Method for Improved Gun-Drilled Cold Plate Fabrication and Inspection

A method was developed for obtaining proper fluid distribution through parallel gun-drilled passages and for being able to inspect the actual drilled passages to guarantee that the designed minimum wall thickness is not violated. This invention uses one feature that addresses both issues mentioned. By machining a “trough” in the center of the cold plate that intersects the gun-drilled passages where they meet in the center, the area where the two drilled passages intersect is removed and any mismatch is eliminated. This allows access for direct inspection of the drill wander. An integral cap, which incorporates orifice features to address the fluid distribution, is then inserted into this trough. This method can also work in a two-layer cold plate where every other fluid passage is for the alternating fluid layer.