CNC Machining

wekiko / November 18, 2025

CNC Machining

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What is Forging?

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining is a transformative manufacturing process that uses computer-programmed software to control machine tools, shaping raw materials into high-precision components. Replacing manual operation, CNC machining delivers unparalleled accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency, making it a cornerstone of modern industries—from aerospace to electronics and medical devices. Unlike traditional machining, it automates tool movement via G-code and M-code, enabling complex cuts and consistent production at scale.

Key Types of CNC Machining Processes

The most common CNC techniques cater to diverse manufacturing needs:

CNC Milling: Uses rotating cutting tools to remove material, ideal for flat surfaces, slots, and 3D contours. Vertical and horizontal mills handle parts from small electronic brackets to large industrial components.
CNC Turning: Rotates the workpiece while a stationary tool trims material, perfect for cylindrical parts like shafts, bolts, and bushings.
CNC Drilling: Precisely creates holes with automated depth and diameter control, critical for assembly-ready components.
CNC Grinding: Delivers ultra-smooth surfaces and tight tolerances (down to ±0.0001 inches) for high-performance parts like aerospace gears.

Core Advantages of CNC Machining

Computer control eliminates human error, maintaining consistent tolerances for complex designs.

Exceptional Precision

Minimal material waste and reduced labor costs offset initial setup expenses for medium-to-high production volumes.

Cost-Effectiveness

Handles intricate geometries (e.g., internal cavities, fine threads) that are unfeasible with traditional methods.

Design Flexibility

High production rates and minimal material waste (5–10% vs. 30–50% for machining) lower long-term costs for high-volume runs

Cost Efficiency

Critical Industry Applications

Aerospace: Manufactures lightweight, high-strength components like turbine blades and aircraft structural parts.
Medical Devices: Produces precision implants (e.g., hip replacements) and surgical instruments with biocompatible materials.
Electronics: Creates micro-components for smartphones, servers, and semiconductors, ensuring tight fit and function.
Automotive: Fabricates engine parts, transmission components, and custom brackets for EVs and traditional vehicles.

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Forging Process

wekiko / November 17, 2025

Forging Process

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What is Forging?

Metal forging is a time-honored manufacturing process that shapes metal through compressive force—applying pressure via hammers, presses, or dies—to create strong, durable components. Unlike casting (which uses molten metal), forging works with heated or cold metal, enhancing its structural integrity by aligning grain flow with the part’s shape. This makes forged parts ideal for high-stress applications, driving its widespread use in automotive, aerospace, industrial, and defense sectors.

Key Types of Forging Processes

Forging is categorized by temperature and method, each suited to specific needs:

- Hot Forging: Metal is heated above its recrystallization temperature (typically 1,100–1,300°C for steel), boosting ductility for complex shapes. It’s cost-effective for high-volume parts like crankshafts and gears.
- Cold Forging: Conducted at room temperature, it delivers tighter tolerances (±0.005 inches) and a smooth surface finish. Common for small, precise components such as fasteners and automotive bearings.
- Warm Forging: Operates between 300–900°C, balancing hot forging’s formability and cold forging’s precision. Used for parts requiring moderate complexity and strength.
- Precision Forging: Utilizes custom dies to produce near-net-shape parts, minimizing post-processing. Critical for aerospace components like turbine blades.

Core Advantages of Forging

Grain refinement and alignment increase tensile strength by 20–30% compared to cast equivalents, resisting fatigue and impact

Superior Strength

Works with steel, aluminum, titanium, and superalloys, adapting to diverse industry requirements.

Material Versatility

Tight tolerance control ensures consistency across batches, reducing assembly issues.

Dimensional Stability

High production rates and minimal material waste (5–10% vs. 30–50% for machining) lower long-term costs for high-volume runs

Cost Efficiency

Critical Industry Applications

Automotive: Crankshafts, connecting rods, and axle components rely on forging’s durability to withstand engine stress.
Aerospace: Forged titanium and nickel-alloy parts (e.g., landing gear components) meet strict weight and strength standards.
Industrial Machinery: Gear blanks, shafts, and hydraulic components use forging for reliable performance in heavy-duty operations.
Defense: Military vehicles and weapons systems depend on forged parts for resistance to extreme conditions.

