Perhaps everyone of us is familiar with a sentence mentioned in various catalogues, á la “upon request we can supply you a customized version”. Naturally that sounds good, but sometimes it is associated with a significantly higher price or with a considerable minimum order quantity (MOQ). That´s why we don´t want to generalize, as every producers behaves differently, but we´d rather like to mention one concrete example – on a heat sink.
Aluminum heat sinks certainly belong to a group of components, where a small mechanical modification is very often required. Length, openings, threads, milled ribs,… In fact a small modification, which can make a production of your device significantly easier is available for a quite affordable charge. For example drilling of two openings upon request plus 2x M2,5 threads into some of standard heatsinks costs approx. 0.6-1 Eur, already at 50 pcs order (depending on a producer and a heat sink type).
In case, you don´t have a precise CNC equipment for accurate work with metals ( what´s perhaps the status of majority of small and mid-size companies), a possibility to get such a custom-modified heat sink is usually highly welcome. Maybe it´s worth mentioning, that it´s not about drilling of openings “somewhere” on a heat sink with a questionable position and accuracy, but a quite precise CNC operation.
Small price difference is usually acceptable for every product and you – as a producer – are relieved of further complications with a mechanical modification “in house” or at your local companies.
Read More: Don’t be afraid of heatsinks modifications