Additive manufacturing for microscale heat exchangers operating in flow boiling

Abstract

Micro scale heatsinks provide a promising thermal solution for high-power electronic components. However, the capabilities of current top-to-bottom subtractive manufacturing techniques are constraining the production of complex geometric features required for optimised micro-scale heatsink designs. Thus, additive manufactured heatsinks are introduced as a bottom-up alternative for producing complex surface geometries. The effect of these two different manufacturing techniques, particularly surface characteristics and their effect on heatsink performance, should be evaluated.