Products Finishing magazine is the No. 1 industrial finishing publication in the world. We keep our readers informed about the latest news and trends in plating, painting, powder coating, anodizing, electrocoating, parts cleaning, and pretreatment.
Issue link: https://pf.epubxp.com/i/879533
BY EL MCKENZIE MANAGING EDITOR PRODUCTS FINISHING 78 OCTOBER 2017 — PFonline.com I N N O V A TOR Be a Products Finishing Innovator Contact Tim.Pennington@pfonline.com, to highlight your latest innovations in finishing. Dynapower Company LLC | Burlington, VT 802-860-7200 | dynapower.com Most of us know that electricity and water are usually a bad com- bination. Your hair dryer likely has a tag on it that warns you not to use it near water. The lifeguard will order you out of the pool if there's thunder and lightning in the vicinity. Certain metal finishing applications, such as plating and anod- izing, require use of both water and electricity, however, and over the last 25 years, Dynapower has come up with a series of power supply products that deliver just the right mix. The South Burlington, Vermont, company offers a variety of solid-state switchmode power supplies in both standard and custom configurations suited for a range of applications. They are available in both air- and water-cooled versions. Silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) oƞen are used in plating and anodizing, and while SCR-based power supplies do offer some distinct control advantages over simpler rectifiers, they tend to produce higher ripple and, in most cases, lower efficiency than switchmode power supplies, says Dev Massimi, industrial sales manager for Dynapower. SCRs also tend to be significantly larger. "Our switchmodes provide quality power in a compact, dura- ble design that saves our customers money not only on valuable floor space, but with lower electricity bills because of their higher efficiency compared to standard SCR units. And because of their inherently low ripple, switchmodes can provide finishers greater control over their processes," Massimi says. Dynapower's water-cooled switchmode power supplies are flexible, easy-to-use rectifiers that produce less than 2 percent AC root mean square (rms) of full-scale ripple, and 0.5 percent regu- lation and a power factor of 0.93 throughout the operating range. DC output capabilities are as high as 150 kW in standard offerings and 690 kW in custom configurations. A Ripple Effect Water-cooled switchmode power supplies offer less ripple and more efficiency. Switchmode power supplies convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). In this rectifying process, however, there is always a small amount of AC that is not converted and then distorts the DC. This "ripple" can lead to poor finishing results, including irregular, non-uniform coatings, or other surface imperfections like craters and pinholes. According to Dynapower, it is the high switching frequency of the switchmodes that enables less ripple. While less than 5 percent ripple might be expected from a standard SCR without a ripple filter, the switchmode units offer less than 2 percent. The benefit of water-cooled switchmodes over air-cooled versions is their ability to be used in highly corrosive environ- ments and still offer operational longevity. "Water-cooled units being sealed isolates corrosive elements from the internal mechanics, which can significantly extend the life of the unit, Massimi says." And greater longevity means a greater return on investment for end users, he notes. Featuring NEMA 4X stainless steel enclosures and optimized to be as small as possible, Dynapower's switchmode power supplies are designed to be wall-mounted where a standard remote control console is located. A touchpad interface board allows for advanced functions such as ramp, cycle, pulse and amp-hour counting, and a program mode combining any of these functions. The ability to locate the units on or next to a tank also can reduce installation costs, Massimi says. Four standard wall-mounted models are available: 18-volt, 1,000 and 2,000-amp versions; a 12-volt, 3,000-amp version; and a 12-volt, 6,000-amp version. The smallest unit measures 20.5" × 15" × 7.5" and the largest 40.5" × 38.5" × 17". (Read more at short.PFonline.com/dynapower.)