Thermal Management

As a leader in thermal management, we provide cooling solutions to protect power electronics in the most demanding environments. Methode designs and manufactures thermal solutions such as extruded aluminum heat sinks, bonded-fin heat sinks, liquid-cooled chill plates and blocks, and SCR Clamps. Our experienced teams of applications engineers, supported by our regional design centers, collaborate with our customers to provide thermal analysis support and quickly turn concepts into high-performance, cost-effective solutions.

Thermal Modeling	High Ratio	Maximum Dissipation	Custom Engineering
As semiconductor power increases and package size decreases, the need to dissipate excess heat becomes more difficult. Using our CFD tools, Ansys Icepak and Ansys CFX thermal analysis software, Methode can assist with design optimization of cooling solutions, which shortens design time and avoids the guesswork that leads to multiple prototypes or expensive over-designed solutions. Quick Thermal Fix Saves Beta Run Methode quickly solved a preproduction thermal problem and saved a customer’s beta run. Cost-Saving New Thermal Management Enclosure for Welding Methode was challenged with offering a welding-equipment manufacturer a next-generation product contained within an existing enclosure that could still maintain sufficient air flow. Methode has developed a 16:1 high-ratio extrusion that exceeds standard extrusion ratio capabilities and approaches the benefits of bonded-fin solutions at an extruded cost. In a force-convection application, the greater the fin ratio, the larger the surface area, which translates to an eight to twelve percent increase in thermal performance over typical fin-ratio extrusions. High-Ratio Heat Sink Replaces Bonded-Fin Solution Methode was approached to find a replacement for a bonded-fin heat sink prototype that was too large, too heavy and too expensive. In today's most demanding power applications, liquid cooling has become the design engineer's choice to manage the rising heat loads and smaller packages of high-power electronics. Liquid-cooled chill plates offer performance advantages over air-cooled solutions in high-power applications. Liquid-Cooled Chilled Plate Redesign Methode fabricated a customer-designed liquid-cooled heat sink that met a strict price requirement. Our thermal-design experience and manufacturing capabilities allow us to develop and supply custom thermal solutions that meet every cooling need.

Our Thermal Management Solutions & Capabilities