The differentiating factor for the powersupplies required for all grid-connected and many portable applications can frequently come from additional features. For supplies that connect directly to an ac source, power factor correction (PFC) plays an increasingly important role to meet requirements such as EN61000-3-2. Many dc-to-dc converters target point of load (POL) power for critical high-performance processing applications. The intermediate bus architecture (IBA) in applications such as telecom, high performance computers, and servers converts the input power for distribution within the system to POL converters. The recent availability of digital power control units provides engineers additional features and choices for new POL designs. For dc-to-ac inverters, ruggedness provides an essential feature.
Power supply components and alternative power supply components that help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) achieve their design goals include transformers, gate drivers, and integrated circuits. These components typically have to be easier to use and fit into less space as well as offering more features.
Batteries provide the power source for portable applications. These portable applications continue to increase in all market segments providing untethered use for numerous products. For portable products getting more battery life for a given weight and size is paramount.
This section addresses the trends in power supplies, power supply components, and batteries.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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