Solid blocks of aluminum alloy referred to as “blanks” are hydraulically pressed through a die to create the beginning element of an extruded heat sink. Extrusions have a much lower thermal resistance than the stamped variety due to the fin architecture which increases the surface area of the heat sink considerably. Extruded heat sinks function well in applications where higher-power components are utilized. They are available in a wide variety of standard package sizes, in various length bars which can be sawed and finished to size, and the cross sections can be customized by creating new tooling and dies.