Researchers are ready to test a miniature device they say will help laptop computers and other electronic devices chill out. The compact, solid-state fan -- only slightly larger than a dime -- produces three times the flow rate of a typical small mechanical fan at one-fourth the size, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provided support for development of the fan.
More specifically, the device creates an air flow of 2.4 meters per second. It's being touted as a "silent, ultra-thin, low-power and low-maintenance" solution to the heating problems that plague laptops. "This technology has the power to cool a 25-watt chip with a device smaller than one cubic centimeter and can someday be integrated into silicon to make self-cooling chips," says Dan Schlitz of Thorrn Micro Technologies.
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Jill Jusko
Bio: Jill Jusko is executive editor for IndustryWeek. She has been writing about manufacturing operations leadership for more than 20 years. Her coverage spotlights companies that are in pursuit of world-class results in quality, productivity, cost and other benchmarks by implementing the latest continuous improvement and lean/Six-Sigma strategies. Jill also coordinates IndustryWeek’s Best Plants Awards Program, which annually salutes the leading manufacturing facilities in North America.
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