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Die Casing Process

wekiko / November 15, 2025

Die Casing Process

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The die casting process is a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, widely used in automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries. It involves forcing molten metal under high pressure into a precision mold (die) to produce complex, high-accuracy parts efficiently—from automotive engine components to aerospace lightweight parts and electronic housings. This guide breaks down its key elements for manufacturing professionals, students, and industry enthusiasts.

What is Die Casting?

Die casting is a high-pressure metal casting method: molten metal (aluminum, zinc, or magnesium alloys) is injected into a preheated die at speeds up to several meters per second. The metal cools and solidifies under pressure, replicating the die’s intricate details, before the mold opens and the part is ejected. Highly automatable, it enables mass production of consistent parts.

Key Advantages of Stamped Heat Dissipation Components

High-Volume Production Capability：Automated stamping lines can produce 1,000–5,000 heat dissipation components (e.g., heat sinks, heat plates) per hour—far outperforming processes like CNC milling. This meets the high-volume demands of new energy vehicles, servers, and similar sectors.

Cost Controllability：Dies dedicated to heat dissipation parts have a service life of 500,000–1,000,000 stamping cycles, minimizing per-unit die costs. With high process integration, stamping eliminates the need for multiple post-processing steps, reducing costs by 20%–30% compared to cast heat dissipation parts.

Structural Flexibility：Die design enables complex heat dissipation structures, such as multi-layer fins, irregular heat dissipation holes, and integrated heat dissipation brackets. These fit into tight installation spaces, like micro heat sinks for smartphone motherboards and heat plates for EV battery packs.

Key Process Steps

Dies are crafted from heat-resistant hot-work tool steel for durability. Precision machining (tolerances down to micrometers) ensures part accuracy, with preheating optimizing metal flow

Mold Preparation

Pressure (hundreds to thousands of psi) forces metal into the die. Integrated cooling channels ensure uniform solidification, critical for mechanical properties.

Injection & Solidification

Alloys are melted in furnaces, with metering systems controlling pour volume. Pour speed is regulated—too slow causes incomplete filling, too fast traps air.

Metal Melting & Pouring

Ejection pins remove the casting, followed by trimming gates/burrs. Surface treatments (polishing, plating) enhance appearance and corrosion resistance.

Ejection & Finishing

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Stamping Process

wekiko / November 11, 2025

Stamping Process

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As a core cold-forming technology, sheet metal stamping plays a pivotal role in manufacturing heat dissipation components. Using specialized dies and presses, it shapes metal sheets (such as aluminum, copper, and stainless steel) into high-precision heat dissipation parts. Renowned for its consistency, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with multiple materials, stamping has become the go-to process for heat management in new energy, electronics, and industrial equipment sectors.

Core Stamping Technologies for Heat Dissipation Component Manufacturing

Stamping for heat dissipation parts requires precise alignment between thermal conductivity needs and structural design, with three key technical focuses:

Material Compatibility & Thickness Control：High thermal conductivity metal sheets (e.g., 1060 pure aluminum, T2 copper) are preferred, with thickness strictly controlled between 0.1–1.5mm. This range ensures optimal thermal efficiency (aluminum boasts a thermal conductivity of 237W/m·K, while copper reaches 401W/m·K) while maintaining stampability—avoiding heat dead zones from excessive thickness or structural weakness from insufficient thickness.

Precision Process Design：Tailored to heat dissipation component requirements, a combined process of “punching + bending + embossing” is used. Punching creates dense heat dissipation holes (with a hole diameter tolerance of ±0.05mm) to expand heat exchange area; bending forms fin structures (angle tolerance of ±0.5°) to optimize air convection paths; embossing adds micro-textures to the surface, enhancing heat radiation. For complex heat sinks (e.g., irregular-shaped units), CNC stamping is integrated. Automated feeding and pressure regulation enable ±0.005-inch tolerance control, ensuring consistent part dimensions across batches for seamless integration into heat dissipation systems.

Room-Temperature Forming Advantages：Unlike hot forming, stamping occurs at room temperature, preserving the full thermal conductivity of the base metal. This avoids metal lattice changes caused by high temperatures, boosting the thermal efficiency of heat dissipation components by 8%–12% compared to heat-processed parts. It also reduces oxide layer formation, lowering thermal resistance.

Key Advantages of Stamped Heat Dissipation Components

High-Volume Production Capability：Automated stamping lines can produce 1,000–5,000 heat dissipation components (e.g., heat sinks, heat plates) per hour—far outperforming processes like CNC milling. This meets the high-volume demands of new energy vehicles, servers, and similar sectors.

