General > General Technical Chat
Anodized heat sink changing color
NoMoreMagicSmoke:
Black requires a UV stabilizer to keep it from fading (often to purple). If the anodizing wasn't stabilized well enough it will fade just like you are seeing.
coppercone2:
I see alot of black purple heatsinks, its a common sight. The shitty ones rub purple off with a alcohol wipe. I noticed this when I was cleaning thermal compound. I thought it was a reaction of some kind with the goop at first then I realized the dye was coming off. For instance the HV power supply heatsink near a CRT.
ejeffrey:
Another factor is that there are different grades of anodization. Normal cosmetic anodization is a fairly thin layer, and relies on the dye being extremely opaque. Higher spec anodization used for optical or high wear applications create a much thicker layer that can absorb more dye and more likely to stay looking black even if it fades a bit.
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