Are you familiar with Moore’s Law?

It’s an observation made by Gordon Moore, cofounder of Intel. It posits that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles every two years. Put simply, this means that computer hardware, as it becomes more complex, also becomes smaller.

You’ve seen it firsthand. Compare the bulky first smartphone you purchased back in 2007 to the shiny new smartphone you have in your pocket right now. It’s thinner, bigger, and packs WAY more energy-per-gram than it did a decade ago.

As tech companies are in a constant race to make things micro-sized, industrial OEMS must seek out new technologies to keep up.

Enter microextrusions – a recent process that delivers features, tolerances, and surface finishes previously believed to be impossible. Advancement in microextrusion allows design engineers the freedom to utilize component designs in microextrusion which enhance functionality and performance beyond normal extruded parts.

Below, we outline some different aspects of consumer electronics that rely on precision aluminum extrusions in their designs.

CPU HEAT SINKS

The CPU (central processing unit) is akin to the brain of the computer – it performs the arithmetic, logic, and I/O operations based on the instructions from other computer components. This heavy workload leaves CPUs prone to overheating, and as such, require a heat sink to disperse heat and keep the component cool.

Advancements in microextrusion technology allow for heat sink designs to disperse heat even more effectively. Keeping your CPU at a good operating temperature is essential for long-term performance!

MOTHERBOARDS

Microextrusions are used in motherboards to create housing for ethernet and USB ports, as well as housing for DVI, HDMI, and sound input and output ports.

Microextrusions are also used for the crucial CPU socket, which often uses a latch to securely house the CPU and attach it to the motherboard.

GRAPHICS PROCESSING UNITS

Graphics cards, such as NVIDIA’s recent Titan V, are often housed in an aluminum shell to keep the internals of the GPU safe and secure (and it looks absolutely stunning to boot!).

HARD DRIVE BAYS

Most modern hard drives come with mounting brackets, and are housed in a computer case by sliding them through an extruded aluminum hard drive bay. This keeps them secure during operation – hard drives are very susceptible to damage from physical shock, so keeping them secure is important!

LED PROFILE BAYS

LED lights are often housed in microextruded profile bays – the extremely fine materials and plastics used to create it allow the LED lights to shine through while also keeping them protected from the environments.

EXTRUDED ENCLOSURES

Since consumer electronics often make use of sensitive magnets, aluminum is perfectly suited to house those components. This is because aluminum does not spark, melt, or rust, and can be customized to fit the need of any product.

About Taber Extrusions

Founded in 1973, Taber Extrusions originally pioneered a process for extruding rectangular billet which enables the company to extrude solid profiles up to 31 inches wide or hollows up to 29 inches. Taber expanded with the purchase of an extrusion facility in Gulfport, MS in 1995 which houses a new state of the art cast house, two additional presses, and a fabrication area that has been expanded multiple times. Taber continues to extrude billet in a wide range of alloys. and sizes.

Taber Extrusions has recently enhanced its portfolio of services with the addition of ultra-precision aluminum extrusions®. Today, Taber Extrusions is proud of its full line up offering of extruded aluminum components, value-added machining services and raw material supply to the North American market.

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Interested in becoming a part of the Taber Team?  Submit your resume to careers@taberextrusions.com.