Cost Controllability：Dies dedicated to heat dissipation parts have a service life of 500,000–1,000,000 stamping cycles, minimizing per-unit die costs. With high process integration, stamping eliminates the need for multiple post-processing steps, reducing costs by 20%–30% compared to cast heat dissipation parts.

Structural Flexibility：Die design enables complex heat dissipation structures, such as multi-layer fins, irregular heat dissipation holes, and integrated heat dissipation brackets. These fit into tight installation spaces, like micro heat sinks for smartphone motherboards and heat plates for EV battery packs.

Specific Heat Dissipation Application Scenarios

Stamped aluminum heat plates for battery packs, featuring dense punched holes and bent fins, stabilize battery operating temperatures between 15–35°C. Stamped copper heat sinks for motor controllers, leveraging high thermal conductivity, reduce motor temperatures by 15–20°C, preventing overheating from impacting range.

New Energy Vehicle Heat Dissipation

Fins for server and PC CPU heat sinks are mostly stamped from aluminum. Precision bending creates multi-layer parallel structures, increasing heat dissipation area by 3–5 times compared to flat plates. Stamped aluminum midframes for smartphones integrate heat dissipation functionality—using metal ductility to achieve "midframe + heat sink" integration, reducing thermal resistance from component assembly gaps.

Electronics Heat Dissipation

Stamped stainless steel heat shields for industrial frequency converters combine heat dissipation hole designs with corrosion resistance, suitable for humid, dusty factory environments. Stamped aluminum heat plates for PV inverters operate stably at extreme temperatures (-40°C to 85°C), ensuring long-term inverter efficiency.

Industrial Equipment Heat Dissipation

Aerospace systems (e.g., avionics, satellite power modules) face extreme temperature fluctuations (-60°C to 120°C) and strict weight constraints—stamped heat dissipation components address both needs. For avionics, stamped titanium alloy heat sinks (with precision punched micro-holes) dissipate heat from flight control chips, maintaining operating temperatures within 0–50°C. Satellites use stamped aluminum-lithium alloy heat spreaders; their thin-walled (0.3–0.8mm) stamped structure cuts weight by 15%–20% vs. machined parts, while the embossed surface enhances radiative heat transfer in vacuum environments. Additionally, stamped heat shields for aircraft engines, made from heat-resistant stainless steel, protect nearby components from high-temperature exhaust while allowing excess heat to escape via punched vent holes.

Aerospace Heat Dissipation

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Extrusion Process

wekiko / November 7, 2025

Extrusion Process

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Aluminum extrusion stands as a cornerstone manufacturing technique, transforming aluminum billets into complex, custom cross-sectional profiles through controlled pressure and thermal processing. This efficient method has become indispensable across industries, valued for its design flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ability to produce lightweight yet durable components .

How Aluminum Extrusion Works

The process begins with billet preparation: cylindrical aluminum alloy blocks are preheated to 400–480°C (750–900°F) to enhance malleability without melting . The heated billet is placed in a hydraulic press container, where a ram applies intense pressure to force the metal through a precision tool steel die . As the aluminum flows through the die’s shaped opening, it takes on the desired profile—similar to squeezing toothpaste from a tube . Post-extrusion, the continuous profile is cooled via air or water quenching, stretched to straighten and align grain structure, cut to length, and often aged to boost mechanical properties . Direct extrusion, the most common method, is used for solid rods, tubes, and complex sections, while careful temperature control ensures consistent quality .

Key Advantages of Extrusion Process

Design Flexibility: Custom dies enable intricate, consistent profiles tailored to specific applications, from simple rods to complex structural shapes .

Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Extruded aluminum offers exceptional strength while remaining lightweight, outperforming many materials in structural efficiency .

Cost-Effectiveness: Tooling costs are manageable, and fast production turnarounds reduce lead times for both standard and custom orders .

Natural Benefits: Aluminum’s inherent corrosion resistance (from a protective oxide layer) and excellent thermal conductivity add functional value .

