particular applications, including:

Available with or without adhesive
Rubber-coated fiberglass reinforcement
Thicknesses from 0.010 in. to 0.250 in.
Available in custom die-cut parts, sheets and rolls (converted or unconverted)
Custom thicknesses and constructions
Adhesive or natural inherent tack
Silicone-free thermal GAP PAD^® products available in thicknesses of 0.010 in.-0.125 in.
Custom, specialized GAP PAD^® gap fillers are available; tooling charges vary depending on tolerance and complexity of the part

Applications

GAP PAD^® thermal interface products are well-suited to a wide variety of electronics, automotive, medical, aerospace and satellite applications such as:

Between an IC and a heat sink or chassis; typical packages include BGAs, QFPs, SMT power components and magnetics
Between a semiconductor and heat sink
Memory modules; heat pipe assemblies
DDR SDRAM
Hard drive cooling
Power supplies
IGBT modules
Signal amplifiers