<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why incandescent bulbs have been swapped out by compact fluorescents (CFL\u2019s), and those are now being swapped out by LED\u2019s. The reason for this is not only that LED\u2019s are more efficient than CFL\u2019s, but they have other advantages:<\/p>\n
- \n
- they don\u2019t require a warm up.<\/li>\n
- life expectancy is longer.<\/li>\n
- and possibly most importantly, they don\u2019t contain mercury!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
However, LED\u2019s run hot, and the hotter they get the shorter their life expectancy is –not something you want when you\u2019re paying $10-$30 a bulb! That\u2019s why they need to be cooled properly, something I can do using Fusion 360\u2019s built in thermal simulation. To go from modeling to rendering, CAM, or FEA, just change the workspace:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-21-at-9.44.24-AM.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
My focus will be on a standard A19 led bulb with different heat-sink fin configurations:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"side](\"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/side-by-side-1024x576.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
What I wanted to see was whether or not increasing the number of fins is worth the cost related to them. If there are diminishing returns as you go from 3 to 6, or 12 to 24 fins, we might be able produce these at a cost that isn\u2019t prohibitive to consumers while maintaining a long lifespan!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To do these tests in a short time, I made 5 different version of the heat sink body, and once I was happy with the initial results and setup, I cloned it a number of times. This helps ensure the same assumptions are used, and we\u2019re comparing apples to apples. Here are some of the results I was able to get in one afternoon of testing:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Screen-Shot-2016-04-21-at-10.57.34-AM.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With the data points, I was even able to create a trendline & equation to help predict a case with say….45 fins?<\/p>\n
![\"Cropped\"](\"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Cropped.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That\u2019s just a single\u00a0bulb, in one small area of our lives where a significant environmental impact can be made. Being in California, water conservation is a major\u00a0concern, thats why I was happy to see what one Fusion 360 users was doing on that front:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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