Method for the production of a cooling plate

Abstract

In a method for the production of a cooling plate from a material having thermal conductivity, a workpiece in the form of a flat material blank with uniform material thickness is placed into a tool. The workpiece is pressed in a first stage by an inner punch of the tool to form in cooperation with pin forming openings of the tool pins upon an effective surface swept by the coolant, as the workpiece is held down by an outer punch of the tool, such that the pins protrude approximately perpendicular over a base area of the workpiece. In a second stage, the workpiece is pressed by the outer punch such as to form an essentially radially extending, flat peripheral edge of reduced material thickness in surrounding relation to the pins, as the workpiece with the formed pins is held down by the inner punch of the tool.

Claims

1. A method for the production of a cooling plate from a material having thermal conductivity, said method comprising: placing a workpiece in a form of a flat material blank with uniform material thickness into a tool; pressing, as a peripheral edge of the workpiece is held down by an outer punch of the tool, the workpiece in a first stage by an inner punch of the tool to form, in cooperation with pin forming openings of the tool, pins upon an effective surface swept by a coolant, such that the pins protrude perpendicular over a base area of the workpiece, thereby creating a material depression zone in the base area of the workpiece; and pressing, as the workpiece with the formed pins is held down by the inner punch of the tool, the peripheral edge of the workpiece in a second stage by the outer punch such as to form a radially extending, flat peripheral edge of reduced material thickness in surrounding relation to the pins, which transitions flush into the material depression zone after the pins have been formed, wherein the flat material blank is copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating the pins starting from free ends of the pins.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the free ends of the pins are pressed flat or upset during calibration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein during calibration a diameter of the pins decreases starting from the free ends in a direction of a foot area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein during calibration a diameter of the pins increases starting from the free ends in a direction of a foot area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the flat material blank has a tetragonal configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the flat material blank has a rectangular configuration.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the flat material blank from rolled or pressed material.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the flat material blank from rolled copper.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments without limiting character, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is shown in:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic sectional view of an application example of a cooling plate according to the invention;

(3) FIGS. 2 to 10 schematic perspective partial sectional views for elucidation of the method sequence in the production method of a cooling plate according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 enlarged details of individual pins of the cooling plate shown in FIG. 10, and

(5) FIGS. 13 to 15 finally show schematically further examples of configurations of the pins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) Identical or similar parts are provided with the same reference signs in the figures of the drawing.

(7) FIG. 1 shows an application example for a cooling arrangement generally designated with 1. A cooling plate 3 with the surface opposite the pins is attached to a component 2 to be cooled, such as an electrical or electronic component. As shown, the cooling plate 3 includes pins 4 on an effective surface 5 which is swept by coolant. In the shown example, a cover 7 is connected in a fluid-tight manner via a seal 6 to the substantially radially extending, flat peripheral edge U, which surrounds the pins 4, in such a way that between the cover 7 and the pins 4 of the cooling plate 3 an intermediate space 8 is formed through which a coolant 9, such as cooling liquid or cooling fluid, flows.

(8) The method sequence according to the invention for the production of a cooling plate from material with very good thermal conductivity is explained in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10.

(9) FIG. 2 illustrates schematically by way of a partial sectional view a tool W, which has a bottom with many forming openings 20. At least some of the forming openings 20 adjacent to the peripheral edge U are closed by an ejection device 21. Indicated schematically at a distance to the tool W is a workpiece WS in the form of a flat material blank as raw part 10 or insert part. This workpiece WS has a uniform or same material thickness in FIG. 2.

(10) As can be seen from FIG. 3, the workpiece WS or the flat material blank 10 or the insert part is placed in the tool W resting on the bottom thereof and is enclosed over its entire circumference in the tool W. This is the initial state for the forming process in the first stage.

(11) In FIG. 4 shows schematically a partial sectional view of a punch assembly used for forming process in the first stage and generally designated with 22. The punch assembly 22 includes at least one outer punch or peripheral edge punch 23 and an inner punch or pin punch 24.

(12) As indicated by arrow in FIG. 5, the punch assembly 22 is moved onto the flat material blank 10 such that the pins 4 are formed in the first stage in cooperation with the pin forming openings 20 through pressing by the inner punch, as the workpiece WS or 10 is held down by the outer punch 23.

(13) As is apparent from FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 6, the component 30, obtained at the conclusion of the first processing stage or first forming stage, has a trough-shaped recess 31 in the area of the pins 4 formed by the inner punch 24 in cooperation with the forming openings 20.

