The heat sink solution provided by optical module manufacturers (such as a heat spreader or planar copper-fin heat sink) is designed to meet target brightness specification, while considering constraints such as the maximum heat load on the DMD (see data sheets), the maximum available illumination drive current, and the minimum (wall plug) efficiency of the illumination source. Based on the heat sink solution provided by the optical module manufacture, a mechanical systems engineer determines the appropriate amount of passive or active cooling (for example, a fan) required to keep the DMD and illumination source within their respective recommended operating temperature ranges. While active cooling solutions may increase power consumption and noise, active cooling solutions are more efficient at heat dissipation.

If an application does not require the maximum brightness for which an optical module is designed, the system electronics can be programmed to operate the optical module at lower power and brightness levels. In such cases, there is potential to reduce the product size by decreasing airflow requirements and collaborating with the optical module manufacture to reduce the heat sink size.