Power Modules Run the World

How Much Better Could They Be Doing It?

EE|Times - Power Up podcast session with Justin Kolbe, talking  about different aspects of power conversion and its thermal management for different markets.

Automation World podcast session with Justin Kolbe, talking  about how economic and technology factors are affecting the development and use of industrial automation technologies.

Industry 4.0’s automation and the digitalization of manufacturing protocols are delivering positive results across market sectors. Massively improved efficiency and consequential cost savings are clear advantages of the transformation, with reliability and maximized performance the enablers that underpin this hands-free capability.

Significant advances and transformational changes across the industrial automation and power conversion markets are bringing impressively intelligent capabilities that will shape the future of smart manufacturing, energy efficiency and power access worldwide.

Major Factors Driving Innovation for Power Conversion and Industrial Automation Applications

Motors and Drives are Key to Energy Conservation

Today’s smart factories are sophisticated and powerful. Advanced communication technologies, motor controls, drives and power converters are delivering more function in smaller form factors, which raises power densities and increases heat generation.

Expert talk with Mahmoud Awwad on trends, challenges and innovations in Industrial Automation

by Justin Kolbe

Market Strategy Head - Power & Industrial Automation

Customer Challenges

• A new electronic control unit (ECU) design incorporates a large processor IC that requires excellent heat dissipation for optimized function. 
• The system is sensitive and outgassing minimization is necessary to avoid interference with other components.

Customer Challenges

• A new Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) design required a robust thermal management solution with no outgassing risk.
• As the system can be used in a variety of machines and production environments, the thermal materials must be conducive to many conditions.
• The customer requested the use of a silicone-free thermal solution to avoid silicone contamination, but wanted to maintain the stress control and heat benefits generally consistent with silicone-based thermal interface materials (TIMs).

Customer Challenge

• The customer’s new design for a power supply used in a high-power industrial application incorporates several discrete packages, making traditional mechanical attachment processes inefficient.
• In addition, the system’s power levels, high breakdown voltage and heat generation suggested that use of conventional adhesives as a mechanical replacement could not deliver the thermal performance necessary. 
• The customer aimed to reduce overall manufacturing costs, while improving production efficiency, performance and yield. 

Customer Challenge

• The customer’s new design for a DC-DC power converter required a more efficient, high-volume solution for the application of thermal management materials. 
  
  
• For previous-generation designs, silicone pads were applied in several locations between the DC-DC converter’s printed circuit board and metal housing. Use of the pads presented several inventory and production-related issues, including:
  
  - Operator handling difficulty of the thin sheets
  - Manual and time-consuming application process
  - Sourcing of silicone pads in many different sizes and thicknesses
  
  
• Any new material solution had to provide similar or better thermal performance as that achieved with the silicone pads. 

Customer Challenges
Increased production demand for the customer’s low-voltage power distribution enclosure systems dictated a faster, more efficient gasketing approach. 

Customer Challenge

• Modern-day motor drives are integrating more complex power devices to manage growing energy efficiency requirements.  The customer’s next-generation motor controller required a thermal interface material (TIM) to manage new performance challenges and higher power densities. 
• As the IC power module is subjected to motor vibration, reliability and stability of the thermal interface material – with no material migration -- is critical to enable operational integrity.
• Any thermal material selected had to meet challenging metrics: Electrical isolation with high dielectric strength (>5000 Volts) and low thermal resistance are necessary to meet in-application conditions.

Customer Challenge
The customer’s new AC/DC power supply for Cloud and Hyperscale Data Centers required a robust thermal management solution for its compact design. 

The customer’s electric motors for industrial applications were experiencing premature failures, resulting in warranty claims.