MUNICH—German chemical group Wacker Chemie A.G. has opened a global competence center for thermal interface materials in Shanghai.
Located at the group's China headquarters, the new lab will conduct research into developing new silicone and silicone rubber-based TIM products for electrical vehicles, consumer electronics and telecommunication applications. Wacker said these materials help with the efficient thermal management of electronic devices and batteries, which generate a great deal of heat that impacts their functionality and service life.
"For improved thermal management of components, the industry increasingly is turning to heat-dissipation materials," said Christian Gimber, head of engineering silicones at Wacker's silicone division.
Gimber said Wacker offers efficient thermally conductive silicones that meet the stringent and rising safety and reliability requirements imposed by the electronics and automotive industries. With the new lab, Wacker will be able to significantly improve its capability of fundamental research for such materials and develop tailor-made products to support customers.
Thermal interface materials have been one of the fastest growing segments of the materials market throughout the past 10 years, with an average compound annual growth rate of more than 6 percent. Widely used in personal computers, consumer electronics, automotive and telecommunication industries, Wacker said the demand for silicone-based TIMs are expected to grow continuously.