A piezoelectric-type pump compatible with all broadcast systems, which offers long operational life as well as high-discharge output, has been announced by ALPS Electric Europe
The audio-visual equipment and personal computers that are now so common in our daily lives are getting smaller, yet their functions are increasing and their performance is improving. This has created the problem of heat generated by the screen-processing IC, the CPU and other components, which determine the upper limit of their functions. Until now, each form of heat has been addressed by heat-conducting parts and cooling fans. However, in terms of ease of construction and operating performance, these methods are lacking and have now reached their limit in tackling the essential issue of cooling. Additional problems are noise generated by fans as well as particles that become trapped inside components.
For these reasons, new liquid-based cooling systems have been receiving a great deal of attention. Liquid cooling systems are a superior method of heat transfer that minimizes the load on the fan, abates the operating noise and reduces the potential for damage caused by foreign particles.
Using a piezoelectric element, ALPS has succeeded in developing a light and slim pump with a low current drain. It is far less susceptible to tilt, and its long and slim channel affords strength in load pressure. Because of these factors, the pump contributes greatly to the creation of liquid cooling systems in small and portable devices, where heat dissipation measures are particularly important.
ALPS' Magnetic Devices Division has accumulated considerable expertise in the development and manufacture of all kinds of magnetic heads and in the application of sintering technologies for ferrite materials. This magnetic materials technology was applied in the development of the piezoelectric material for the slim-format pump; then using the green sheet method *1, accomplished high-quality volume production of a superior piezoelectric element. In addition, the diaphragm *2 used in the pump function is a bimorph construction using two layers of piezoelectric elements bonded together, which affords it great displacement value and discharge volume. Furthermore, the original diaphragm and pump construction offers a long operational life of more than 44,000 hours of continuous usage, says the company.
* 1) The green sheet method: A method of obtaining the thickness of a form using a raw sheet, known as the green sheet, before ceramics are sintered to it.
* 2) Diaphragm: A thin elasticated membrane (separation barrier) inside the pump, which keeps the fluid separate from the machinery.
