Case Study: Photometrics halves development time and eliminates prototyping with SolidWorks Flow Simulation

Cooling high-performance scientific camera electronics with SolidWorks Flow Simulation

Photometrics, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance CCD and EMCCD cameras for life science research, needed to shorten development cycles and reduce costly physical prototyping while improving electronic board reliability and cooling to minimize dark current. To meet these challenges they evaluated CFD tools and selected SolidWorks, using SolidWorks Flow Simulation with the Electronics Cooling Module (and later SolidWorks Simulation Premium) to analyze and optimize camera cooling and vibration behavior.

Using SolidWorks Flow Simulation and its Electronics Cooling Module, Photometrics cut development time in half, eliminated three prototyping iterations, and validated thermal designs so reliably that they project $50,000 in annual savings within five years; the company also used SolidWorks Simulation Premium to address nonlinear dynamics and vibration. SolidWorks simulation results helped diagnose an OEM overheating issue quickly, strengthening customer relationships and reducing weeks of testing for Photometrics and its partners.

Photometrics

Bob Chanapan

Systems Engineer