Heat-Sink & Copper Zipper-Fin Stamping Guide

HEAT-SINK AND COOLING-FIN STAMPING

A mechanical roller feeder can fit repeated fixed-pitch heat-sink or cooling-fin stamping when thin strip is supported, roll contact is acceptable and the press/die relationship is verified.

Example: heat sink stamping line

In an aluminum heat sink stamping line for automotive lighting, a 2-in-1 precision decoiler straightener pays off and flattens the strip, a free loop buffers it, and a separate high-speed mechanical roller feeder, driven from the press through a linkage, advances it into the die, which punches and forms the heat sink parts. The feeder is mechanical, not an NC servo feeder.

Table of Contents

Separate fin type and material

Identify aluminum or copper alloy, temper, thickness, width, surface condition, fin geometry, pitch, louver/form stages, pilot scheme and downstream stacking or assembly. Air-conditioner fins, radiator fins and zipper-fin modules may require different dies and material paths.

Roller-feeder setup checks

Verify passline, guide contact, roll cleanliness, pressure, repeated pitch and release/pilot action. Thin strip can buckle or mark before the die; excessive pressure is not a substitute for correcting coil tension, alignment or die drag.

coils on horizontal payoff turntables supplying strip to a row of presses — Coils on horizontal payoff turntables supplying thin strip to a row of presses. The model table and a trial with the actual strip decide the feeder.

Maintenance and acceptance record

Clean and inspect rollers/guides under lockout.
Record backlash, release state, lubrication and restart checks.
Measure repeated progression and inspect fin geometry after the die.
Confirm surface condition, buckle/wrinkle evidence and accepted rate.

upright decoilers feeding strip to roller feeders on a row of stamping presses — Decoilers and roller feeders on a row of presses; follow the machine manual for maintenance.

Related cooling-fin and maintenance pages

Choose the guide that matches the fin or process. When the strip data is known, compare it with the width, feed pitch and thickness range of each press-driven sheet metal feeder in the RFS range.

Automotive radiator finsStrip, pitch and trial validation for radiator-fin work.
Aluminum zipper-fin lineA distinct in-die forming and assembly process.
Roller-feeder maintenanceGeneral machine-led maintenance and restart.

What to send for an engineering review

Provide the part drawing, strip material and surface, width, thickness, progression, target production rate, press interface, pilot/release requirement, coil data, line layout and measurable acceptance criteria. A feeder family or model should not be selected from the part name alone.

Use the Roller Feeder RFQ checklist →

Copper Zipper-Fin Stamping Route

Copper zipper fins are a separate heat sink process from air-conditioner fins. Confirm the actual copper alloy and temper, measured thickness, fin geometry, zipper/interlock progression, lubrication, surface limits, pitch and downstream assembly. Material purity, strip tension, feed accuracy and production rate are confirmed on the actual material and feeder model.