Thermal management

Every watt a product consumes ends up as heat somewhere. Thermal design traces where heat is generated (processors, power stages, LEDs, motors, batteries), how it moves (conduction through copper, thermal pads and the enclosure; convection to air; radiation), and whether every part stays within its rating at the hottest ambient the product will see.

Tools include copper areas and thermal vias on PCBs, heat sinks, thermal interface materials, spreaders, vents, fans and, for sealed products, conducting heat out through the enclosure wall. Simulation and thermocouple measurements on prototypes confirm the design.

Where it bites: heat shortens component life; for example, aluminum electrolytic capacitor life is commonly estimated to roughly halve for every 10 °C rise in temperature, and batteries are especially temperature-sensitive. Sealed, compact, silent products are the hardest to cool.