Nexperia’s factory automation products

Factory automation:

Industrial automation (Industry 4.0) and the smart factory have become a key focus as manufacturers move towards flexible production, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making to deliver operational excellence and safety. To drive motors and actuators efficiently and precisely within factory automation, system designers need to combine multi-phase high-voltage systems with sensitive control electronics. Not only requiring enhancements in AC/DC (with PFC) and DC/DC conversion but in isolating sensitive 5 to 1.8 V control electronics, while also increasing the number of data input and output options operating at different voltage ratings.
 

Design considerations:

• In many factory automation applications thermal performance is critical and Nexperia's packaging options considerably lower thermal resistance
• Lower switch losses further improve thermal behaviour.
• Reliable clip-bonding package technology for ensuring high anti stall robustness for motor drives
• Given the environment and applications transient voltages and electrostatic discharges can occur more often, requiring proven ESD protection for MMI / HMI and displays protection
• LFPAK and CFP allow a high-efficiency motor drive and DC/DC converter solutions while reducing costs (less heating to dissipate, smaller inductance and capacitor)

Cobots

Collaborative robots or ‘cobots’ are making the world of human and robot interaction within a shared space rapidly become the norm. Human-robot interactions can now range from simple coexistence and cooperation to full collaboration. Currently most cobots are relatively small, with a maximum payload capacity of between 0.5 to 20 kg while maintaining a good reach and without sacrificing accuracy, speed or repeatability. They often operate with 6-degrees of freedom (6DoF), requiring a separate brushless DC motor on each of the 6 axis. While powered from a mains supply, cobots motors use either a 24 V or 48 V supply.
 

Design considerations:

• As cobots interact in shared space with humans, there cannot be any high power / live currents or elevated temperatures and ensure fail-safe mechanisms.
• BLDC motor is typically used - precise movement and positioning and torque sensing required.
• Designs are moving from a centralised architecture where all electronics are located in a cabinet to a decentralised architecture where each axis includes a controller.
• Need for custom PCB design to sit in the joint alongside the motor, also increase need for small footprints with large power density.
• Best thermal performance thanks to Clip-bonding package, Rth 3x better than competition, allowing temperature twice smaller than competition.
• Reliable Clip-bonding package technology for High anti stall Robustness
• GaN FET low power, working from 300 V to 600 V at high frequency to reduce transformer size and cost
• LFPAK and CFP (both clip-bond package) allow a high-efficiency motor drive and DCDC electrical vehicles, while reducing costs (less heating to dissipate, smaller inductance and capacitor)