Laird Technologies Targets Switching-Mode Power Supplies with Low-Cost T-gard Film-Based Insulators

CLEVELAND OH. USA – (Aug. 8, 2005) – Laird Technologies Thermal Products, a leading supplier of thermal management solutions, today introduced the T-gard 3000™ – a thermally conductive, low-cost, film-based electronic insulator for switching-mode power supply (SMPS) devices used in PCs and telecommunication products. The T-gard 3000 launches a new line of film-based insulators from Laird Technologies Thermal Products. T-gard 3000 is available for volume distribution immediately.

For Laird Technologies Thermal Products, a unit of Laird Technologies, the innovative T-gard 3000 marks the company’s aggressive entry into an established market for thermal interface materials. Based on Laird Technologies’ expertise in high-volume manufacturing, T-gard 3000 offers SMPS manufacturers a solution that is both superior to fiberglass insulation in dielectric strength and consistency and less expensive than competing film-based products.

“Laird Technologies’ manufacturing scale and our industry-recognized leadership in thermal interface materials position us to quickly and efficiently enter a new market with an economical and superior alternative to other technologies. Laird’s acquisition of Thermagon provides us with materials-technology advantages unrivaled in the industry,” said Michael Dreyer, vice president and general manager of Laird Technologies Thermal Products.

Insulators used on discrete electronic power components require a material that is able to both insulate electrical energy and conduct thermal energy at the same time. Moreover, the material must provide mounting stability during SMPS manufacturing and assembly to prevent cut-through damage, which leads to electrical shorts.

“We saw the need for an alternative to fiberglass-based insulators, so we leveraged our extensive compound performance experience to develop an insulator with exceptional thermal performance, dielectric strength and consistency,” noted Carol Latham, global product director for Laird Technologies Thermal Products. “We believe our film-based solution is a far superior alternative to traditional fiberglass-based insulators.”

T-gard 3000 is a ceramic-filled silicone conformal coating on a high-temperature film, providing higher electronic insulating and thermal conductivity qualities than fiberglass-based insulators. This more flexible film-based insulator, while thinner and less expensive than fiberglass, offers superior cut-through resistance.

More information about T-gard 3000 and, the high-durability film-based insulator is available at www.lairdtech.com/pages/products/T-gard-3000.asp. T-gard 3000 is priced between 2 and 6 cents per square inch.

About Laird Technologies

Laird Technologies is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of electromagnetic interference [EMI] shielding materials, thermal interface products, and wireless antenna solutions for the telecommunications, data-communications, computer, general electronics, network equipment, aerospace, defense, automotive and medical equipment industries.

For additional information or the name of your nearest Laird Technologies’ representative:

Laird Technologies
Phone 1 + (800) 843-4556, 1 + (314) 344-9300
Fax 1 + (314) 344-9333
Internet www.lairdtech.com
E-mail sales@lairdtech.com