Aluminum IGBT Heatsink

An aluminum IGBT heatsink is the cooler an IGBT power module bolts onto - built from extruded or skived 6063 / 6061 aluminum with a flat, high-precision base that seats the module square and fins tuned to your airflow. For the overwhelming majority of IGBT loads, aluminum delivers the thermal conductivity you need at a fraction of the weight and cost of copper. We build these aluminum IGBT heatsinks to your module footprint, losses, and enclosure.

- Aluminum by design - 6063-T5 default, 6061-T6 where stiffness matters; ~209 / 167 W/m·K, light and cost-effective
- Flat, high-precision IGBT base - ≤0.10 mm flatness (≤0.05 mm skived); no shimming, even thermal interface
- Module-footprint ready - 62 / 94 / 106 / 140 mm, and your custom pad; drilled, tapped, or pocketed
- Fin tuned to your cooling - forced-air, natural convection, or ultra-dense skived for the highest flux densities

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An aluminum IGBT heatsink is, mechanically, an aluminum block with a thick bottom plate and a row of fins - but the part a buyer cares about is how it is engineered around the IGBT module. An IGBT switches and conducts large currents; every switching and conduction loss not conducted away becomes junction heat. The cooler's flat base spreads that heat into the fins, and the fins hand it to the air. The lower the total thermal resistance from junction to air, the more current the IGBT can carry at a given ambient temperature.

We build these coolers in aluminum rather than copper for a simple reason: for most IGBT modules the case-to-air resistance is dominated by fin area and airflow, not by base conductivity, so the ~2× thermal conductivity of copper rarely earns back its ~3× cost and ~3× weight. Aluminum 6063/6061 gives you the conductivity the IGBT needs, at a weight and price that keeps the whole inverter competitive.

Engineering note for buyers: Send the IGBT part number (footprint and Rθjc), total losses (W), ambient temperature, mounting height, and whether cooling is forced-air or natural. We match fin height, pitch, base thickness, and process (extruded vs skived) in aluminum, then return a case-temperature estimate and margin before tooling.

Three angles of the same aluminum cooler - the raw extruded profile, the finished base with an IGBT module mounted, and a cross-section of the fin-to-base thermal path.

 

Raw aluminum extrusion

Thick flat base with parallel fins. The starting shape before holes and anodizing.

Finished, IGBT mounted

Flat aluminum base drilled/tapped; IGBT seats square. Fin pitch tuned to your airflow.

Cross-section

Thick aluminum base = low interface resistance, even spread. Fins sized to your cooling.

Reference aluminum build for IGBT power modules. Dimensions and mounting are set to your IGBT and enclosure.

An aluminum IGBT heatsink comes in several forms. Picking the wrong one either wastes budget (oversized skived) or risks failure (undersized fin). Here is how the common aluminum approaches compare for IGBT modules.

Rule of thumb: If your IGBT runs under a few hundred watts in a fan-cooled or naturally-vented enclosure, an extruded or skived aluminum IGBT heatsink is almost always the right answer. Move to a heat-pipe or copper-insert hybrid only when flux density or a sealed cabinet makes plain fins impractical.

The base material trades cost and weight against thermal performance. For most IGBT modules, aluminum wins on price and weight; copper wins on conductivity but is rarely worth it except at the interface. We also offer copper-insert aluminum bases for a targeted boost.

Recommendation: Choose 6063-T5 aluminum for the bulk of your IGBT program - it carries the typical IGBT case-to-air load at the lowest landed cost. Use a copper-insert base only at the hottest IGBT stage (e.g., a SiC phase leg) where a few °C of case-temperature reduction protects the junction. A full copper cooler is almost never justified for IGBT: the gain is tiny versus the 3× cost and 3× weight.

From raw aluminum bar to a finished, IGBT-ready cooler (extruded route shown; skived route replaces steps 1–2 with skiving).

Every aluminum IGBT heatsink ships against an inspection plan tied to your IGBT's seating and thermal requirements. Our QC covers the points that actually affect junction temperature and field returns.

For buyers: Ask for the batch inspection report and material certificate with your first order - we issue a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) and can supply PPAP-level documentation for automotive or grid IGBT programs on request.

