Why Choose GALLOP INNOTEK Soft Thermal Pads?
- High conformability to effectively fill irregular gaps
- Multiple softness options
- Low compression force to reduce stress on components
- Remains soft at high temperatures
- Custom options available for low silicone oil release requirements
Your Trusted Soft Thermal Pads Supplier
GALLOP INNOTEK soft thermal pads offer excellent softness and conformability, effectively filling gaps between heat-generating components, heat sinks, and housings to help your equipment dissipate heat more consistently. However, these thermal pads do not provide active cooling.
GALLOP INNOTEK strictly follows quality management systems such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and IECQ to ensure consistent quality in mass production of soft thermal pads. We can also provide the necessary testing to meet your target market requirements, including REACH, PFOS, California Proposition 65, and UL 94.
If you are looking for an OEM or ODM supplier of soft thermal pads that meet ASTM standards, contact our engineers today. We can develop thermal pad solutions based on your project requirements.
This thermal pad has undergone more than 1,000 hours of aging testing and offers high thermal conductivity. Its excellent surface wetting properties allow it to conform to and maintain contact with mating surfaces.
It delivers low compression stress and keeps stable thermal conductivity under light assembly pressure. This helps reduce thermal resistance between heat-generating components and the heat-spreading structure.
Thanks to its natural tackiness on both sides, low compressive force, and high compressibility, this soft thermal pad can be easily installed in your communications equipment, automotive electronic control units, or server memory modules.
With a thermal conductivity of 3.6 W/mK and high insulation properties, it is a smart choice for filling gaps between heat sinks in LED lighting, industrial control boards, and network equipment.
This thermal pad offers low thermal resistance and stays flexible under low assembly pressure. It supports heat dissipation for battery modules and large-area enclosures.
You can use it in applications where space is limited and heat dissipation is important, providing stable heat dissipation and vibration damping for your equipment.
GALLOP INNOTEK’s GTP015 thermal pads are made of a wear-resistant, impact-resistant, and ultra-flexible material that helps your devices maintain a stable operating temperature over the long term.
With a thermal conductivity of 2.0 W/mK, this product offers excellent value for money in applications with modest heat dissipation requirements or those requiring heat dissipation over a large area.
We offer this ultra-low-modulus silicone gap-filling and thermal pad for your laser equipment, UPS systems, and other devices. Its ultra-soft polymer structure delivers excellent thermal conductivity even under low compression forces.
Designed to fill the gap between heat-generating components and heat sinks or enclosures, the GTP040 has a thermal conductivity of up to 4.0 W/mK. Its single-sided, low-tack design provides greater flexibility.
With a thermal conductivity of up to 4.5 W/mK, this double-sided, soft thermal pad is widely used in high-capacity storage devices, automotive electronics, and cooling component assemblies.
With low compression set and a thermal conductivity of 17 W/mK, they can be used in heat dissipation modules for high-power equipment such as 5G modules, military equipment, and signal transmitters.
This soft thermal pad grade sticks reliably to components and removes heat from ASICs and other high-power modules inside routers and switches. It delivers thermal conductivity up to 13 W/mK.
This boron nitride-filled soft thermal pad for electronics is specifically designed for radio and signal applications that are sensitive to signal loss and features a low dielectric constant.
Our GTP030 thermal pads feature a glass-fiber-reinforced design, which effectively improves their mechanical durability and ensures a tight fit.
It features a single-sided adhesive and a soft polymer structure, making it suitable for filling irregular gaps under low compressive forces.
You can use this low compression thermal pad, which has a thermal conductivity of 7.0 W/mK, in devices with moderate thermal management requirements, such as telecommunications equipment and LCD TV screens.
Its emissions of volatile substances from D3 to D10 are less than 100 ppm, and it is available in a variety of hardness options ranging from 10 to 70 Shore 00.
Soft Thermal Pad Projects Previously Undertaken by Gallop Innotek
An automotive electronics supplier in Stuttgart required soft thermal pads for a battery management unit (BMU). There is a gap of 1.2 to 1.6 mm between the unit’s PCB and its aluminum housing. During a continuous-load test at 60°C ambient temperature, the hottest MOSFET reached 96°C.
GALLOP INNOTEK installed a 2.0 mm soft thermal pad rated at 6.0 W/m·K and designed for about 20-30% compression. The pad filled the tolerance variation without excessive PCB stress. The peak temperature decreased to 82°C, while board-level temperature variation fell from 18°C to below 8°C. After 500 thermal cycles from -40°C to 125°C, no cracking or displacement was observed.
A telecom equipment manufacturer in Kuala Lumpur experienced thermal throttling in a 5G power amplifier operating at a continuous 280 W load. The gap between the amplifier and aluminum enclosure varied from 0.8 to 1.3 mm, causing incomplete surface contact.
