We’ve been exploring the risks and challenges currently faced by Thermal Engineers in our State of Thermal 2022 Survey. Listen to this presentation to understand what thermal simulation is, its benefits and gain insight into industry best practice of engineering peers. We’ll go into detail on a prestigious case study of a company that has adopted thermal simulation in their work processes and the advantages of this approach. You’ll also get some useful tips and tricks in the use of thermal simulation showcasing an industry-leading electronics simulation software.

5 key learning points in this session:

1. Understand the thermal challenges currently faced by thermal engineers across industry verticals.
2. Explore what thermal simulation is and the benefits it can offer to your business in terms of cost and risk reduction.
3. Get a glimpse of thermal simulation software in action to appreciate how it can streamline PCB design.
4. Hear details of a PCB-focused case study using cutting-edge practices in PCB thermal analysis.
5. Gain practical tips and tricks in the use of simulation to streamline the PCB design process.

Matt Evans, Principal Product Engineer, Cadence Design Systems

Thickness measurement is easy, right?
On the face of it you just take two sensors, position them opposite each other and do a simple calculation of distance between the sensors and the target.

What could possibly go wrong?
I will discuss the errors associated with real-world thickness measurement and how you can overcome them. Some are obvious, others less so, but all combine to give potentially large errors in the measurement. Then, even if you’ve overcome the obstacles to create a working solution, how do you prove the performance for your quality department and ensure the system maintains this performance? Join the session to find out the answers and see real applications of the working systems.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. Challenges faced when measuring thickness
2. Applying different technologies to overcome specific measurements
3. Sensor accuracy versus System accuracy
4. Proving your measurement performance
5. Solved applications for rubber, plastic and metals industry

PEEK, Acetal (Delrin) are amongst a range of excellent engineering plastics but can present difficulties when it comes to bonding for production applications. This seminar will discuss a range of engineering adhesives and primers which are used for bonding these materials. Also included are some guidelines on joint design for small part bonding, adhesive application and dispensing techniques.

 5 key learning points in this session:

1. Bonding Engineering Plastics including PEEK and Acetal (Delrin)
2. Primer for Low Surface Energy Plastics
3. Joint Design for adhesives
4. Overview of Instant Adhesives
5. UV curing adhesives

There are 16 different welding techniques for plastics. The choice of which one to use for any particular application depends on a number of factors, including material, wall thickness, component size and complexity, and required production rate. This presentation will describe each welding technique, together with its advantages and disadvantage.

Key learning points for this session:

1. Understanding of the different methods for welding plastics
2. Understanding the constraints of each welding method

Cyanoacrylates (CAs) have become common in our lives, not least because we all have them in our homes. We know them as single part adhesives that cure almost instantly with no external energy. Technical advances in recent years have enhanced their potential in many industrial fields as well, allowing structural uses that belie their simple application. This talk will describe how they work, what the latest enabling technologies are, and how to apply them practically and efficiently.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. How do CAs cure?
2. Are CAs structural?
3. What new capabilities do they have?
4. How do you dispense them?
5. How do you eliminate blooming?

Interested in investigating the electromagnetic fields within and around a printed circuit board (PCB)? Come along to this introductory talk to discover how with COMSOL Multiphysics® you can investigate the electromagnetic behavior of your PCB device using numerical models.

PCBs are part of almost every electronic device, from computers to microwave ovens. As the number of these devices increases and the density of components within them rises, it is important to understand electromagnetic environment between and within PCB tracks, to mitigate parasitic inductance.

It is not just the environment within PCBs, but also their surrounding environment. Electromagnetic interference and compatibility are important to consider when finalizing the product design. Using the simulation tools within COMSOL Multiphysics® all of these phenomena can be modeled, plus more, including the thermal management and mechanical stress.

Key learning points for this session:

1. How to set up and run a simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics®.
2. How to build and analyze electromagnetic numerical models of printed circuit boards.
3. How simulation apps can be used to extend the use of simulation beyond the "specialist”.

Most companies have growth targets and yet there is often a disconnect between plans made in the boardroom and plans made in the production environment.  Add to this the surprisingly low utilisation of bench-marked SMT lines and it soon becomes apparent there’s significant scope for improvement.  Mycronic will help you understand and measure what is really going on in your SMT assembly line and give you insight on how to implement improvements.  The net result will be a joined-up strategy and an increase to your bottom line.   

Key learning points for this session:

1. How to understand and measure what is really going on in your SMT assembly line
2. Ideas for improving every step of your production process, from component storage, through to paste printing, paste inspection, component placement and final stage AOI.
3. How to develop SMT production objectives in line with wider business goals
4. Understanding the interplay between net output, components per hour (cph) and utilisation
5. Industry benchmarks for SMT line utilisation – how does your production compare?

The use of new ultra high strength steels in multi material joinings are a key factor for lightweight solutions in regards of BIW structure design. These new hot stamped steels reached up to 1800 MPa and are potentially combined with aluminium material in car body assemblies. Some of the current standard joining technologies are not capable to achieve these dissimilar joinings. By addition of a local heat treatment by laser, we can introduce softer areas in the steel and be able to use conventional joining processes like SPR or FDS.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. Ultra-high strength boron steels
2. Multi material joinings
3. Types of annealing of hot stamped steels
4. Local softening by laser
5. Proposal of alternative mechanical joinings

A general overview of graphene’s industrialisation efforts will be given from the perspective of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre. Case studies from collaborations with industry will be presented along from both a technical and commercial perspective.

The session will provide an insight into best practices around specifying the most suitable plastic fastener for an application.  It will cover the important aspects to consider to help prevent product failures and costly design changes and give guidance on the common mistakes to avoid.

The session also looks at some basic properties of plastic fastener materials and covers the features and benefits of typical fastener types.

The session rounds off with a look at how TR can offer collaborative support to customers to ensure that the right part is specified first time.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. Importance of early design collaboration
2. Steps to establishing the best type of fastener for an application
3. Understanding of basic properties of popular fastener materials
4. Features and benefits of plastic fastener types
5. Common mistakes to avoid when choosing a plastic fastener

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a workflow that encompasses several different phases which engineers and manufacturers navigate to produce prototypes, tooling components and end-use parts. In the first instance, parts need to be designed for the relevant process and the right material needs to be selected to meet the pre-determined part requirements. Then, you’ll want to ensure that the printing phase runs smoothly and efficiently, before doing the same during the post-processing steps. And with climate targets and strategies becoming ever more common, you may also need to explore how to run this workflow in a more environmentally friendly way. Throughout this presentation, HP will tackle all of these considerations and highlight a series of use cases.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. How to approach the design of an additively manufactured part, taking full advantage of the 3D printing process and avoiding common pitfalls.
2. What you must consider when selecting a material for your 3D printing process.
3. How to make the printing phase as productive as possible, considering speed and temperature capabilities, as well as densely packing the build volume.
4. How to approach the post-processing of a 3D printed part, considering these steps in the design phase and ensuring they are carried out efficiently.
5. Understanding the challenges of reducing carbon footprints , while exploring plant-based materials and other products that can help to reduce CO2 emissions in your AM processes.

IP integration within a larger mixed-signal PCB system is hampered by disjointed workflows between RF design and manufacturing layout design platforms. Overcoming cross-platform interoperability issues shortens turnaround times and eliminates potential design errors. This presentation will demonstrate using RF application examples the ways in which the design platforms by Cadence® supports effective RF-to-PCB workflow.

5 key learning points in this session:
1. RF design considerations and the importance of layout
2. EDA software capability
3. Reducing mistakes made in RF IP design exchange
4. Cutting edge tool integration
5. Thermal simulation consideration.