Simcenter Flotherm
The Gold Standard in Electronics Cooling Simulation
Industry-leading CFD for accurate, efficient electronics thermal design — from PCB through enclosure and rack-level systems.
What It Is
Flotherm is purpose-built for electronics cooling. A Cartesian solver with automated meshing, SmartParts libraries, and direct EDA / MCAD integration lets thermal engineers evaluate and improve complex cooling designs without rebuilding geometry every iteration.
Core Capabilities
Core capabilities
- SmartParts™ rapid model building (heatsinks, fans, PCBs, vents, enclosures)
- automatic meshing with Localized Grid refinement
- JEDEC-compliant IC package characterization
- detailed PCB copper-trace modelling via ODB++ and IPC-2581 import
- T3Ster integration for measurement-validated Compact Thermal Models
- BCI-ROM export for thermal digital twins
- Command Center for automated DoE and parametric studies
- FloTHERM PACK for semiconductor supplier thermal model creation
Best For
- PCB and component cooling
- Electronic enclosures
- Server and telecom equipment
- Data-center and rack electronics
- Fans, heatsinks, vents, and airflow paths
- Power electronics
- Electronics reliability analysis
Six-stage workflow position
Why engineering teams choose Flotherm.
Representative engineering situations these tools are asked to resolve.
- 01
A 48 V rack passes on the bench and then exceeds its inlet-derating limit at 35 °C once neighbouring chassis are populated, because each chassis fan is fighting its neighbours' back-pressure. Flotherm resolves the rack-in-row aerodynamic interaction so the fan curve and vent area are chosen against the real installed condition, not an isolated one.
- 02
A telecom line card starts throttling two months into qualification, and the cause is that roughly 30% of intake air bypasses the heatsink fins entirely rather than passing through them. Flotherm's Cartesian solver resolves the bypass path and sizes the duct that recovers the flow — a $40 sheet-metal part instead of a new heatsink tool.
- 03
A power-supply enclosure meets DO-160 Section 4 at sea level and fails at 15,000 ft, where reduced air density cuts convective capability by roughly 20%. Flotherm resolves the altitude-dependent convection and repositions the vents without building another prototype for the altitude chamber.
- JEDEC JESD51 package characterization
- ASHRAE TC 9.9
- DO-160 Section 4
- NEBS GR-63-CORE thermal
- Thermal engineer
- Mechanical engineer
- Systems engineer
- Reliability engineer
BCI-ROM — shareable reduced-order thermal models
Boundary-condition-independent reduced-order models (BCI-ROM) are generated inside Flotherm. They let you ship a compact, executable thermal model to an OEM customer or system integrator so they can predict junction temperature under their conditions — without exposing internal package geometry or IP. Compliant with JESD15-4 workflow expectations.
“Simcenter Flotherm has become an integral part of our thermal design process, letting us evaluate cooling concepts early and avoid late-stage surprises.”
Customer statement published by Siemens. Not an Electro Source engagement.
How this reaches your team.
Delivered by Electro Source as licensed software with commissioning, workflow training, and ongoing engineering support. When your team needs the outcome rather than the tool, ROIfast™ model authoring and correlation is available as a scoped, paid engagement.
Discuss Your Flotherm Application
Tell us what you are designing, what thermal behavior you need to predict, and where your current workflow is creating uncertainty.