Laird Technologies has introduced the Cascade series of TEAs (Thermoelectric Assemblies). The series comprises custom designed cooling assemblies that use multistage TEMs (Thermoelectric Modules) for high temperature differential from ambient. This series can produce up to a 40% high cooling capacity at cold temperatures, surpassing standard product offerings with similar form factors. Key benefit of the series include compact size, solid-state construction, and the ability to be located directly onto the actual device requiring cooling. Direct placement of the device reduces the need to use a conventional compressor-based cooling system in low temperature applications, which cannot be integrated into the end user's device due to its size. Two standard configurations and custom configurations that require a minimum order quantity are available. The standard configurations are the Air-Air (AA, which is a convection cooling method where heat is absorbed and dissipated by high-density heat exchangers equipped with air-ducted shrouds and fans.
Products in this series include AAC-050-24-22-00-00; and the Direct-Air (DA), which is a conduction cooling method where heat is absorbed through a cold plate and dissipated by high-density heat exchangers equipped with air-ducted shrouds and fans. Products in this series include DAC-035-12-02-00-00 and DAC-060-24-02-00-00. The offerings are designed with single-stage TEMs. The cooling capacity of these devices can drop to less than 30% of maximum cooling power at temperature differentials greater than 30°C from ambient. At the same temperature differential, the cooling capacity of similar form factor Cascade TEAs is almost 60% of maximum cooling power. This opens up a new cooling spectrum that is currently served by conventional compressor-based systems. The series is suitable for use in analytical instruments requiring cooling below 0°C. They are applied in medical applications so that the temperature of samples placed in storage compartments or centrifuges can be controlled. Imaging applications utilise the TEAs to cool sensitive devices to below freezing in order to maximise the bandwidth of the light spectrum captured by the charge-coupled device. The series adhere to tight geometric space constraints by offering enhanced performance, reliability, and low cost of ownership. Their advanced capabilities are aided by material technologies, thin profiles, and automated assembly.
