the engineers at polyone offer a couple of tips for designers of high-brightness led systems, including reexamining the materials that are used. they recommend utilizing thermally conductive plastics instead of the standard aluminum to handle size and weight restrictions that may make it difficult to work with aluminum heat sinks.

(wikimedia commons)

in addition, polyone noted that aluminum heat sinks may require complex designs or fans for forced convection, which would increase the cost of designing a system. thermoplastics can be molded into complex shapes with greater ease and in a more cost-effective manner. 

a report on ledinside.com in 2013 reported that thermoplastics could cut manufacturing costs by as much as 20-30 percent, while providing better conduction of heat. the article featured an interview with the head of nytex, a company producing thermoplastics in china.

read the article at http://www.ledinside.com/interview/2013/9/replacing_aluminum_with_thermoplastic_in_heat_sinks_cuts_cost_by_20_30.

as the led market grows, particularly in the automotive sector, new designs will be needed to meet the design and thermoplastics add a potential method for managing the thermal needs of the system, decreasing time to market, and keeping costs low.

to read the article from polyone, click http://www.polyone.com/idea/how-perfect-thermal-management-led-lighting-applications?kui=8tonvnhdmefsutmussgjsg.