THERMAL MIS-MANAGEMENT
Recently, a study found that 1 in 5 electronics engineers identify thermal issues as a common cause of project delays. As we welcome 2018 with open arms, ACT’s New Year’s resolution is to ensure none of our engineer friends start their year off on the wrong foot by running into thermal troubles.
Customers across many industries are demanding smaller but more powerful products. Overheating can result in both deteriorated performance and product reliability issues. This means more attention than ever must be paid to thermal management early in the design process.
6SigmaET surveyed 350 engineers on the importance of thermal management in their product designs.
When asked to list their project priorities (including things like product performance and reducing time to production), thermal management was the last priority on the list for the majority of engineers surveyed. Their #1 priority? Product Reliability.
But product reliability and thermal management go hand-in-hand. One common rule of thumb is that every 10°C increase in operating temperature reduces component life by half. In addition, if your product overheats, reliability is further compromised. In order to avoid project delays and additional costs, it is important to consider thermal management early in the design process.
A simple notion to examine thermal design early could save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
