IPC Thermal Management Conference Highlights What’s Cool in Today’s Technologies and Materials

BANNOCKBURN, IL - Removing heat has become a major issue in the electronics industry as more highly integrated devices are jammed into less space and as high power devices, such as LEDs, become increasingly more common. From a monetary perspective, the thermal management issue is just as major and becoming more so: a recent industry study reported that thermal management technologies account for $7.5 billion globally, with a projected growth to $10.2 billion by 2015. To help designers, product developers and manufacturers figure out how to keep their products cool and tap into the growing market, IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® will host the IPC Technology Interchange on Thermal Management, November 3–4, 2010, in Irvine, Calif.

The two-day event will begin with workshops on November 3. In “Thermal Management in PCB Design from Concept to Manufacturing,” Nate Hanlon, a consultant engineer at Mentor Graphics Corporation, will address how to develop an effective thermal management strategy and methodology using real-world examples.

The afternoon workshop, “PCB Material Options and Properties Relative to Thermal Management,” will help attendees understand how certain materials vary in thermal and electrical performance, reliability and cost. Led by Chris Hunrath, technical director for Integral Technology, and Terry Staskowiczy, technical account manager at Insulectro, the workshop will cover standard and lead-free compatible dielectrics (prepregs), epoxy and polyimide films, and metallic substrates (copper and aluminum).

The comprehensive technical conference on November 4 will kick off with keynote speaker Greg Smith, director of sales and marketing at Milplex Circuit (Canada) Inc. In his presentation, "Thermal Management Solutions," Smith will review the various options available to meet new thermal requirements at the printed circuit board level.

Other conference speakers from companies including Dyconex, Inc., Saturn Electronics Corporation, Delphi, Aavid Thermolloy, Sierra Circuits, Meggitt Defense Systems, and Taiyo America will address thermal management in a number of areas and applications. These include thermal management of HDI and microvias; in end applications, such as LEDs and automotive; and advancements in heat sinks for PCB applications and in thermal gels. Experts will also provide the latest research in package thermal management; the influence of copper planes in printed board thermal management; military platform thermal management and electronics cooling (global and local optimization vs. COTS); and new materials and their impact on thermal management.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.ipc.org/thermal-conference. The IPC Technology Interchange on Thermal Management will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California. Registration for the technical conference includes a copy of the proceedings, lunch and a networking reception. Reduced hotel rates for IPC event participants will be available through October 12.

IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.7 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; and Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, China.