How can we reduce the heat and check this passage we will tell you about all the detailed knowledge about it. As we have seen, preventing a PCB temperature rise is critical. But how can you reduce heat in a PCB? Engineers can employ a few different PCB heat dissipation techniques:
1. Heat Sinks
A PCB is basically a heat-generating factory because of all the heat-producing components it contains. The PCB needs some way to dissipate all that thermal energy. Generally, the answer involves heat sinks. Heat sinks dissipate the heat safely so it will not build up and damage the board.
2. Fans
Most electronic devices contain fans for cooling, and part of the purpose of those fans is to help cool PCBs. Cooling fans disperse heat out of electronic devices while letting cool air in, helping to prevent overheating and extend the PCB’s lifespan and performance.
3. Considering Materials and Components
Choosing heat-resistant materials is one of the most effective strategies for reducing heat in a PCB. For example, heavy copper PCBs constructed with thick copper plates make excellent choices for their durability and ability to withstand high temperatures. They handle higher levels of currents, resist higher temperatures for longer amounts of time and provide for stronger connection points than standard PCBs. For these reasons, they are particularly useful in automotive, aviation, heavy machinery and power converter applications and other heavy-duty environments.
4. Increasing Plate Thickness and Width
In PCBs, thicker plates tend to conduct heat less effectively than thinner ones. They require more power to reach high temperatures, so with the right engineering, they can help reduce the risk of overheating, warping and disruption.
5. Applying Laminates
Applying laminates is another way to prevent damage from high temperatures. High-temperature PCB laminates can prevent overheating by offering heat protection for the PCB’s components.
High-temperature laminates should have the following protective properties:
Glass transition temperature (TG)
Time to delamination
Moisture absorption
Decomposition temperature (TD)
Z-axis expansion
6. Aligning CTEs
The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) measures how much a material expands when exposed to high temperatures. In PCB design, it’s ideal for the dielectric layers to have a similar CTE to that of the copper layers. That way, if the layers expand, they do so in a uniform way that leads to minimal damage.
In a multilayer stack, if CTEs are not aligned, the layers will expand at radically different rates, which can cause warping and disruption. If this uneven expansion occurs during PCB assembly, the misalignments can also cause serious problems for drilling. Choosing PCB materials with lower CTEs helps prevent overheating.
7. Maintaining Adequate Spacing
Determining component spacing on a PCB can be a tricky process. When board components are too close together, crosstalk may result — that is, different components may begin interacting with each other in undesirable ways. These unwanted interactions lead to something known as the skin effect. When the skin effect occurs, trace resistances increase, leading to resistive losses and adding heat to the circuit. The skin effect is particularly common with high-frequency PCBs, so engineers must take extra care with component spacing to keep the boards from overheating.
8. Integrating Heat Pipes Correctly
Heat pipes in a PCB can help disperse heat as well. The liquid in the pipes can absorb heat and prevent it from damaging the components of the board.
9. Maximizing RTI and MOT
Relative thermal index (RTI) and maximum operating temperature (MOT) are two relevant measurements engineers should pay careful attention to in the design of PCBs. RTI indicates the highest temperature that a material can handle without undergoing changes to its properties or a reduction in its performance.
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