David Thompson

It's not enough simply to use AME to whip up a heat sink or develop a thermally-optimised circuit. We need to be able to test and validate this thermal performance too.

Actually, this isn't so difficult. We can do it the traditional way — physically examining the thermal conductivity and resistance — and we can back this up with digital prototyping. Software solutions achieve highly effective simulations of thermal performance, which we can test over different operating conditions and parameters.

Once the optimal design is identified, the process becomes highly repeatable. We can use the simulation software to modify the print file, and then ensure that the materials and print parameters are the same. 

Rather than creating testing and validation challenges, AME and 3D printing actually makes both processes far easier and more reliable. Repeatable processes — using remote technology — are among the key advantages of AME, and this extends to testing and validation.