LOW COST MODULE DEVELOPMENT (kTC k016)

kTC's high performance thermal core technology offers the potential of significant cost savings by allowing the use of low cost commercial components without the need for liquid flow through thermal cores. kTC's encapsulated APG thermal core is a highconductivity (>1000WmL) macrocomposite comprised of annealed pyrolytic graphite (AG) encapsulated within an aluminum sheet. In Phase I, k Technology Corporation demonstrated low cost bonding and materials processes designed to lower the cost of theAPG/Aluminum by one-half while maintaining 90% of the performance of the baseline material. kTC produced and evaluated modules using these developed processes. The measured conductivity of the encapsulated APG modules was 1150 W/mK. These parts alsounderwent temperature cycling with no significant change in performance. kTC's thermal core offers the potential of significant cost savings. The high thermal conductivity of these thermal cores enables the use of low cost commercial components withoutthe need (and expense) of liquid flow through thermal cores. The performance benefits of kTC's encapsulated APG material has been demonstrated resulting in an estimated cost saving of $300 to $ 400 per thermal core through the use of COTS componets. Thisoffers the potential of significant cost savings for programs requiring many thermal cores.