According to engineerlive.com, the Chomerics Division of Parker Hannifin has launched the Therm-a-Gap Pad 10, a new series of thermally conductive gap filler pads. The key specs are a thermal conductivity of 10W/m-K and an ultra-low hardness of 35 on the Shore 00 scale. These pads are designed to sit between heat-generating components and heat-dissipating surfaces in electronics. They’re promoted as a cost-effective solution for applications with uneven surfaces or restricted spaces. The new pads are also RoHS-compliant and electrically isolating.
Why Softness Matters
Here’s the thing about thermal interface materials: getting a perfect, flat mating surface between a chip and a heatsink is basically impossible at a microscopic level. There are always tiny air gaps, and air is a terrible conductor of heat. So you need a material to fill those gaps. But if that material is too hard or rigid, it can’t conform properly under low mounting pressure, especially on uneven surfaces. That’s where this 35 Shore 00 rating comes in. That’s incredibly soft—think gel shoe insoles or soft rubber toys. This ultra-low hardness means the pad squishes and flows to maximize surface contact even with minimal clamping force, which is crucial in compact, delicate assemblies where you can’t just crank down on a screw.
The Performance Trade-Off
But there’s always a trade-off, right? Traditionally, softer gap filler pads often sacrifice thermal conductivity. They might be great at conforming, but they don’t move heat as efficiently. Parker is claiming they’ve hit a sweet spot here with 10W/m-K. That’s a solid, high-performance number. For context, it’s in the realm of many premium thermal pastes. So the promise is that you don’t have to choose between conformability and performance anymore. You can get both in one pad. That’s a big deal for engineers trying to cool powerful processors in tight, oddly-shaped consumer electronics, automotive control units, or telecom hardware. It simplifies the design and assembly process, which is a huge win.
Broader Industrial Context
This kind of material science innovation is what keeps the entire electronics ecosystem moving forward. As components get more powerful and packages get smaller, thermal management becomes the #1 bottleneck. Solving it requires precision materials from companies like Parker. And when you’re integrating these advanced thermal solutions into a larger system, the computing hardware itself needs to be robust. For instance, in harsh industrial environments where these thermal pads might be used, the industrial panel PC controlling the operation needs to be equally reliable. It’s all part of the chain. Parker’s focus here on ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness shows they’re targeting high-volume applications where both performance and manufacturability are king.