We customized a soft thermal pad for them with a thickness of 1.5 mm and a thermal conductivity of 8.0 W/m·K. Capable of 15% to 30% compression, these pads flexibly fill gaps of varying sizes, thereby preventing thermal throttling caused by inconsistent heat dissipation efficiency. During an eight-hour test at 42°C ambient temperature, the amplifier temperature decreased from 86°C to 74°C, and the interface temperature difference fell from 15°C to 8°C.
GALLOP INNOTEK Soft Thermal Pad Product Parameter
- Soft Thermal Pads Basic Parameter Table
- Soft Thermal Pad Model Selection
| Parameter | Available Options / Description |
| Material Options | Silicone-based, non-silicone, ceramic-filled polymer, graphite and graphene composite |
| Nominal Thermal Conductivity | 1.0 W/m·K-17.0 W/m·K, depending on product grade |
| Dielectric Strength | ＞5.0 kV/mm, depending on product grade |
| Volume Resistivity | 1.0×10⁵-1.8×10¹⁵Ω·cm, depending on product grade |
| Breakdown Voltage | ＞6.5 kV, depending on product grade |
| Hardness | 8-75 Shore 00, depending on product grade |
| Thickness | Grade-specific; selected products available from 0.3 to 20 mm |
| Surface Characteristics | Soft, conformable and naturally tacky surface, depending on grade |
| Compression Performance | Low compression force and high conformability for uneven gaps |
| Available Formats | Sheets, die-cut or kiss-cut parts, pre-laminated parts (with adhesive), DC1 (single-sided adhesive), etc. |
| Standard Board Dimensions | 300×400 mm |
| Model | Nominal Thermal Conductivity | Thickness | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTP170 | 17.0 W/m·K | 0.5-3.0 mm | 50-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP145 | 14.5 W/m·K | 0.8-3.0 mm | 50-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP130 | 13.0 W/m·K | 0.5-8.0 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP120 | 12.0 W/m·K | 0.5-8.0 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP090 | 9.0 W/m·K | 0.5-8.0 mm | 10-60 Shore 00 |
| GTP080 | 8.0 W/m·K | 0.5-8.0 mm | 30-60 Shore 00 |
| GTP070 | 7.0 W/m·K | 0.5-20 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP060 | 6.0 W/m·K | 0.5-20 mm | 30-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP050 | 5.0 W/m·K | 0.3-15 mm | 35-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP045 | 4.5 W/m·K | 0.3-15 mm | 20-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP040 | 4.0 W/m·K | 0.25-15 mm | 20-75 Shore 00 |
| GTP036 | 3.6 W/m·K | 0.25-15 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP030 REV02 | 3.0 W/m·K | 0.2-20 mm | 15-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP030 | 3.0 W/m·K | 0.2-20 mm | 25-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP025 | 2.5 W/m·K | 0.5-8.0 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP020-ULM | 2.0 W/m·K | 0.2-20 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP020 | 2.0W/m·K | 0.18-20 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP015 | 1.5 W/m·K | 0.2-20 mm | 8-70 Shore 00 |
| GTP010 | 1.0 W/m·K | 0.2-20 mm | 10-70 Shore 00 |
How Do Soft Thermal Pads Work?
When placed between the heat-generating component and the heat sink in your device, the soft thermal interface material (TIM) in soft heatsink thermal pads conforms to the surfaces, forming a tight connection. They fill in hard-to-see bumps and indentations on the surfaces of these components and displace air.
By displacing low-thermal-conductivity air gaps, these low-thermal-resistance pads create efficient heat transfer paths, enabling heat to flow from high-temperature zones to low-temperature surfaces. Inside the pads, thermally conductive fillers interlock to form continuous networks, further boosting heat conduction efficiency.
Types of Soft Thermal Pads
Silicone-Based Soft Thermal Pads
Softness and Good Elasticity
Silicone-based soft thermal pads typically have a Shore 00 hardness of 10–80 and offer excellent compressibility. Certain models can easily be compressed to half their original thickness. Thanks to their softness, they conform closely to uneven or rough contact surfaces, displacing excess air to create a more efficient heat transfer path.
If the gaps in your device have significant assembly tolerances in terms of size and shape, or if they are relatively uneven, silicone-based thermal gap filler pads are better suited for these applications.
Wide Temperature Range
The silicone base also ensures that thermal pads generally maintain good flexibility across a temperature range of −60°C to +200°C. If you want your equipment to maintain stable heat dissipation capabilities during cold starts, continuous high-temperature operation, or repeated thermal cycling, choosing a flexible silicone-based thermal pad is a wise decision.
Flexible silicone thermal pads resist aging and cracking under thermal cycling and long-run operation. Such damage would pull contact surfaces apart and weaken heat transfer.
They also provide a degree of cushioning for your device’s PCBs, enclosures, and other components during temperature fluctuations, reducing the risk of failure.
