Cold Plate Manifold Alignment for Precise Plate Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to ensure accurate spacing and alignment between adjacent cold plates in cold plate cooling systems to maintain efficient operation and prevent misalignment with connectors, which can lead to non-uniform thermal interface compression and system inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A coolant fluid manifold assembly with positioning members on each manifold portion that engage to correctly position and orient the manifold portions and cold plates, using visual indicators, apertures, and fasteners to secure alignment, and optionally incorporating O-rings for a fluid-tight seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual assembly of manifold portions is used, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but alignment precision between cold plates deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Positioning members (protrusions and recesses) are pre-formed on the manifold portions during manufacturing. These positioning features guide the alignment of manifold portions and cold plates during assembly, ensuring precise positioning without requiring complex alignment procedures or specialized tooling. The positioning members are integrated into the manifold structure in advance, combining precision features with structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
Positioning members act as intermediary elements between the manifold portions and cold plates. The protrusions on one manifold portion engage with corresponding recesses on the other manifold portion, serving as mediating features that transfer and maintain precise alignment relationships through the assembly interface.
2Manufacturing precision
If positioning members are added to manifold portions, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning members are merged with the manifold portions as integrated features rather than separate components. The protrusions and recesses are formed directly on the manifold bodies during manufacturing, combining the positioning function with the structural manifold components. This eliminates the need for separate positioning devices while achieving precise alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning members serve multiple functions: they provide alignment guidance, maintain spacing between components, and serve as reference features for assembly. The same protrusion and recess features that position the manifold portions also guide the positioning of cold plates, making the positioning system multi-functional rather than requiring dedicated features for each function.
3Ease of operation
If visual indicators are incorporated into positioning members, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Visual indicators on the positioning members utilize color changes or contrasting colors to indicate alignment status. The indicators may change color or display different colors when properly aligned versus misaligned, providing intuitive visual feedback to operators during assembly. This allows workers to quickly assess alignment without requiring measurement tools or complex procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
A coolant fluid manifold assembly (100) for coupling to a plurality of cold plates (202, 204), wherein the manifold assembly (100) comprises a first manifold portion (102) comprising a first positioning member (122, 126), a second manifold portion (104) comprising a second positioning member (124, 128), wherein the second manifold portion (104) is configured to couple to the first manifold portion (102) and the second positioning member (124, 128) is configured to engage the first positioning member (122, 126) to correctly position the first and second manifold portions (102, 104) and hence the cold plates (202, 204) which are coupled to the manifold portions in use.