Heat sinks are a widely used method of cooling for parts or components that can become hot while in use. Many types of electronics and mechanical devices or machinery use heat sinks to help them dissipate the heat they generate.
So, what does a heat sink do? The simple answer is that it gradually transfers heat energy away from whatever component is generating it. More broadly, using a heat sink improves performance and extends the life of the component(s) in question, allowing them to run better, longer, and more efficiently.
Strictly speaking, the definition of a heat sink can include any substance or device that absorbs or dissipates heat - especially when the heat is unwanted or detrimental to performance. After all, in extreme cases, electrical or mechanical heat build-up could cause complete system failures, fires, explosions, or injury.
In practice, the term ‘heat sink’ typically refers to various kinds of electronics cooling, where it might also be referred to as a heat spreader, or simply a cooler. Coolers of this type are a form of radiator because they radiate the heat they collect out into the atmosphere and away from the source.
Heat sinks are used to absorb and dissipate the high temperatures created by many different sorts of electronic and mechanical devices. In fact, any system that generates heat as a by-product of normal running might make use of a heatsink-type device to help important parts stay cooler. Examples can include mechanical, fuelled, electronic, friction, chemical, solar, or nuclear processes.
There are various heat sink types in common use, and they can look quite different from one model to the next. However, most types do still have a number of key features or characteristics in common.