Industry Applications

Consumer electronics (e.g., gaming laptops, high-power smartphones, and mini PCs) face tightening space constraints and rising heat generation from high-performance chips, making extruded aluminum heat sinks a go-to solution. Using ultra-thin-walled extrusion technology with alloys like 6061-T6, manufacturers create compact, slim heat sinks that fit into 5-10mm thick device casings—while their multi-finned structure expands heat dissipation area by 2-3x compared to flat metal plates. For gaming laptops, extruded aluminum vapor chamber combinations reduce CPU/GPU temperatures by 12-18℃ during heavy load, preventing thermal throttling and maintaining frame rates. In smartphones, micro-extruded aluminum heat dissipation strips integrate seamlessly with internal components, leveraging aluminum’s high thermal conductivity to spread heat quickly across the device body. Moreover, extruded aluminum’s aesthetic versatility (via anodization in matte black, silver, or custom colors) aligns with consumer electronics’ design needs, making it a staple in premium devices.

Consumer Electronics Industry

LED lamp efficiency and lifespan depend heavily on heat control, and aluminum extrusion is the preferred solution for its customizability. Extruded heat dissipation profiles (using alloys like 6063-T5) can have complex fin designs tailored to lamp structures. With anodized surfaces, they balance aesthetics and heat dissipation, quickly transferring heat from LED chips to avoid light decay. Compared to stamping or casting, extruded LED heat sinks have no pores (higher thermal conductivity), controllable mold costs, and support small-batch customization. They are widely used in indoor lighting, outdoor street lamps, and landscape lights—their lightweight design eases installation, and weather resistance ensures long-term stable outdoor operation.

LED Lighting Heat Dissipation

Industrial robots and precision electronic control units operate at high frequency in enclosed spaces, demanding compact, efficient heat dissipation—exactly what extruded aluminum heat sinks deliver. Optimized extrusion mold designs produce thin-walled finned heat sinks, maximizing heat dissipation area in limited space while reducing equipment weight. For example, an automation enterprise switched from cast to extruded aluminum heat sinks; using alloy 6063 improved formability, thinning fin walls. This boosted heat dissipation efficiency, cut material costs and processing steps, and enhanced equipment stability. Additionally, extruded profiles’ electromagnetic shielding protects control systems from interference, and their corrosion resistance adapts to humid, dusty factory environments—making them ideal for PLC controllers, servo drives, and industrial sensors.

Industrial Automation Equipment

Aluminum extrusion is critical for NEV heat dissipation, especially in battery liquid-cooled plates and motor/electronic control systems. Extruded aluminum liquid-cooled plates (using alloys like 3003) offer high thermal conductivity (237W/m·K), lightweight (1/3 the density of steel), and corrosion resistance, stabilizing battery temperatures within the optimal 15-35℃ range. Models like Tesla Model 3/Y adopt integrated extruded liquid-cooled plates; their precision internal flow channels ensure uniform coolant distribution, boosting heat dissipation efficiency significantly while reducing vehicle weight and increasing range by 5%-10%. Additionally, extruded motor housings with spiral heat dissipation channels lower motor temperatures by 15%-20%, enhancing powertrain lifespan and efficiency.

New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Thermal Management Systems

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Skiving Process

wekiko / October 21, 2025

Skiving Process

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Amid the rapid development of the electronics industry—where components like IGBTs, LEDs, and AI chips are becoming smaller yet more powerful—heat dissipation has emerged as a critical factor determining product performance. Traditional heat sink manufacturing processes (such as aluminum extrusion and stamping) often face bottlenecks: aluminum extrusion struggles to achieve high fin density, stamping tends to result in insufficient fin strength and unavoidable assembly gaps, and the core pain point is that both require high mold costs, severely limiting sample iteration efficiency. As a precision manufacturing technology, the skiving process redefines heat sink performance with its core advantages of “mold independence,” flexible sample development capabilities, and seamless high-density heat dissipation structures. For thermal management manufacturers and engineers, mastering the skiving process is not only a technical upgrade but also a key driver to accelerate R&D cycles and reduce innovation costs.

What is the Skiving Process?

Essentially, the skiving process is an integrated metal forming technology that directly machines heat sink fins from solid metal blocks (typically aluminum or copper). Unlike aluminum extrusion (which forces metal through a die) or stamping (which punches fins via molds and assembles them), the skiving process completely eliminates reliance on custom molds. It uses sharp specialized tools to process metal, following these specific steps:

Secure the solid metal blank (commonly aluminum or copper) in precision machining equipment.
A high-speed skiving tool cuts into the blank at a small angle to scrape off thin, continuous metal sheets.
As the tool moves, the metal sheets are folded upward to form integrally shaped fins with the base.
Repeat the above steps at fixed intervals (minimum 0.05mm) to form a dense fin array—all fins are seamlessly connected to the base with no assembly gaps.

