Challenge

When developing their foldable smartphone, a leading manufacturer aimed for a large screen while maintaining a slim profile. However, this design significantly impacted the thermal management within the device.

The manufacturer faced this challenge shortly before mass production was supposed to start. To ensure the device’s optimal performance and market position, our customer sought to find a suitable solution as quickly as possible. Fortunately, Gore knew exactly how to help.

Solution

Increasing the air gap within an electronic device is typically the first thought for insulating heat from the device’s surface. However, the phone’s unique design called for a different approach, as its foldability made the space for thermal insulation even smaller within its already slim form. Therefore, our engineers proposed GORE Thermal Insulation: A product that enables low thermal conductivity in a thin form.

While GORE Thermal Insulation has never been used by the manufacturer before, a series of tests conducted on their previous flagship smartphones demonstrated impressive results in reducing surface temperature. Combined with a comprehensive understanding of their needs, our customer was convinced that GORE® Thermal Insulation would meet all requirements.

Yet, the product's performance was not the only factor we considered. To provide a fit-for-use solution, we needed to tailor some form factors to the manufacturer's needs. In addition to customizing the product form, Gore engineers developed a unique thickness. Such significant changes to the product's design can take up to 12 weeks to develop. Thanks to high efforts among our team and effective collaboration with our customer's engineers, we could do it in three.

Throughout the project, our engineers also collaborated closely with the contract manufacturers of our customer's supply chain and provided extensive local support. As they are the ones to process our solution, it was crucial to brief them on how to handle GORE Thermal Insulation in the production line.

The Technology Behind the Solution: GORE Thermal Insulation

To achieve optimum heat management within the device’s slim design, our engineers chose GORE® Thermal Insulation. Here are a few benefits of the product:

  • Compatibility with graphite or vapor chambers to optimize heat spreading
  • Enables thinner product designs while maintaining thermal resistance
  • Reduces hotspot temperatures by up to 6° C, depending on the insulation thickness
  • Customizable to various shapes and thicknesses

For specifications and more detailed installation information, please visit GORE® Thermal Insulation for Mobile Devices.

Result

The outstanding performance of GORE Thermal Insulation and the unparalleled pace in the development process exceeded our customer’s expectations. Here are the key accomplishments of the project:

  • A reduction in the device’s surface hotspot temperature by 0.5 °C
  • Our customer was able to start mass production on time
  • A strengthened relationship with our customer, paving the way for further application of GORE Thermal Insulation in foldable smartphones and other flagship models

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