Dow (NYSE: Dow) globally introduced today DOWSIL TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant, an advanced, proven, silicone-based solution that provides exceptional thermal management for power electronics applications. This product has won two prestigious 2022 innovation awards: one from the Business Intelligence Group (BIG) in the Manufacturing category; and a Silver from the Edison Awards in the Industrial Technology category. New DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant, addresses a major industry dilemma: how to effectively manage the thermal demands of inverters, high-power modules, electric vehicle (EV) chargers and energy storage systems as their power increases and their size decreases.
To enable the design and production of smaller form factors with increased power capabilities, DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant delivers high flow for thin-wall molding and low density for weight reduction, while providing high thermal conductivity and superior flame retardancy. For processing ease, speed and cost savings, this product features primerless adhesion to many substrates and eliminates filler sedimentation so there is no need to redisperse – and potentially introduce air bubbles to – the material before application.
“As thermal management gains importance across multiple industries, Dow continues to develop innovative, silicone-based solutions that deliver significant improvements,” said Tong Wu, global segment leader for Industrial Electronics, Dow. “Effective thermal management is a critical factor in optimizing the range, performance and safety of EVs, for example. It’s also vital to the reliability of critical 5G networking components like active antennas and base station infrastructure. Our new DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant provides much more than just excellent thermal management performance – it also contributes to optimized component design and manufacturing to help customers stay ahead of the trend toward ever-smaller, more-powerful components.”
DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant helps ensure the long-term reliability of power components by providing resistance to high-temperature aging, thermal shock aging and high temperature/high humidity aging. It also provides excellent flame retardancy, meeting the UL 94 V0 standard at 1.5 mm and achieving a relative thermal index (RTI) of 150°C.
This novel encapsulant has been qualified by multiple customers for diverse applications, including photovoltaic (PV) inverters in high-power modules. As the power of these modules increases from 100W to 200W-300W, more-effective thermal encapsulants are required to maintain the temperature of power modules. DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant was found to reduce power module operating temperatures by 10°C, a significant improvement in thermal engineering.
In EV power inverters, low-density DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant can reduce weight by as much as 20 percent, which can contribute to extended vehicle range and longer battery life. Compared to incumbent commercial 1.5 W/mK thermal encapsulants, which have a density of approximately 2.6 g/cm³, the new Dow product achieves a density of approximately 2.25 g/cm3. This encapsulant is also a candidate for power inverters used in energy storage and wind energy applications.
For improved processability, DOWSIL™ TC-6015 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant helps lower system costs due to its high flow, resulting in faster cycle times and efficient application. It also features primerless self-adhesion that enables time and cost savings, and room-temperature curing that reduces energy requirements. Primerless adhesion is estimated to save 15 minutes per module, and to prevent human and environmental exposure to solvent-based primers. The new product also avoids filler settling and hard caking, despite its low viscosity. Dow solved the issue of filler sedimentation using patented rheology promoters, which eliminate the need to redisperse the material before application and risk problematic air entrapment.
