ENCLOSURES
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How to manage heat in modular, COTS enclosures
Written by Elma – Updated by David Shaw: BDM Enclosures & Components Elma UK
T
he term SWaP-C (size, weight, power and cooling) is a now ubiquitous term used to describe the thermal challenges of housing electronics. Today’s enclosures are viewed as a much more integral part of the overall system, not just a means to keep all the components protected and in place. Every design element must be analysed to see how it can positively contribute to the system’s operation and protection. As components have shrunk, embedded systems have made their way into more mobile applications. Systems need to withstand more intense vibration, shock and EMI parameters and still function effectively. All of this affects the ruggedisation of enclosures.
Another critical area where designers look to optimise the enclosure is heat dissipation. Just as shrinking electronics have made it possible for systems to be used in more compact environments, the number and density of the actual components have increased dramatically. More power is needed to run the system; more integration is required to enhance functionality; more shielding is mandated to protect the electronics.
Increasing electronics density and faster data throughput places tremendous amounts of heat into smaller packages, making the demand for proper cooling a priority (see example in Figure 1). As more systems are designed for mobile use, they are faced with tougher thermal challenges, often having to survive outdoors, where dust and moisture can be an issue. So, the electronic enclosure must meet the demands of today’s applications in terms of size, weight and power as well as cost. Fortunately, enclosure design has kept pace with changing application demands. a wider variety of spaces and keep costs down on small volume applications as well as enclosure design that better mitigates environmental elements, especially heat.
16 Figure 1: An example of an enclosure optimised for air ventilation.
A custom design for cost-effective development
Often, a designer must develop a highly application. Balancing this custom enclosure design with low volumes for prototypes and small projects can be a daunting task. While and performance, the typically high costs, particularly during prototyping, for tooling has prevented the development of cost- effective, custom-tailored enclosures. Historically, custom enclosure design incurs more risks, with single sourcing and obsolescence of custom parts top of the list. But a modular approach to enclosure design provides endless and cost-effective design possibilities that account for speed, when the enclosure incorporates a standard
mechanical board form factor, the board and component standoffs and retainers can be installed before shipment. The engineer smaller volumes – customisation usually reserved for high volumes, yet without the typical higher development costs.
Hot it is not
New cooling technologies, such as liquid or vapour are emerging, but forced air using fans or blowers is still the dominant method. Although tried-and-tested, this cooling method is not without its pitfalls that can easily be addressed from the onset of system design. First and foremost is understanding total power dissipation and localised “hot spots” of the embedded system.
There are some simple ways to mitigate these challenges and achieve an optimum enclosure design: •
•
radical bends that will impede air movement
• To optimise incoming air and ensure it is properly directed, keep air leakage in the fan mounting area low
modular approach (iD-Box 16)
APRIL 2026 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
There are some other common practices no matter the custom dimensions of
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