UK Manufactured 3D Printed Sintered Wick Heat Pipes for Embedded Solutions

该项目将评估开发3D打印烧结芯热管坚固嵌入式热框的商业可行性。该项目的基本性能评估单元将是模块化的VPX VITA 48.2传导冷却热框。之所以选择这种外形因素，是因为它受到VITA标准的高度机械限制，并且代表了目前市场上坚固的国防部门的大量产品。旨在使作为该项目一部分开发的解决方案可以在更大的模块上复制，或者在同一行业的坚固的底盘开发上复制。集成热管对于坚固的市场并不是一项新技术，然而，可能开发人员在正确实施它们方面遇到了困难，导致吸纳量低于考虑到它们的成熟度而应该预期的水平。常见的问题包括集成和组装差，或供应商的管道质量差。通过将灯芯结构整合到单个打印单元中，这些挑战完全从该单元中消除，并将允许更多的开发商在他们的产品中使用和实施这些技术。此外，由于该地区的政治紧张局势，几乎普遍起源于远东的热管供应链受到国防计划参与的严格审查。对于这些小批量市场，替代供应链成本高得令人望而却步，这阻碍了热管技术在产品中的更广泛应用。集成热管模块的小体积和芯体几何结构的复杂性使其适合开发可添加制造的替代组件。在该项目结束时，Entropy打算展示添加制造烧结式芯体模块在坚固的电子模块中比传统制造的同类组件具有性能和成本优势。熵将有明确的步骤将这些产品商业化，并将评估进一步的资金，包括商业合作伙伴关系，以进展到生产准备水平。

This project will evaluate the commercial viability of developing a 3D printed sintered wick heat pipe rugged embedded heat frame.The base unit for evaluating performance in this project will be a modular VPX VITA 48.2 conduction cooled heat frame. This form factor has been selected as it is highly mechanically constrained by the VITA standards and represents a large number of products in the rugged Defence sectors currently on the market.It is intended that solutions developed as part of this project can be replicated on larger modules, or rugged chassis developments for the same industry.Integrated heat pipes are not a new technology for the rugged market, however may developers have struggled to correctly implement them resulting in lower uptake than should be expected considering their maturity. Common problems include poor integration and assembly, or poor pipe quality from supplier.By incorporating the wick structure into a single printed unit, these challenges are removed entirely from the unit and will allow more developer to use and implement these techniques in their products.Additionally, heat pipe supply chains, which almost universally originate in the Far East, are under severe scrutiny from Defence program engagement due to political tensions in the area. For these low volume markets, alternative supply chain costings are prohibitively high which discourages wider implementation of heat pipe technology in products. The low volume, and wick geometry complexity of integrated heat pipe modules lends itself to the development of an additively manufactured alternative.By close of this project, Entropy intend to show that additively manufacture sintered wick modules have both a performance and cost benefit in rugged electronics modules over their traditionally manufactures counterparts. Entropy will have clear steps to commercialisation of these products, and will evaluate further funding including commercial partnership to progress to production ready levels.