Understanding hotspots and how to avoid them

The new textbook from Würth Elektronik: ABC of Thermal Management

Würth Elektronik presents the “ABC of Thermal Management” textbook

“ABC of Thermal Management” is the new textbook published by Würth Elektronik. It guides engineers through the basic principles of thermal management, explains thermal models, and demonstrates practical construction decisions that are required for the development of reliable electronic systems under real operating conditions. The book presents a clear and practice-oriented workflow, reaching from the specification of the boundary conditions and the thermal budget, via the design of the casing and the circuit-board layout, all the way to the selection of cooling solutions.

First presented at electronica 2026, the world’s leading trade fair and conference for electronics, the textbook offers an explanation of the fundamental mechanisms of heat conduction as the basis for thermal analysis, before going on to present materials for thermal management. The text details concrete instructions for the selection, the design-in, the installation, and the handling of heat-conduction materials and heat sinks, paying specific attention to the aspects of interface quality, compression, geometry, and long-term reliability. The authors describe a structured workflow from the first feasibility tests all the way to the final design, helping the engineer to convert thermal specifications into design decisions. Starting with the boundary conditions, circuit-board design, simulation, and interpretation of data sheets, prototypes are validated and measurements are correlated with models. Also included are practical examples that illustrate the thermal design workflow at various project stages.

Experience from the design-in support

Würth Elektronik is not only a supplier of electronic and electromechanical components, it also offers its customers support in the optimization of their designs. The authors, Dr. José F. Toledo Alarcón and Sebastián Mirasol-Menacho, have drawn on their many years of practical experience in compiling this book. Toledo Alarcón is a professor at the Politècnica de València University in Spain, while Mirasol-Menacho is employed at Würth Elektronik, working as a Product Manager for thermal-interface materials.

“Although thermal problems are principally well understood in general, the way in which heat is transferred by heat conduction, convection, and radiation is often treated as a minor issue and is given attention only when a design is already running too hot. The challenge here is to comprehend the interplay between the components, their environment, and the cooling path, and then to master it from the outset, starting with the basic principles, going on to the selection of materials and the design-in workflow, all the way to implementing definitive applications“, says Alexander Gerfer, CTO of the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group, in his introduction to the “ABC of Thermal Management”. “This book is the culmination of the engagement and the technical competence of a broad number of colleagues and other contributors. Their joint efforts have created a valuable source of knowledge for everyone dealing with thermal management in electronic applications.“

The “ABC of Thermal Management” by Dr. José F. Toledo Alarcón and Sebastián Mirasol-Menacho is published in English and can be ordered via the website of Würth Elektronik. Price: 19.90 €, ISBN: 978-3-89929-480-4 (print edition) or 978-3-89929-481-1 (e-book).