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56 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2024 Article by Akber Roy RUSH PCB Developing proactive thermal management strategies is important in the early stages of the PCB design cycle to minimize costly redesign iterations. Here, I delve into key aspects of electronic design that hold particular relevance for managing heat in electronic systems. Each of these considerations plays a pivotal role in enhancing the reliability and performance of the overall system. Thermal Management: A Pinnacle Challenge to Reliability All electronics generate heat due to energy conduction inefficiencies. is phenomenon arises from inherent electrical resistance in all metals and semiconductors, leading to some energy in the circuit converting to heat. Over time, that heat, if not properly managed, can accumulate and cause damage to sensitive components. In my capacity, I've witnessed an increase in thermal management issues as electronics trend toward higher functionality in smaller packages. Although many thermal manage- ment methods and copious amounts of com- ponent thermal data are available to assist engi- neers in understanding thermal loads, thermal issues continue to be difficult to predict, creat- ing unwanted surprises. Unfortunately, these surprises oen arise during functional test-