in a recent article in ee time europe, paul rako, the creative director at rako studios, presented the argument that thermal management needs to be incorporated into the design process for electronics to ensure full performance and the ultimate realization of the project.
cfd simulation for thermal management of a design. (wikimedia commons)
rako points out that there are many different means for dissipating heat from circuit boards, leds, and other electronics. he cites the work of wayne yamaguchi when converting maglite to an led flashlight. yamaguchi used vias and copper pours to dissipate the heat from the led component to the metal case of the light.
he added that it is also possible to increase the copper of a pcb and increasing the number of output transistors. rako said, “you can use interior planes to move the heat, but remember, you have to use vias to stitch to the inside planes, since ultimately, you have to get the heat to the outside air.”
in order to make it easier to add a heat sink and thermal interface material, rako also suggests using a package that adds a frame on which to place the heat sink. other options include high-current pcb technology in which wires bonded to the board add a track for heat to flow through or metal-core pcb that are expensive but can dissipate a lot of heat.
overall, the important theme that rako touches on is the importance of making thermal management and the analysis of thermal challenges part of the overall design workflow. without considering the thermal challenges early in the process, then projects may be forced to over-design, re-design, or not get off the ground at all.
to read the full article, click http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/design-center/thermal-design-get-heat-out-electronics.
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