陶瓷专家CeramTechas successfully tested the cooling capabilities of its new e-mobility-focused power semiconductor module.
与之一起开发Fraunhofer IISB, the firm’s latest ceramic innovation is designed to thermally regulate the drive inverters of electric-powered vehicles. During extensive pressure testing, CeramTec says that its module showed “impressive” levels of resistance, as well as proving to be an ideal semiconductor mounting point, effectively showcasing the potential of ceramics within contemporary e-drive concepts.
Ceramtec工业总裁Richard Boulter说：“测试测量已证明，具有高性能氮化铝陶瓷冷却器的SIC电源模块可以承受高负荷。”“凭借低热阻力和高填料密度，驱动逆变器的功率模块成为高性能的较酷较低的，以便于特定要求进行修改。”
Ceramtec的技术专长
With an annual revenue north of €550 million, and a 10,000-strong product offering, CeramTec is one of the world’s leading technical ceramic manufacturers. Due to ceramic’s unique mechanical properties, the firm’s products have found wide-ranging applications, and its clients hail from the automotive, electronic and medical sectors amongst others.
Although much of the company’s portfolio isn’t directly related to 3D printing, it did recently highlight theimportance of product diversificationin the release of its FY 2020 financials. With this in mind, CeramTec has made significant inroads into the additive manufacturing sector so far this year, via targeted additions to its software and material portfolio.
Back in February 2021, the firm launched its‘ROCAR 3D’ printing powder据报道，在释放之前，该特性与碳化硅具有相似的特性“ Ceramcreator”工具to help clients streamline their modelling workflow, and working with Fraunhofer IISB, it has now proven the potential of its ceramic offering within electric vehicle production as well.
推动电子运动的未来
When it comes to regulating the electrical power of so-called ‘e-drive’ powertrains, keeping their related electronics cool is essential, especially when they operate continuously in tight spaces. To make this possible, CeramTec has therefore worked with Fraunhofer IISB to develop and launch a unique ceramic-based thermal regulating solution, in the form of itsnew power module。
The unit itself was built as part of the companies’ joint ‘FuCera’ project, through which they set out to identify a cooler-based method of efficiently de-heating semiconductor chips. Ceramics, in particular, were used to create the device due to their inherent temperature, chemical and wear-resistance qualities, as well as their thermal conductivity.
Ultimately, to generate maximum power at an efficient weight, CeramTec developed a unified aluminium nitride (AlN) assembly, which it has now dubbed ‘chip-on-heatsink’ technology. By using both sides of the heatsink as carriers and coolers simultaneously, the firm has been able to produce a module with twice the thermal resistance of conventional heat management systems.
CermaTec’s novel approach has also enabled it to adapt the module’s internal geometry to incorporate a pin-fin structure, serving to increase its heat transfer surface while making it ultra-compact, thus the final product features dimensions of just 48 x 36 mm, with a thickness of 3.6 mm and weight of ten grams.
最近，为了证明其模块的热性能，该公司使用强大测试站进行了热表征评估。结果表明，该设备的耐热性为0.15 kcm²/w从芯片到冷却水，剪切强度约为40 MPa，Ceramtec得出结论，其模块具有“良好的烧结特性”。
Ceramic’s 3D printing potential
While it’s well-known that ceramics feature excellent thermal resistance qualities, their fragility has often prevented their industrial-scale deployment. To combat this, a significant amount of recent research has been conducted into producing more robust ceramic parts, yielding structures such as theHRL实验室’Ceramic Matrix Composites。
Given ceramic’s antimicrobial properties, it’s also increasingly being used to create enhanced medical devices and implants. At theSkolkovo Institute of Science and Technology，例如，科学家开发了3D印刷的基于陶瓷patient-specific bone grafts, capable of being fused to organic tissues.
Researchers at深圳大学and西南物理研究所have even managed to 3D print反应堆发射陶瓷结构。旨在取代实验核心中看到的卵石床，该细胞设备最终可以帮助促进核技术满足世界能源需求。
要了解最新的3D印刷新闻，请不要忘记订阅3D打印行业newsletter或跟随我们推特或喜欢我们的页面Facebook。
要深入研究添加剂制造，您现在可以订阅我们的雷电竞充值YouTubechannel, featuring discussion, de-briefs and shots of 3D printing in-action.
Are you looking for a job in the additive manufacturing industry? Visit3D Printing Jobsfor a selection of roles in the industry.
特色图显示了概念电动汽车的内部。通过Ceramtec图像。
