Two-Year R&D Iteration Story of Ultra-Thin Composite Heat Pipe Module Tailored for Compact Industrial Power Equipment

Launched in early 2024, our internal independent R&D project of ultra-thin composite heat pipe module targets compact industrial power equipment whose internal installation space is compressed over 30% compared with traditional cabinet, aiming to develop heat pipe product with wall thickness below 0.32mm and stable working performance under frequent cold-hot alternation environment; after two full years of three rounds of material reformulation and structural optimization verification, the finalized customized composite heat pipe module officially completes small-batch delivery to three European industrial equipment clients in Q2 2026, marking our independent breakthrough in ultra-thin phase-change cooling component core technology after overcoming multiple tricky engineering obstacles.

At the initial R&D stage in early 2024, the core technical bottleneck focused on conflict between ultra-thin tube wall thickness and internal working fluid tightness retention. The first-generation prototype adopted conventional single-layer oxygen-free copper tube structure, yet after 500-cycle high-low temperature impact test from -40℃ to 115℃, over 32% sample products appeared tiny micro-leakage at bending position caused by tube wall fatigue deformation, unable to meet European client’s minimum 80,000-hour MTBF requirement for industrial equipment components. The 7-person internal R&D team composed of material engineer and thermal simulation specialist abandoned original single material scheme after two-month repeated bench test, putting forward double-layer composite cladding structure: inner layer uses high-purity seamless copper tube for working fluid sealing while outer layer wraps thin stainless steel reinforcement layer to promote bending resistance, adjusting sintered capillary powder density inside pipeline from original 68% to 79% to balance liquid backflow efficiency and structural compactness.

The second round of iteration centered on matching problem between composite heat pipe and client’s limited cabinet assembly space. European end-customers require integrated heat pipe assembly pre-fixed with aluminum heat sink frame within overall thickness of 4.8mm, while early optimized prototype still exceeds target thickness by 0.7mm due to traditional riveting fixing process. R&D engineers cooperate with workshop precision processing department to replace riveting with low-temperature vacuum brazing, removing redundant fixing gap and cutting whole assembly overall thickness down to 4.52mm fully meeting client dimensional limit; meanwhile, via thermal simulation software adjusting fin spacing distribution of matched aluminum radiator, effective heat exchange area rises by 14% without outline size expansion, solving hidden hot spot risk of compact power module under full-load operation.

During the third round of small-batch pilot production in late 2025, the team focused on raw material batch stability control to avoid performance fluctuation caused by incoming material difference. After signing long-term fixed procurement contract with designated copper alloy supplier and establishing incoming full-inspection standard for every batch raw tube, finished product qualified rate lifts from initial 81% up to 99.2%. Up to now, the customized ultra-thin composite heat pipe module has obtained two independent utility model patents applied in EU market, becoming our exclusive differentiated product to expand compact industrial power cooling overseas market, and three more North American clients have submitted formal sample testing orders based on this mature R&D achievement.