Introducing the most reliable push pins in the industry

Spring loaded push pins are an easy-to-use and highly effective method to secure heat sinks to heat-generating components and circuit boards. They provide precise and controllable pressure between the heat sinks and components, and optimize the performance of thermal interface materials. Push pins can be made of nylon, brass or spring steels. Nylon push pins are cost effective and perform well when the ambient temperature is relatively low. But the glass transition temperature (Tg) of nylon 6/6 (PA66), the most popular material used in making push pins, is only 45-50°C. Above its Tg, the material will change from its glassy state to rubbery state, and become soft and flexible. For this reason, we only recommend nylon push pins for low temperature and cost-sensitive applications, or when electrical insulation is required. Brass push pins, on the other hand, can withstand high temperatures. They are also electronically conductive and can help reducing EMI by grounding the heat sinks to the PCB. Brass is often preferred over other metals because of their machinability and cost effectiveness. But brass is prone to work hardening and cannot be heat treated (it becomes soft when heat is applied). Without proper release of the work-hardening stress, the reliability and reusability will reduce. Spring steel push pins are similar to brass push pins. They can withstand high temperatures and are electronically conductive. But unlike brass, spring steels have high yield strength and their work-hardening stress can be easily removed through heat treatment. As a result, the push pins can be inserted and extracted from PCB holes for more than a hundred times without apparent degradation. They are also more secure than brass push pins when the system experiences strong vibration or shock. We recommend spring steel push pins for high-temperature and harsh-environment systems, or when electrical conduction is required. At MyHeatSinks, we offer both spring steel and nylon push pins in various sizes. They are developed to fit 3.0, 2.5 and 1.5 mm diameter holes.