Laird Technologies Releases Thermal/EMI Combination Shield Design Case Study


Optimization of Thermal Simulation Software Reduces Design Time from Weeks to Days

St. Louis, Missouri, USA - May 4, 2010 - Laird Technologies, Inc., a global leader in the design and supply of customized performance-critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, today announced the release of its thermal/EMI combination shield design case study.

The case study discusses in detail the process of how thermal simulation software was utilized in the design of a thermal/EMI combination shield. Instead of building a physical prototype, the initial concept design was simulated, allowing for an accurate prediction of the thermal performance of the initial and subsequent designs without having to actually build and test a prototype.

"Laird Technologies develops and manufactures cooling solutions for different thermal management issues," said Shahi Riaz, Laird Technologies Thermal Design Engineer, Electronic Components and Systems. "We conduct preliminary CFD analysis using the simulation software before any time and money goes into prototyping or production. This approach helps us to integrate complex combination thermal management and EMI shielding products at the design level."

The software modeling feature was used to virtually model some of the components of the combination shield design without having to create their full geometry. The part was defined much faster by filling in the blanks in the form-based menu system while reducing the complexity of the model and the time required performing the simulation.

An optimization run was configured with maximum or minimum variables. Additional optimization runs were simulated starting from the previous optimum values. The software was then configured to simulate additional runs over a small range. The automatic sequential optimization capabilities then automatically created and performed the required number of simulations to explore the entire design.
The software generated a response displaying the value of the design goals for all the combinations of variables that were run. The preferred optimum value was selected and solved to confirm the global optimum. Laird Technologies technicians then built and tested an actual physical prototype of the optimized design with the thermal performance of the prototype matching the simulation predictions closely. The thermal/EMI combination shield is now fully incorporated into the products of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who requested this combination design.
The case study is available free for download on Lairdtech.com.

About Laird Technologies, Inc.

Laird Technologies designs and manufactures customized, performance-critical products for wireless and other advanced electronics applications.
The company is a global market leader in the design and supply of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, thermal management products, mechanical actuation systems, signal integrity components, and wireless antenna solutions, as well as radio frequency (RF) modules and systems.

Custom products are supplied to all sectors of the electronics industry including the handset, telecommunications, data transfer and information technology, automotive, aerospace, defense, consumer, medical, and industrial markets.
Laird Technologies, a unit of Laird PLC, employs over 10,000 employees in more than 39 facilities located in 13 countries.

Contact Information

For additional information, visit www.lairdtech.com or contact us at:
Americas: +1.888.246.9050
Europe: +49.(0).8031.2460.0
Asia: +86.755.2714.1166
e-mail: clv.customerpos@lairdtech.com

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