What is an Ultra-Soft Thermal Pad
If you’ve ever built a computer, you’ve undoubtedly heard of thermal pads. They’re a thermal interface material used between a heat source and a heat sink, making them a crucial component for heat dissipation in electronic devices, optical instruments, and more.
GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads, an extension of thermal pads, are specially designed thermal interface materials. It possesses a certain ability to maintain its shape while also exhibiting good plasticity. Like putty on a wall, they maintain a strong adhesion to the heat source surface of electronic devices. Their ultra-soft design not only makes them easy to apply but also surprisingly offers excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. The perfect adhesive bond of GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads ensures efficient heat conduction across devices, making them a popular choice for users.
Advantages of the Ultra Soft Thermal Pad
Easy Installation
Compared to thermal paste, the GALLOP INNOTEK Ultra-Soft Thermal Pad offers significant advantages. Its small size makes it easier to connect to flatter surfaces. While the handling difficulty of thermal paste may be negligible in limited applications, its fluid properties and unique delivery method (manual extrusion) significantly enhance the installation of this thermally conductive material for large-scale equipment.
High Heat Dissipation Performance
Contrary to popular belief, a thermal pad’s thickness isn’t necessarily better, nor is a thinner necessarily better. Its thermal conductivity is generally related to its k-value. A higher k-value results in a thinner thermal pad and better thermal conductivity. The GALLOP INNOTEK Ultra-Soft Thermal Pad is made from high-quality thermally conductive silicone with a high thermal conductivity coefficient.
Excellent shock and sound absorption
The GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pad’s soft texture means that when your device is subjected to unexpected pressure or impact, it effectively absorbs vibration energy, reducing vibration transmission and protecting the device’s internal components from damage caused by vibration. It also effectively isolates noise.
Excellent Conformability
The GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pad’s softness allows it to adhere tightly to various irregular surfaces, reducing gaps and thermal resistance. This may seem like a common feature, but in thin and light laptops or mobile phones, where the thinness and lightness of these devices require a high degree of conformability and compression, the ultra-soft thermal pad’s conformability is particularly important.
- Superior thermal conductivity: 1.5W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 1.2W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Super soft material and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and flexibility to irregular gaps filling
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 2.2W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 3.0W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 4.0W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 5.0W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 7.0W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
- Superior thermal conductivity: 8.0W/m.K
- High insulation compatibility
- Excellent resilience and good wettability for matting surfaces
- High deflections and good reworkability
- Excellent vibration absorption capabilities
- Resistant to abrasion and punch applications well
- Cost-saving solutions
Soft V.S. Ultra Soft Thermal Pad
While soft and ultra-soft thermal pads sound similar, their properties and applications differ significantly. Soft thermal pads offer a degree of softness and elasticity, allowing them to adapt to varying pressure. These pads are primarily used in most electronic devices you use on a daily basis. GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads, on the other hand, offer exceptionally low hardness and high-pressure resistance, making them suitable for installations that require high stress or large tolerances. They provide improved heat dissipation while achieving lower contact thermal resistance.
Material Differences
Both are typically based on silicone. GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads utilize a specialized silicone formula, such as 500cp vinyl silicone oil, to achieve lower hardness and improved compressibility.
Soft thermal pads typically utilize fiberglass fabric as reinforcement, while GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads typically utilize PET (polyester film), giving the pad a softer appearance while also enhancing its superior insulation properties when applied.
Both types also incorporate thermal powder to enhance thermal conductivity. For example, in the processing of some superconducting thermal pads, specially treated thermal powder is often used, which enables the ultra-soft thermal pad to achieve a higher thermal conductivity at a lower hardness.
Service Life
The service life of a thermal pad is often affected by the operating environment, installation method, and material quality. Because ultra-soft thermal pads feature a softer molecular structure, they are better able to fill irregular surfaces and small gaps, maintaining a suitable distance from heat-dissipating components. Therefore, their service life is often longer than that of soft thermal pads. Under normal use, GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads typically have a lifespan of 3 to 10 years. Some high-end products often exceed 10 years.
Performance Characteristics
Generally speaking, soft thermal pads have a soft texture and good compression properties, effectively filling gaps in contact surfaces and reducing contact thermal resistance. They also exhibit superior resilience on uneven surfaces, especially when gaps are larger than 1mm. However, their temperature resistance range is relatively narrow, typically between -50°C and 150°C. In contrast, the temperature range of GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads is as high as -60°C to 200°C. The advantages of the GALLOP INNOTEK Ultra-Soft Thermal Pad are clear: ultra-low hardness, high compressibility, and low installation stress. Furthermore, its ultra-softness prevents damage to chips and circuit boards, effectively expanding the surface area and reducing the gaps where air heat is blocked, effectively lowering contact thermal resistance.
How to Choose Ultra-Soft Thermal Pads?
When purchasing ultra-soft thermal pads, focus on a low hardness rating and sufficient thermal conductivity (W/mK) to meet the specific needs of your device. Popular GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads include the GTP080USVO and GTP050USVO, which offer high thermal conductivity and are thinner and lighter than their counterparts. Also, when selecting a pad, be sure to confirm the required thickness for your component. If a higher dielectric breakdown voltage is required for electrical insulation, choose a silicone-based material. Key factors to consider when choosing a thermal pad include:
Softness/Hardness
Measured in Shore A hardness, for GALLOP INNOTEK ultra-soft thermal pads, a lower rating is recommended if your thermal gap is relatively thin.
Thermal Conductivity
Look for a thermal pad with a high W/mK rating; a higher rating indicates better thermal conductivity. However, if your device consumes less power, such as a low-power router or smart home appliance, choosing a material with higher heat dissipation performance may not be necessary and may save you some money.
Thickness
If you’re unsure about choosing the appropriate GALLOP INNOTEK thermal pad thickness, we recommend using the thermal pad replacement guide to determine the correct thickness for your device’s components. The thickness can vary between components, such as memory modules and CPUs.
Material
GALLOP INNOTEK silicone-based ultra-soft thermal pads are often favored for their softness, but it is essential to ensure that the material does not bleed during use or that any bleed does not significantly affect device performance, as this could cause problems.
Electrical Insulation
For applications requiring voltage protection, choose a thermal pad with a high dielectric breakdown voltage (DBV) to prevent short circuits.
