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70 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2020 Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team Jeff Brandman, president of Aismalibar of North America, discusses the company's ther- mal materials and how they can help design- ers and engineers facing thermal challenges. He also details which segments are driving the development of these materials and offers tips for technologists who are new to dealing with thermal issues. Andy Shaughnessy: Jeff, tell us about Aismali- bar and some of your thermal materials. Jeff Brandman: Thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you. Aismalibar has been a manufacturer of PCB laminate pretty much since PCBs started being manufactured, and it has been involved in FR-1, FR-2, FR-4 materials, as well as CEM-1 and CEM-3. In the late '90s, Aismalibar saw that there was a huge opportunity in thermal management and became the first manufac- turer to produce insulated metal substrates in Europe. Shaughnessy: Give us some more info on the thermal laminates. What should a designer or electrical engineer look for, and what's driving the development of these laminates? Brandman: The largest segment for thermal laminates that we're involved in right now is the LED market. LEDs have come a long way since they were originally introduced into the market. They've become extremely small and efficient, and the footprint that's needed on a PCB for an LED right now is extremely com- pact. Even though the LEDs are becoming very small from a footprint perspective and efficient from a heat perspective, that just means that designers are going to cram more into a smaller space. As a result, the opportunity to move the heat outside of that area is extremely critical. A lot of our products at the moment are designed for this industry. A lot of our clients in volume use our products for the automotive industry. Shaughnessy: If a designer is working on a board that you know has these thermal issues with LEDs or whatever it may be, how can these materials help that designer? Brandman: Traditionally, many designers have been really focused on the thermal conductiv- ity number, watts per meter kelvin. How much heat can you move in your PCB away from the Thermal Laminates: One More Tool in Your Toolbox