Producer of stinky thermal paste that corrodes copper has known about the issue since 2024 - the paste emits acidic vapors, corrodes copper, 'glues' heatsinks to processors, and permanently damages coolers

Amech, the maker of the thermal paste that stinks and damages coolers, has known about the issues with its product since at least October 2024, according to Igor Wallosek from Igor's Lab. Instead of addressing the problem that damages coolers and can potentially lead to damage to expensive CPUs or GPUs, the company kept producing and selling the thermal grease. SGT-4 appears to be a chemically reactive blend that stinks due to acidic vapors, permanently damages CPUs and coolers with pitting from corrosion, and causes coolers to glue to the chip.

The situation deteriorated recently when Amech accused Wallosek of destroying its reputation and launched a counter-marketing campaign across Korean social networks and Igor's YouTube channel, prompting the journalist to fight back.

According to Igor Wallossek's email exchange with the company, Amech was explicitly warned about the chemical instability and possible corrosive effects of its SGT-4 paste as early as October 2024. Our colleague informed the manufacturer of abnormal results from SGT-4 tests: a sharp, vinegar-like smell upon heating, bondline thickness doubling between 20°C and 80°C, and visible hardening after fewer than 10 cycles.

Amech replied with thermogravimetric data claiming 'almost zero weight loss' up to 120°C, arguing that the paste remained stable, but offered no credible explanation for the odor or the rapid structural change that Igor had observed. The company also did not reveal how the paste was made or which additives it used. When asked to provide full safety data sheets (SDS), Amech sent REACH and RoHS certificates, which turned out to be generic forms without testing annexes, dates, or formulation data, so they were insufficient for European compliance. Wallossek advised changing the silicone oil, but it does not look like Amech followed the advice.

On October 16, 2024, Igor's Lab published an article about the SGT-4 thermal paste. Instead of the usual benchmark graphics, the article listed raw laboratory data and cautioned that the material used in SGT-4 might corrode copper over time. A few weeks later, Amech responded that the smell came from a PDMS additive supplied by BYK from Germany and that the additive contained amino groups, which BYK considered safe. Meanwhile, BYK's 'safe' label referred only to CLP and GHS toxicology categories, not to compatibility with metal oxide surfaces. Thus, the product was legally compliant yet chemically destructive. Under heat and moisture, amino-functional siloxanes promote adhesion, hydrolysis, and complex formation with copper and nickel oxides. Visually, greenish or bluish deposits typical of copper salts can be observed.

Both RoHS and REACH certificates eventually sent by Amech were worthless as they provided no evidence about the actual content of SGT-4 or its corrosive behavior. RoHS confirms the absence of restricted heavy metals or brominated flame retardants, not the chemical stability of a compound. REACH asserts that substances are registered or imported under 1 ton per year, but gives no insight into additives, concentrations, or structures.

But the problem could be much bigger than just one harmful thermal paste on the market. Amech claims to be a two-person workshop in Pohang that manually produces small batches and lacks resources for proper documentation or a functioning website. However, if this were the case and Amech truly manufactured the paste itself, removing or replacing the amino additive would have been simple. To that end, Wallosek suspects that Amech just repackages premade substance from another supplier, which means that there could be other potentially dangerous thermal greases on the market.

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