(14) Starting from this component 30 obtained at the conclusion of the first processing stage, the component is arranged in FIG. 6 for the forming process in the second stage in the tool W in such a way that the pins 4 protrude into the associated pin forming openings 20, thereby centering the component 30 as it is placed in the tool W.

(15) As is apparent from FIG. 7, the component 30 is arranged in the tool W in such a way that a predetermined distance A is maintained in peripheral direction between lateral peripheral boundaries of the tool W and the outer circumference of the component 30.

(16) As can be seen from all of FIGS. 2 to 10 of the drawing, parts of an ejection device 21 preferably close at least some of the pin forming openings 20 adjacent to the peripheral edge U. This can effectively prevent material of the component 30 from also migrating into the forming opening 20 during the pressing process for forming the peripheral edge U.

(17) FIGS. 6 to 9 are provided to explain the second processing forming stage.

(18) As can be seen from FIG. 8, the punch assembly 22 includes at least the outer punch or peripheral edge punch 23 and the inner punch or pin punch 24. According to FIGS. 8 and 9, as the component 30 is held down by the inner punch 24, the area of the peripheral edge U is pressed down in the second stage by the outer punch or peripheral edge punch 23 in such a way that the area with the formed pins 4 extends flush with the peripheral edge or merges into this. Thus, a substantially radially extending, flat peripheral edge is obtained, which can then, if necessary, effectively cooperate with a seal.

(19) After processing in the second stage, a cooling plate 3 is then obtained, which is shown schematically by way of a perspective view in FIG. 10 and which has pins 4 lying very close to one another on the effective surface 5. The peripheral edge U surrounds the pins 4 and forms a common base area with the foot region of the pins 4.

(20) FIG. 11 shows a schematic enlarged illustration of two pins which are formed, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 as well as FIGS. 6 and 10, by the inner punch 24 during a pressing process in cooperation with the pin forming openings 20. FIG. 12 illustrates the cooling plate 3 with the pins 4′ after a calibration. As can be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12, the pins 4, 4′, after being formed during the forming process in the 1 stage according to FIG. 5, have free ends 12, which are slightly curved outwards. During the calibration according to FIG. 12, these free ends 12 have been pressed flatly or may also be upset.

(21) Finally, further exemplary configurations of embodiments of the pins 4 are shown schematically with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15.

(22) FIG. 13 shows cylindrically designed pins 4′. FIG. 14 illustrates by way of example a counter-conical configuration of pins 4″ which, however, only extends over approximately half the height of the respective pin 4″. With such a counter-conical configuration, starting from the free ends of the pins 4″, a calibration is implemented in such a way that the diameter of the pins 4″ decreases starting from the free end 12 in direction of the foot area.

(23) An example of such a counter-conical configuration of pins 4′″ is also illustrated in FIG. 15. The counter-conical configuration extends almost to the foot area of the pins 4′″. Alternatively, the pins 4 can be configured to be conical or partially conical as a whole. This is realized with the aid of a corresponding calibration process. In such a case, starting from the free ends 12 of the pins 4, calibration is implemented in such a way that the diameter of the pins 4 increases starting from the free end 12 in direction of the foot area.

(24) The invention is, of course, not limited to the depicted exemplary configurations, but numerous changes and modifications are possible which the artisan will make if necessary, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the pins 4, 4′, 4″, 4″′ can also have configurations that deviate through calibration from the depicted exemplary configurations, depending on the respective field of application, or also include combinations of the exemplary configurations shown in FIGS. 11 to 15. Although a rectangular flat material blank 10 is assumed in the illustrated examples, this can of course also be designed generally tetragonal or oval or the like and it may also involve a flat material blank of square shape.

(25) The flat material blank can preferably be formed from roiled or pressed material, in particular from rolled copper. This involves a material with very good thermal conductivity.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(26) 1 cooling assembly overall 2 component to be cooled 3 cooling plate 4 pins in FIG. 11 4′ pins in FIGS. 12+13 4″ pins in FIG. 14 4″′ pins in FIG. 15 5 effective surface 6 seal 7 lid 8 intermediate space 9 coolant 10 flat material blank as raw part or workpiece WS 12 free end of pin 4 20 pin forming openings 21 ejection device 22 punch assembly overall 23 outer punch 24 inner punch 30 component processed in the first stage by forming 31 trough-shaped recess in the area of the pins 4 A distance U peripheral edge W tool WS workpiece