Wide Range of Models and Mature Processing Technology
As a widely used thermal pad, silicone-based soft thermal pads feature well-established manufacturing and processing techniques. You can easily select a model from the existing range of silicone-based soft thermal pads that best suits your project, or customize die-cut parts and special types of thermal pads.
Applications of Silicone-Based Soft Thermal Pads
- Consumer Electronics: Thanks to their excellent conformability, soft thermal pads with a silicone base are used in a variety of devices, such as LEDs and LCDs, to improve the efficiency of heat transfer to the housing.
- Communication and Data Equipment: They help transfer heat from inside your router, server, or storage device to a heat sink or metal casing.
- Automotive Industry: In electronic control units (ECUs), ADAS modules, vehicle lighting, and sensor systems, silicone-based soft thermal pads play an important role in heat dissipation.
- Power Systems: As a traditional application, silicone-based soft thermal pads not only help dissipate heat from components such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, power semiconductors, and converters in your equipment, but also maintain stable electrical isolation.
- Industrial Equipment: You can use them in industrial computers, automation systems, and other enclosed electronic devices. They provide an effective heat dissipation solution in environments with limited airflow.
- Battery and Energy Storage Systems: These thermal pads can compensate for dimensional tolerances in the system and ensure more uniform heat transfer across a large contact area.
Non-Silicone Soft Thermal Pads
Silicone-Free Substrate
These soft thermal pads usually use materials such as acrylic elastomers, polyurethane, TPE, and other non-silicone polymers as the matrix, replacing silicone matrices to provide gap-filling and thermal conductivity.
While less flexible and conformable than silicone thermal pads, these alternatives fully fit project specifications where the use of silicone is restricted. It is worth noting that they are not entirely free of silicon.
Low Outgassing and Extractables
Non-silicone soft thermal pads effectively lower equipment failure and after-sales risks resulting from long-term contamination of sensitive components. They greatly reduce silicone oil migration and siloxane release commonly found in conventional silicone thermal pads.
In addition, these pads support reliable material cleanliness control and stabilize subsequent product surface processes, including bonding and other post-treatment applications.
Applications of Non-Silicone Soft Thermal Pads
- Display Panels: Non-silicone-based soft thermal pads are widely used in the manufacture of display panels such as OLEDs and LCDs, enabling them to deliver more stable long-term performance.
- Optical Components: For automotive cameras, standard cameras and sensors, non-silicone soft thermal pads stop lens fogging and contamination caused by silicone oil bleed-out.
- Medical Products: Due to the material safety requirements for certain medical electronic devices, the use of non-silicone soft thermal pads has become a necessary heat dissipation solution.
- Silicone Oil-Sensitive Equipment: If your industrial, telecommunications, or other equipment has specific requirements regarding silicone oil migration rates, you may want to consider using non-silicone-based soft thermal pads as an alternative.
Graphite/Graphene Composite Soft Thermal Pads
Lighter and More Compact
Graphite and graphene composite soft thermal pads feature ultra-thin profiles and ultra-light weight. They can provide high thermal conductivity with a thinner profile, depending on the material formulation and heat-flow direction. This makes them ideal for highly space-constrained device designs to maximize internal space utilization.
Excellent Thermal Conductivity
Graphite or graphene materials make soft thermal pads more efficient at conducting heat across flat surfaces. For your high-power devices or products with strict thermal management standards, these soft thermal pads are highly reliable.
They maintain stable thermal conductivity even during continuous thermal cycling, ensuring long-term, stable heat dissipation for your devices.
Directional Heat Spreading
These pads also feature a core advantage over conventional thermal pads: graphite and graphene composite structures enable directional heat transfer. For devices with localized hotspots, the pads conform well to component surfaces, spreading heat over a larger cooling area and improving overall in-plane thermal uniformity.
Adjustable Conductivity
Most graphite or graphene composite soft thermal pads are conductive, so they are not typically used in thermal applications that require electrical insulation. However, this property can be adjusted to some extent by modifying the formulation or manufacturing process, thereby imparting a certain degree of electrical insulation to them.
Applications of Graphite/Graphene Composite Soft Thermal Pad
- Portable Consumer Electronics: Graphite or graphene composite soft thermal pads offer a space-saving, high-efficiency thermal management solution for smartphones, tablets, and ultra-thin laptops.
- Compact Power Supply Equipment: In inverters, motor controllers, IGBTs, and MOSFET power modules, graphite or graphene composite soft thermal pads can help improve heat dissipation efficiency.
- High-density Electronic Modules with Concentrated Heat Sources: For devices containing CPUs, GPUs, ASICs, or other components with concentrated heat sources, these pads can distribute heat over a larger area, thereby allowing for more flexible thermal design options.
