Power Electronics, Motors & Drives worked example

Thermal Interface Material Usage with tim dispense rate per hour of 6 units / hr: a worked example

This worked example runs the thermal interface material usage numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: tim dispense rate per hour of 6 units / hr instead of the typical 12 units / hr. Estimate thermal interface material consumption and cost for inverter, converter, power module, heat sink, or cold plate assembly.

The inputs for this scenario

  • TIM dispense rate per hour: 6 units / hr (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Dispensing line runtime: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • TIM cost per dispensed unit: 3.5 $ / unit (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Thermal interface material consumed = TIM dispense or use rate × production or dispense runtime.
  • Thermal interface material run cost works out to 168 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Thermal interface material consumed works out to 48 units at these inputs.
  • Production or dispense runtime works out to 8 hr at these inputs.
  • TIM material cost works out to 3.5 $ / unit at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where tim dispense rate per hour sits at 12 units / hr and the headline result is 336 $, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 168 $.
  • Use it when quoting a build, budgeting consumable spend for a shift or week, or validating whether dispense volume matches material draw-down. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Thermal interface material run cost: 168 $ (headline result)
  • Thermal interface material consumed: 48 units
  • Production or dispense runtime: 8 hr
  • TIM material cost: 3.5 $ / unit

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Thermal Interface Material Usage calculator, set tim dispense rate per hour to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.