Precision cooling solutions for today’s most demanding applications.
From aerospace and medical devices to advanced electronics and renewable energy systems, today’s high-performance industries demand efficient thermal management.
That is because the heat loads generated by modern electrical components often make traditional air cooling ineffective at maintaining safe operating temperatures. To solve this challenge, many manufacturers turn to liquid cold plates as the ideal solution for removing heat and protecting sensitive electronics.
At Vacuum Process Engineering, Inc. (VPE), we design and manufacture high-quality liquid cooling plates and microchannel cold plates that deliver exceptional performance and reliability across industries.
What is a Cold Plate?
A liquid cold plate is a thermally conductive component that transfers heat away from an electronic device and into a circulating liquid coolant.
Unlike a heat exchanger, which transfers heat between two separate fluids, a cold plate uses a single fluid loop to draw heat directly away from the surface that it is attached to. They are typically mounted to components using a thermal interface material to ensure efficient heat transfer.
VPE manufactures cold plates using advanced joining techniques such as diffusion bonding or vacuum brazing, which create strong, leak-free assemblies capable of handling demanding environments.
This makes cold plates ideal for spot cooling high-heat areas like circuit boards, power modules, inverters, and any other point in a system that produces concentrated heat.
How Liquid Cold Plate Cooling Works
Cold plate cooling systems work by circulating liquid coolant through internal channels within the plate. Heat is absorbed from the attached device by the coolant passing coolant through the plate, carrying away the excess heat to be dissipated through a secondary radiator or chiller.
In addition to engineering standard liquid cooling plates, VPE specializes in the design and development of advanced microchannel cold plates: a high precision type of cold plate cooling that uses ultra-narrow flow channels, sometimes only a few thousandths of an inch wide, to maximize surface area and heat transfer efficiency.
This precision makes microchannel cold plate designs ideal for high-density electronic assemblies that require compact, consistent, and reliable cooling performance.
Applications of Liquid Cold Plates Across Industries
Because overheating can reduce performance, reliability, and component life span, liquid cold plates are widely used where thermal control is critical.
Some real-world applications that benefit from cold plate liquid cooling include:
- Electronics and Semiconductors: Cooling for electronics like circuit boards, processors, and laser systems.
- Power Electronics: EV converters, inverters, and high-current power supplies.
- Aerospace and Defense: Avionics, radar, and communication systems.
- Medical Equipment: Imaging systems and diagnostic devices.
- Renewable Energy: Fuel cells and electrolyzers for hydrogen production.
In these sectors, even minor temperature fluctuations can cause component failure or reduce lifespan. That’s why VPE’s cold plate heat exchangers are counted on by organizations to deliver consistent cooling performance in high-power environments.
VPE: Proven Expertise in Cold Plate Manufacturing
VPE has been a trusted partner in the design and manufacture of cold plate liquid cooling technologies for decades. Our extensive experience in metallurgical joining and thermal management makes us a preferred choice for clients whose products must meet the rigorous demands of modern applications.
We can produce custom liquid cold plates that can be joined to your assemblies using advanced joining techniques that ensure durability and performance. Our expertise includes:
Diffusion Bonding
Diffusion bonding is a solid-state process that joins metals using pressure and heat, without filler metals or melting. This produces extremely strong, hermetically sealed joints ideal for microchannel cold plates, where even the smallest obstruction can impact flow.
Because it produces a precise, uniform bond, diffusion bonding ensures the highest levels of strength and reliability for demanding environments.
Vacuum Brazing
Vacuum brazing is an efficient and cost-effective method for joining materials like aluminum using a thin braze alloy. Vacuum-brazed cold plates are ideal for larger assemblies and applications that don’t require the precision of microchannel cold plates.
With our advanced vacuum furnaces, VPE can process multiple assemblies simultaneously, with tight tolerances and exceptional quality in every component.
Our unique combination of expertise and equipment allows us to deliver both small-batch prototypes and high-volume production runs with consistent results.
Custom Design and Engineering Support
At VPE, we believe close collaboration is key to achieving optimal thermal performance and long-term reliability. We work closely with our clients to ensure every liquid cold plate meets their precise cooling requirements.
Build-to-print or join-to-print
VPE can fabricate or join components based on your supplied designs, with the techniques most suitable for your project’s specific needs.
Design collaboration
We can work with your designs, or our in-house thermal engineering team can help design or optimize liquid cold plates using advanced analytical tools and thermal modeling.
Material Flexibility
We work with a wide range of materials including stainless steel, titanium, copper, and aluminum to meet performance goals and budget requirements.
Scalable Production
From one-off prototypes to full scale production, VPE delivers consistent quality and reliable performance.
Our deep experience with microchannel cold plate designs enables us to create intricate flow paths without clogging or distortion—something few manufacturers can match.
Why Choose VPE for Liquid Cold Plates?
When precision and reliability matter, VPE is your best choice for cold plate liquid cooling. Our clients turn to VPE for our:
- Proven success with microchannel cold plates and complex geometries.
- Deep expertise in both diffusion bonding and vacuum brazing joining techniques.
- Ability to process multiple components and assemblies simultaneously for cost effective production.
- Versatile selection of materials options and bonding techniques to meet diverse requirements.
- Collaborative, engineering-driven approach to design and production of liquid cooling plates.
With decades of experience in vacuum process engineering and metallurgical joining, VPE has the skill and technological capacity to build durable and efficient cold plate cooling solutions for even the most demanding environments.
Ready to See the Benefits of Liquid Cold Plates?
Whether you’re developing a new system or improving an existing design, VPE’s liquid cold plate fabrication delivers the durability, efficiency, and precision required by the most demanding applications.
Contact VPE today to discuss your project and discover how our cold plate liquid cooling technologies can enhance performance, reliability, and product life.
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