Thermal GAP PAD^® Materials

What Are Thermal GAP PAD^® Materials?

GAP PAD^® products are soft, conformable thermal pads that provide effective thermal interfaces between heat sinks and electronic devices, accommodating for uneven surfaces, air gaps, and rough surface textures. 

These thermal conductive pads have a soft construction that offers high conformability to reduce interface resistance.

In addition to effective heat dissipation, thermal GAP PAD^® materials also help reduce vibration stress for shock dampening in a range of applications.

Why Use Henkel Thermal GAP PAD^® Products?

Henkel’s Bergquist^® GAP PAD^® materials are exceptionally simple to use, making them easy to bring into your processes. Our GAP PAD^® products are manufactured to size and facilitate easy application. Your operators simply peel the protective film and place the thermal management pad on the desired component.

We offer GAP PAD^® products in a variety of standard dimensions and thicknesses to suit a range of applications. Or, if you have specific application requirements, our thermal conductive GAP PAD^® materials can be customized.

Available as custom die-cut parts with the ability to individualize thickness and construction, thermal conductive GAP PAD^® materials are always fit for purpose to ensure optimized thermal control, no matter the application.

Henkel GAP PAD^® products offer shock dampening abilities. This means they are recommended for use in applications that require a minimum amount of pressure between components. You can also find GAP PAD^® product options in silicone-free formulations for applications that do not allow silicone, such as silicone-sensitive optic components.

The broad GAP PAD^® product family provides an effective thermal interface between heat sinks and electronic devices where textures are present. GAP PAD^® thermal materials also offer an extensive thermal conductivity range – going as high as 12.0 W/mK.

At Henkel, we also make sure you are getting the right GAP PAD^® product for every application. Our application specialists work closely with customers to specify the proper GAP PAD^® material for each unique thermal management requirement.

Features of Thermal GAP PAD^® Products 

Each of the many products within the GAP PAD^® product portfolio is unique in construction, properties, and performance. Find the right GAP PAD® product for your application, no matter your requirements. Thermal GAP PAD^® gap fillers offer:

• Low-modulus polymer material.
• Fiberglass and rubber carriers, or in a non-reinforced form.
• Innovative filler technology to achieve specific thermal and conformability characteristics.
• Highly conformable to uneven and rough surfaces, offering very low-stress thermal GAP PAD^® gap filler compression.
• Electrically isolating properties.
• Natural tack on one or both sides with protective liners.
• Variety of thickness and hardness options to suit any application.
• Range of thermal conductivities suitable for a range of components.
• Available in sheets and die-cut parts to easily fit into your manufacturing operation.

Benefits of Thermal GAP PAD^® Materials

Thermal GAP PAD^® products offer increased thermal performance across all of your applications. They also improve the safety and reliability of your assemblies and offer the ideal solution to your thermal interface management options. Benefits include: 

• Eliminating air gaps to reduce thermal resistance within assemblies.
• Offering ultra-conformable form, with minimal thermal GAP PAD^® gap filler compression, low modulus reduces interfacial resistance.
• Providing low-stress vibration dampening within assemblies.
• Absorbing shock to reduce the risk of damage caused by impact.
• Providing easy handling qualities thanks to their solid format.
• Offering simplified application. Just peel off the back and place it within the assembly.
• Puncture, shear, and tear resistance offers added resilience in applications.
• Improving thermal performance for high-heat assemblies.

Choosing a Thermal GAP PAD^® Product

Deciding which GAP PAD^® product you need will depend on the requirements of your application and the components you are assembling. Our GAP PAD^® products come in a range of options, including: 

• With or without adhesive qualities for use in different types of assembly.
• Rubber-coated fiberglass reinforcement for high-stress assemblies.
• Thicknesses from 0.010 in. to 0.250 in. to effectively fill any gaps and reduce voids.
• Silicone-free thermal GAP PAD^® products are available in thicknesses of 0.010 in. to 0.125 in.
• Custom die-cut parts, sheets, and rolls (converted or unconverted) to easily fit into your operations.
• Custom thicknesses and constructions to suit the needs of any application.
• Adhesive or natural inherent tack.
• Custom, specialized GAP PAD^® materials are available. Tooling charges vary depending on the tolerance and complexity of the part.