Understanding what drives price helps you specify an aluminum IGBT cooler that meets the thermal budget without paying for capability you do not need. The main levers:

Budget guidance: For a typical forced-air IGBT cooler, an extruded 6063 aluminum build with standard machining is the lowest landed cost. Move to skived only for the hottest stage, keep full copper off the table (the gain over aluminum is small for IGBT), and specify natural (not black) anodizing unless emissivity is a real factor.

From your IGBT drawing to a finished, module-ready aluminum cooler. A typical custom aluminum IGBT heatsink program runs in seven steps.

1. RFQ: IGBT P/N, losses, airflow, height, finish

2. DFM Review: We check footprint, holes, flatness feasibility

3. Quote & Thermal Est: Profile, R, case-temp margin, price

4. Sample: CNC-modified or new-die sample, 5-10 days

5. Mass Production: Extrude/ skive, machine, finish, inspect

6. QC & Docs: Report, CoC, material cert, RoHS/REACH

7. Ship: FOB/CIF/DDP to your port or door

 

What Customers

Say

"We switched from a copper base to their extruded 6063 aluminum IGBT heatsink for a 75 kW inverter and saved 40% on cooler cost with no junction-temperature penalty. The material comparison sheet made the trade-off obvious to our design review."

M. Hoffmann

Power Electronics Lead, Germany

"Their aluminum IGBT cooler seats our 140 mm module with under 0.08 mm flatness. No shimming, even thermal interface, and first-article inspection report arrived with the sample. Exactly what we needed for the automotive program."

 

L. Petrova

Hardware Engineer, Bulgaria

"For an IGBT and a rectifier in the same cabinet they gave us one shared aluminum base instead of two separate coolers. Fewer parts, simpler assembly, and the inspection report with every batch keeps our QA happy."

 

S. Nakamura

Procurement, Japan

Q: Why choose an aluminum IGBT heatsink over copper?

For most IGBT modules the case-to-air resistance is dominated by fin area and airflow, not base conductivity, so copper's ~2× thermal conductivity rarely earns back its ~3× cost and ~3× weight. An aluminum IGBT heatsink in 6063/6061 delivers the conductivity the IGBT needs at a far lower landed cost. Use copper-insert only at the hottest stage. See our material-comparison section above.

Q: Extruded, skived, or copper-insert - which for my IGBT?

For most IGBT modules, an extruded aluminum flat-base cooler is the lowest-cost answer. Choose skived aluminum fins when flux density is high or space is tight (common with SiC-hybrid stages). Use a copper-insert base only at the hottest IGBT leg. Full copper is almost never justified for IGBT.

Q: How do you size the aluminum heatsink to my IGBT?

Send the IGBT part number (footprint and Rθjc), total losses in watts, ambient temperature, available mounting height, and whether cooling is forced-air or natural. We match fin height, pitch, base thickness, and process, then return a case-temperature estimate and margin before tooling.

Q: Can the aluminum base be machined for my IGBT footprint?

Yes. The flat aluminum base is drilled, tapped, or pocketed to seat 62 / 94 / 106 / 140 mm standard IGBT modules (or your custom pad) with ≤0.10 mm flatness (≤0.05 mm skived), so the IGBT bolts down square with no shimming.

Q: What quality documents do you provide?

Every batch ships with a material certificate, inspection report (flatness, hole position, anodizing thickness, sample Rθ), and RoHS/REACH statement. We also issue a Certificate of Conformity, and can supply PPAP-level documentation for automotive or grid IGBT programs on request.

Q: What is the MOQ and lead time?

Modified-profile aluminum samples ship in 5–7 working days with a low prototype MOQ. New extrusions or skived parts add tooling lead time, confirmed in the quote. Volume repeats run on a scheduled basis with tiered pricing for 1,000+ programs.

Q: Do you support IGBT + SiC hybrid stages?

Yes. SiC legs run hotter and need lower case-to-air resistance; we recommend a skived aluminum fin with a flat, high-precision base, and can add a copper-insert stage where a few °C of case-temperature reduction protects the junction.

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