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The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... ™
Thermal Management: A Fabricator's Perspective

by: Anaya Vardya, CEO, American Standard Circuits

Thermal management is one of the fastest-growing areas of the PCB segment, far outpacing the projected growth for the overall industry. While demand was originally driven by high-power telecommunication and mil-aero applications, it has rapidly expanded to include automotive, consumer electronics, and medical sectors.

Written by Anaya Vardya, this book serves as a desk reference for designers on the most current thermal management techniques and methods from a PCB fabrication perspective, including a case study on an extreme mixed-technology design. Vardya also shares considerations designers should discuss with their PCB fabricators to ensure manufacturability, cost-effective solutions, and successful product launches.

PCB designers and design engineers, both new and veteran, will learn how to “beat the heat” by gaining a thorough understanding of thermal management design processes.



ISBN: 978-1-7342005-5-3

Anaya Vardya has over 35 years in the electronics manufacturing business and is currently the president and CEO of American Standard Circuits Inc. Anaya was previously COO of Canadian-based Coretec Inc. and senior VP of operations at Merix (both now part of TTM). He was also the corporate development manager at Continental Circuits, and before that, he had a variety of management and non-management positions in IBM Endicott and IBM Austin. Anaya holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor of technology from the Indian Institute of Technology.

About American Standard Circuits

In the world of DFM, American Standard Circuits and Sunstone Circuits come together as a unified PCB manufacturing powerhouse with over 50 years of combined experience. Together, they offer a comprehensive range of solutions and excel in producing ultra HDI, rigid, metal-backed, RF/microwave, flex, and rigid-flex PCBs for various industries, ranging from industrial to aerospace/defense.

This strategic alliance represents their dedication to delivering exceptional products and simplifying the PCB procurement process. By merging their strengths, they have set a groundbreaking standard in PCB manufacturing, providing engineers with the ultimate PCB solution for everything from design and prototypes to large-scale production, all based on the principles of Design for Manufacturability.

The company’s impressive certifications and advanced technology expertise reflect its commitment to excellence. They prioritize unparalleled customer support, ensuring that clients' needs are always met with precision and care.

This book has been technically reviewed by the following experts:

Dr. Johannes Adam

Consultant,
ADAM Research

Dr. Johannes Adam received his doctorate in physics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1989 with a thesis on the numerical treatment of three-dimensional radiative transfer. He then worked in various software companies, mainly on numerical simulations of electronics cooling and in [...]

Denis Boulanger

Principal Manufacturing Engineer,
Raytheon Technologies

Denis Boulanger has over 35 years’ experience in the electronics manufacturing business and is currently a principal manufacturing engineer at Raytheon Technologies. Boulanger was previously a senior manufacturing engineer at Technovative Applications. He spent 25 years in the PCB laminate [...]

Chapter Summaries

  • Chapter 1

    Thermal Vias

    Chapter 1 addresses three common thermal via design methods: thermal via arrays, copper planes, and via fill.

  • Chapter 2

    IMPCBs or MCPCBs

    Chapter 2 focuses on IMPCB considerations that designers should discuss with their PCB suppliers.

  • Chapter 3

    Metal-Core Boards

    Chapter 3 explores how nearly any PCBA that will contain active heat-generating components can benefit when designed on a metal-core PCB.

  • Chapter 4

    RF Thermal Management Fabrication Methods

    Chapter 4 highlights design considerations for RF thermal management, which can be quite different from other applications.

  • Chapter 5

    Mixed Technology

    Chapter 5 covers various types of technology combinations, as well as a case study on an extreme mixed-technology design.

Print-on-demand paperbacks are available for this title. Click below to order from our distributor.

What Our Readers Are Saying





Dan Beaulieu, President, DB Management Group
Full Review

Contact the Author

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Dan Beaulieu, President, DB Management Group

The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Thermal Management: A Fabricator’s Perspective, written by Anaya Vardya, founder and CEO of American Standard Circuits, is an important book for a number of reasons. The most important reason is right there in the title; it is from the fabricator’s perspective. Besides explaining all aspects of thermal management—from thermal vias and metal-core boards to mixed technology—this book also describes the various applications of thermal dielectrics, their properties, and their incorporation into the actual fabrication of PCBs.

For those who are, shall we say, 'less technical' than others, it’s refreshing—not to mention face-saving, at times—to be able to understand terms like insulated metal-clad PCBs (IMPCBs), metal-clad PCBs (MCPCBs) and mixed-technology PCBs.

I found the section on thermal impedance and thermal resistance especially useful with their clear and concise definitions of what these terms actually mean. The images and descriptive charts are an integral part of this book, illustrating the properties of various thermal options. Finally, the book’s true value is describing the various processes of each type of thermal technology PCB.

The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to Thermal Management… A Fabricator’s Perspective is an excellent book for everyone from our industry’s newest members to the most experienced engineers and even marketing and sales professionals who need a good understanding of thermal management.

This is another great addition to I-Connect007’s library of technical micro-eBooks free for anyone to download. Download your copy today.

Dr. Johannes Adam Dr. Johannes Adam received his doctorate in physics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1989 with a thesis on the numerical treatment of three-dimensional radiative transfer. He then worked in various software companies, mainly on numerical simulations of electronics cooling and in customer support. In 2009, Dr. Adam founded ADAM Research and now works as a technical consultant for electronics development companies and as a software developer. He is the developer of the thermal simulation program TRM (Thermal Risk Management), a 3D analysis tool targeted at electronics engineers and PCB designers who need to solve complex thermal issues at the PCB level. Dr. Adam’s 20 years of experience in this field provide him with deep insight into the physical and electrothermal aspects of PCBs and assemblies. He is a member of the German section of the IPC (FED e.V.) and participates as a speaker in its seminars on thermal topics. Dr. Adam is also a certified interconnect designer (CID).

Denis Boulanger Denis Boulanger has over 35 years’ experience in the electronics manufacturing business and is currently a principal manufacturing engineer at Raytheon Technologies. Boulanger was previously a senior manufacturing engineer at Technovative Applications. He spent 25 years in the PCB laminate industry for Rogers, Neltec, Taconic, and Ventec USA in positions from applications engineer to sales and applications engineering manager. Before this, Boulanger held various positions at M/A-Com, from process engineer to manufacturing manager. He holds a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from the University of Massachusetts and bachelor’s degrees in both industrial engineering and accounting from the University of Rhode Island.