Book excerpt: As the demand for packaging more electronic capabilities into smaller packages rises, product developers must be more cognizant of how the system configuration will impact its performance. Practical Guide to the Packaging of Electronics: Second Edition, Thermal and Mechanical Design and Analysis provides a basic understanding of the issues that concern the field of electronics packaging. First published in 2003, this book has been extensively updated, includes more detail where needed, and provides additional segments for clarification. This volume supplies a solid foundation for heat transfer, vibration, and life expectancy calculations. Topics discussed include various modes of heat removal, such as conduction, radiation, and convection; the impact of thermal stresses; vibration and the resultant stresses; shock management; mechanical, electrical, and chemically induced reliability; and more. Unlike many other available works, it neither assumes the reader’s familiarity with the subject nor is it so basic that the reader may lose interest. Dr. Ali Jamnia has published a large number of engineering papers and presentations and is the holder of a number of patents and patent applications. He has been involved in the issues of electronics packaging since the early ‘90s and since 1995 has worked toward the development of innovative electronics systems to aid individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities. By consulting this manual, engineers, program managers, and quality assurance managers involved in electronic systems gain a fundamental grasp of the issues involved in electronics packaging, learn how to define guidelines for a system’s design, develop the ability to identify reliability issues and concerns, and are able to conduct more complete analyses for the final design.