Advanced thermal interface tackles tougher challenges

Gap Pad VO Ultimate is easily compressed, having a Young modulus of 90kPa, thereby minimising pressure on components and providing low-stress vibration damping. Its high conformability, as with other Gap Pad VO materials, ensures excellent interfacing and wet-out characteristics even when surfaces have high roughness or uneven topography. The rubber coated fibreglass carrier of Gap Pad VO Ultimate eases handling and provides high puncture, shear and tear resistance. Its slight inherent tack minimises shifting during assembly.

High electrical insulation, characterised by dielectric breakdown voltage of 6000 Vac, allows use in applications requiring isolation between heatsinks and high-voltage devices. These will include power supplies, telecom and networking boards, computers and peripherals, and any area where heat must be transferred from a heat-generating component to a heatsink or chassis.

Offering the highest thermal conductivity in the Gap Pad VO family, at 1.3W/m-K, Gap Pad VO Ultimate compares with Gap Pad VO Soft offering 0.8W/m-K and Gap Pad VO Ultra-Soft offering 1.0W/m-K. Its mechanical properties, with modulus of 90kPa, position the material between the highly compressible Gap Pad VO Ultra-Soft (55kPa) and Gap Pad VO Soft (275kPa).

Gap Pad VO Ultimate is offered in standard thicknesses from 0.508mm to 3.175mm, and is available in 203mm x 406mm (8-inch x 11-inch) standard sheets or as die-cut parts. Custom thicknesses are also available upon request.