Analysis of Common Thermal Grease Issues & How to Avoid Application Mistakes

As a core heat dissipation material for electronic and industrial equipment, thermal grease is widely used in various fields. However, many users encounter common troubles such as oil bleeding, drying out and pump-out effect during application, which not only weaken heat dissipation performance but also may cause equipment damage. This article analyzes frequent problems of thermal grease and guides users to avoid misuse for better application performance.

Oil Bleeding

It is mainly caused by unreasonable formula, unbalanced ratio of base oil and fillers, or excessive ambient temperature.

Solutions: Adopt thermal grease with low oil bleeding formula; avoid usage beyond its temperature resistance range; control coating thickness and prevent excessive application.

Drying Out

This issue mostly results from poor anti-aging performance or long-term service under high temperature and high humidity conditions.

Solutions: Select products with excellent anti-aging capability; inspect equipment heat dissipation regularly and replace aged thermal grease in a timely manner.

Pump-out Effect

It occurs mainly due to insufficient viscosity, leading to grease outflow under equipment vibration and thermal cycling.

Solutions: Choose products with moderate viscosity and good thixotropy; apply evenly to fully cover the chip surface without gaps.

Besides, many users mistakenly believe that thicker coating works better. In fact, the optimal coating thickness is 0.1–0.3mm. Excessively thick layer will increase thermal resistance and impair heat dissipation. The correct way is thin and even coating to ensure full contact between chips and heat sinks.