Future Facilities has released the thirteenth iteration of its leading 6SigmaET thermal simulation software. The latest version brings a series of new features that boost performance, increase simulation speed and ensure greater compatibility with the most popular electronics and product design tools.
The new release supports the direct importing of STEP and IGES models into the thermal simulation suite, providing seamless integration with popular CAD products. Material properties – including thermal resistance, emissivity or electrical contact resistance – can be specified on individual CAD faces as well as the entire solid object, greatly expanding the flexibility and use of CAD models. PCB modelling has been enhanced, allowing users to simulate parts of their PCB in even finer detail.
6SigmaET ‘s Release 13 is implementing a Neutral File Format that enables the exchange of thermal models between simulation tools. This will help companies such as microprocessor designers, power supply manufacturers and subassembly designers to easily share data with their customers.
One of the primary focal features for the development of Release 13 was to enable simulation of “thermal throttling”. When the Central Processor Unit (CPU) overheats, throttling is applied to reduce the amount of heat generated by the chip. To lessen the impact on performance and user experience, the amount of throttling and the design of the power profile must be carefully considered.
To address this, users can specify complex power/temperature relationships and have the software simulate what might occur, helping designers know when – and when not – to throttle their devices. This can be done through multiple power/temperature curves, which represent the difference in processor speeds, or via an external interface such as MATLAB to control the power dissipation of components in the simulation.
The release also continues 6SigmaET’s commitment to expand upon and refine its state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) simulation analysis, featured in its award-winning Release 12. Other additions include temperature-dependent fluid properties, improvements to time-dependent models and importing of object parameter settings via CSV files.
Tom Gregory, product manager at Future Facilities, said: “This update represents another significant step forward in ensuring our products meet the ever-changing demands of today’s thermal engineers. With such a wide variety of different design tools and software formats now in use, it’s vital that thermal simulation products work seamlessly across the board.
“In addition to compatibility, Release 13 continues our commitment to achieving the fastest possible solve times without compromising on accuracy. By building on feedback from our customer base and incorporating the latest advancements in thermal simulation, we are pleased to announce that Release 13 will be the fastest and most powerful iteration of 6SigmaET yet.”