The final product? A heat sink with fins and base integrated as one, which not only completely eliminates thermal resistance caused by assembled structures but also enables rapid sample adjustment and iteration without mold development.

Why is the Skiving Process Superior to Traditional Heat Sink Manufacturing Technologies?

Compared to aluminum extrusion and stamping processes, the skiving process offers three irreplaceable advantages in high-performance heat dissipation scenarios, with the “zero mold cost + flexible sampling” feature being particularly prominent:

No Assembly Gaps for More Efficient Heat Transfer

Stamped heat sinks require punching individual fins via molds and assembling them with the base—gaps may form at assembly points or additional thermal conductive materials may be needed, creating thermal resistance bottlenecks that slow heat transfer. In contrast, the integrated structure produced by the skiving process ensures fins and base are made from the same metal block, allowing heat to transfer directly from the base to the fins without obstruction. Test data shows that skived heat sinks transfer heat 18%-28% faster than stamped ones, a crucial advantage for components like EV (Electric Vehicle) IGBTs that generate over 300W of heat.

Ultra-High Fin Density + High Structural Strength for Complex Scenarios

The skiving process can produce fins as thin as 0.05mm with integral molding, resulting in structural strength over 40% higher than stamped fins. This means skived heat sinks offer 50% more heat dissipation area than traditional products of the same volume, while also withstanding harsh conditions like vibration and impact—making them ideal for servers, automotive batteries, and industrial equipment.

Zero Mold Costs for Extremely Flexible Sample Development

No custom molds are required throughout the process, completely eliminating mold fees and weeks of waiting time.

Core Application Scenarios of the Skiving Process

IGBT modules and Battery Management Systems (BMS) in EVs and hybrid vehicles need to adapt to different vehicle space and power requirements, requiring frequent adjustments to heat sink sizes during R&D.

Automotive Thermal Management

Heat sinks for high-power LEDs (over 100W) need to match luminaire shapes and heat dissipation needs, with frequent sample requirements due to differentiated designs for outdoor lights and stadium lights.

LED Lighting

The power of AI server CPUs/GPUs is evolving rapidly, and heat dissipation solutions must keep pace with chip upgrades. Microchannel water cooling solutions can achieve fin thickness as thin as 0.05mm. Additionally, BY Thermal has participated in the production and manufacturing of skived heat sinks for the photovoltaic, energy storage, and laser industries.

Data Center and Server Cooling

Additionally, BY Thermal has participated in the production and manufacturing of skived heat sinks for the photovoltaic, energy storage, and laser industries.

Other Industry

Key Factors for Optimizing the Skiving Process

To fully leverage the “mold-free + high flexibility” advantages of the skiving process, manufacturers need to focus on three core variables:

1. Metal Material Selection

Aluminum: 1060, 3003, 6063
Copper: C1100, 1020

2. Fin Design Parameters

Maximum Fin Width: 1200mm
Maximum Fin Thickness: 2mm
Minimum Fin Thickness: 0.05mm
Minimum Fin Pitch: 0.05mm
Maximum Fin Height: 150mm

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CNC Machining

What is Forging?

Key Types of CNC Machining Processes

Core Advantages of CNC Machining

Critical Industry Applications

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Forging Process

What is Forging?

Key Types of Forging Processes

Core Advantages of Forging

Critical Industry Applications

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Die Casing Process

What is Die Casting?

Key Advantages of Stamped Heat Dissipation Components

Key Process Steps

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Stamping Process

Core Stamping Technologies for Heat Dissipation Component Manufacturing

Key Advantages of Stamped Heat Dissipation Components

Specific Heat Dissipation Application Scenarios

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Extrusion Process

How Aluminum Extrusion Works

Key Advantages of Extrusion Process

Industry Applications

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Skiving Process

What is the Skiving Process?

Why is the Skiving Process Superior to Traditional Heat Sink Manufacturing Technologies?

Core Application Scenarios of the Skiving Process

Key Factors for Optimizing the Skiving Process

1. Metal Material Selection

2. Fin Design Parameters

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