Applications and Future of Automated and Additive Manufacturing for Power Electronics Components and Converters

Abstract

Additive manufacturing techniques have by far been utilised to make 3D passive components (i.e. resistors, inductors, and capacitors), circuit boards and packages of power electronic devices. This paper provides an overview of automatic assembling technologies and additive manufacturing applications in power converters, as well as the advantages and limitations of each additive manufacturing process in this area. It shows that direct metal laser sintering offers advantages for manufacturing inductors with the conductivity of 68% of the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) and magnetic cores with the permeability greater than 10000 at 50 Hz. The additive electronics from Nano Dimension show great promise for fabricating power converter PCBs with the conductivity from 25% to 50% IACS. Additive manufacturing in thermal management and packaging has been extensively studied and will spark more changes in these fields. Besides, the potential of the combination of automated and additive manufacturing in power electronic systems has also been discussed, which sets the basis for future development of advanced manufacturing of power electronics.

Investigation of the Effectiveness of Silicon Nitride as a Reinforcement Agent for Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol in Material Extrusion 3D Printing

“…AM provides the opportunity to create parts with complex geometries in a shorter period of time and at a significantly lower cost [ 7 ] than traditional manufacturing techniques [ 8 ]. AM has important and innovative applications in a variety of fields, such as engineering [ 9 ], aerospace [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], the automotive industry [ 11 , 12 , 16 , 17 ], energy [ 18 ], the use of ceramic materials [ 19 ], electronics [ 20 , 21 ], defense [ 22 , 23 ], and medicine [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Additive Manufacturing Electronics for Packaging High-Frequency Aluminum Nitride Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Probes

“…Nevertheless, encapsulating small-size PMUTs is still subject to several constraints. In this regard, Additive Manufacturing Electronics (AME) is a promising method that has the potential to directly combine PMUTs into conventional electronic circuits [8][9][10][11][12][13]. It would enable fast customized prototyping, three-dimensional circuit boards, and small-series production.…”

Optimal placement and sizing of custom power devices using APSO and JAYA optimization in radial distribution network

“…The usage of custom power devices like photovoltaic inverters, static var compensators, and static synchronous compensators has risen due to the integration of renewable energy sources, which aims to maintain power system quality and stability [1][2][3]. The application of power electronics devices in electrical distribution systems are integration of renewable energy sources to the grid using converter technology, as a switch, traction systems, protection systems [4]. The optimal placement of custom power devices, such as converters, STATCOM, APLC, and Capacitors, is crucial for efficient and effective power management in a power system [5,6].…”