Effect of Thermally Conductive Fillers on Soft Thermal Pads
Ceramic Fillers
Electrical Insulation
Common ceramic fillers include aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), boron nitride (BN), and magnesium oxide (MgO), which is used in certain specialized formulations.
Due to their insulating properties, the addition of ceramic fillers ensures that ceramic soft thermal pads have reliable dielectric strength, preventing any impact on the safety of your equipment caused by electrical conductivity.
Mechanical Flexibility
Although the added ceramic fillers reduce the flexibility of the thermal pad, they still can fill gaps in equipment.
Improve Thermal Conductivity
Ceramic-filled soft thermal pads deliver higher thermal conductivity than conventional silicone thermal pads, satisfying stricter thermal performance standards.
Ceramic-modified thermal pads suit high-power industrial equipment, power electronic devices and LED lighting systems requiring reliable insulation. They come in silicone and non-silicone formulations to support high-performance heat dissipation.
Graphite Fillers
Graphite fillers can provide soft thermal pads with superior thermal conductivity and the ability to direct heat flow. It is important to note that they also make the soft thermal pads more electrically conductive.
For applications where soft thermal pads do not require high electrical insulation but do require stronger thermal conductivity, you may consider purchasing or customizing products that contain graphite fillers.
How to Correctly Choose the Thickness of Soft Thermal Pads for My Device?
Device Structure
When selecting the thickness of a soft thermal pad, you should first consider the size of the gap between the heating element and the heat sink or housing. A soft thermal pad that is too thick may have limited elasticity, which can complicate assembly and exert additional pressure on both sides.
For smaller gaps, you can choose a thinner soft thermal pad, while for larger gaps, you can choose a thicker product.
Application
Different applications have different requirements for thermal pad thickness. For example, laptops, which have limited space, require a thin, lightweight soft thermal pad. Larger applications, however, require a thicker thermal pad.
Thermal Resistance Requirements
Where the pad achieves full contact with both mating surfaces, greater thickness leads to higher thermal resistance. Once the pad thickness matches your thermal gap, selecting a thinner grade delivers the best heat transfer efficiency. The proper thickness can also help you save costs and avoid wasting resources.
Use Reference Data and Work with the Manufacturer
If you are having difficulty selecting the appropriate soft thermal pad for your application, you can refer to empirical data from similar devices or relevant literature, and verify the suitable thickness through testing if necessary.
You can also consult the soft thermal pad manufacturer, who can help you select the thickness based on the device structure and requirements you provide.
The main difference between soft and ultra-soft thermal pads is hardness and compression force. Soft thermal pads have lower hardness and can better support the thermal clearance of your device. They are more suitable for applications with higher requirements for structural strength and dimensional stability.
Ultra-soft thermal pads have a lower hardness, allowing them to better fill small irregularities, steps, and uneven gaps. They also apply less pressure to PCBs, chips, and other components. For devices with significant differences in component heights, delicate solder joints, or thin PCBs, ultra-soft thermal pads may be a suitable choice.
Soft thermal pads support a wider operating temperature range and can effectively accommodate larger gaps inside devices. These pads are made from pre-formed, flexible solid sheets that provide both thermal conductivity and cushioning.
Because thermal paste is a viscous, uncured material, it may provide lower thermal conductivity when filling very thin interfaces in devices. It cannot compensate for large variations in component height and works best on flat surfaces with very small gaps. In addition, thermal paste can be prone to “pump-out” during thermal cycling.
Silicone-based soft thermal pads offer good chemical resistance and water repellency, allowing them to maintain good thermal conductivity even in relatively humid environments. They also provide some resistance to ozone, weak acids, and weak alkalis.
Avoid contact with gasoline and certain types of solvents. Exposure to these substances may change the internal structure of the pads, resulting in reduced performance or swelling.
No. Thermal conductivity only describes how well the thermal pad material transfers heat. A higher thermal conductivity generally means better thermal performance. The overall thermal performance of a thermal pad also depends on its compression ratio, contact thermal resistance, and flexibility.
When purchasing standard or custom thermal pads, thermal conductivity is a useful initial screening factor for material selection. You should then review the manufacturer’s data to verify whether the thermal pad can maintain low and stable overall thermal resistance over time at the actual thickness and assembly pressure.
A compression ratio of 20% to 30% generally provides a good balance between thermal performance and cushioning for soft thermal pads.
When the compression ratio is below 15%, the soft thermal pad may not conform closely enough to the components, which can affect heat dissipation. When the compression ratio exceeds 50%, sensitive components in the device may be exposed to excessive pressure, affecting long-term operating stability.
Double-sided adhesive soft thermal pads are suitable for equipment that operates under strong vibration, such as automotive ECUs. They securely hold the thermal pad between the component and heat sink.
Single-sided adhesive soft thermal pads allow assembly teams to reposition the pad during installation. They also reduce the risk of the thermal pad sticking to other components during maintenance.
