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MAY 2025 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 65 Figure 5: A printed circuit rotor/stator using the unique coil pattern for maximum efficiency 6 . Summary Printed circuits continue to grow and expand into new markets and products. Axial flux PCB motors will grow in the $200 billion electric motor market. e extremely light weight and increased power allow elec- tric motors to be part of many new applica- tions, particularly in robotics and aerospace. Who knows? Soon, we may even see the effi- cient air taxi. PCB007 References 1. "Happy's Tech Talk #17: Can You Build EVs Like PCs?" by Happy Holden, PCB007 Maga- zine, February 2023. 2. "CES 2024: Magna puts multiple innova- tions in a new, more efficient 800V e-motor," by Chris Clonts, SAE Automotive Engineering, Jan. 10, 2024. 3. ECM, ecm.com. 4. "Axial Flux Motor Topology Signals Next Generation of Electric Motors," by Rehana Begg, Machine Design, Jan. 22, 2024. 5. "Axial flux motors," by Nick Flaherty, eMobility-engineering.com. 6. "PCB Stator Technology Replaces Bulky Copper Windings," by Rehana Begg, Machine Design, May 23, 2023. Happy Holden has worked in printed circuit technol- ogy since 1970 with Hewlett- Packard, NanYa Westwood, Merix, Foxconn, and Gentex. He is a contributing technical editor with I-Connect007, and the author of Automation and Advanced Proce- dures in PCB Fabrication, and 24 Essential Skills for Engineers. To read past columns, click here. Moore's law describes the exponential min- iaturization of electronic chips over time, which has played a key role in our digital age. Howev- er, the operating power of small electronic de- vices is significantly limited by the lack of ad- vanced cooling technologies available. Aiming to tackle this problem, a study pub- lished in Cell Reports Physical Science, led by researchers from the Institute of Industrial Sci- ence, The University of Tokyo, describes a sig- nificant increase in performance for the cooling of electronic chips. The most promising modern methods for chip cooling involve using microchannels embed- ded directly into the chip itself. These channels allow water to flow through, efficiently absorb- ing and transferring heat away from the source. The efficiency of this technique is constrained, however, by the sensible heat of water. This quantity refers to the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of a substance with- out inducing a phase change. The latent heat of phase change of water, which is the thermal en- ergy absorbed during boiling or evaporation, is around 7 times larger than its sensible heat. This study describes a novel water-cooling system comprising three-dimensional micro- fluidic channel structures, utilizing a capillary structure and a manifold distribution layer. The researchers designed and fabricated various capillary geometries and studied their proper- ties across a range of conditions. The measured ratio of useful cooling output to the required energy input, known as the coeffi- cient of performance (COP), reached up to 105, representing a notable advance over conven- tional cooling techniques. (Source: The University of Tokyo) Cool Fix for Hot Chips: Advanced Thermal Management Technology for Electronic Devices