Grupo Premo, a manufacturer of electromagnetic components for power electronics and RFID applications, displayed two of its latest innovations using magnetic technology at the 2019 APEC show held recently in Anaheim. One is a new platform for designing custom power magnetics components and the other a new wireless charging antenna.
3DPower (pictured above) is the company’s new platform for designing and developing custom power magnetics components. Based upon the physical nature of electromagnetic fields which allow the co-existence of multiple magnetic fields in the same magnetic material core while the design maintains ninety degrees orthogonality among the fields (Maxwell Laws), it is the first technology in the market using this physical design concept, according to Claudio Cabeza, chief innovation officer.
3DPower cross-section
“It allows the construction of multiple power windings among the same ferrite high-permeability magnetic core, he explained. “The challenges here were multiple and quite difficult — keeping orthogonality close to ninety degrees to avoid field coupling, high volume manufacturability feasibility for mass production and keeping cost at a reasonable low level in comparison with single magnetics.”
Pot-core solution from 3DPower design
The benefits of such compact 3D design are reduced cost, a big increase in power density and a lower volume space and overall weight in comparison with existing single component technologies, he said. Due to its geometry, the main applications are phase-shifted full-bridge and resonant LLC DCDC converters though it can also be applied to various customized designs. The system was developed at the company’s innovation center in Malaga, Spain and has been tested and validated by multiple customers in the automotive market.
Together with UPM University in Madrid, Premo presented a robust and lightweight high-power wireless charging antenna for automotive charging applications. From initial math concepts two years ago, a team of graduate students in the university’s power electronics department together with Premo engineers simulated multiple configurations of the antenna with different weight reduction approaches and mechanical robustness reinforcements.
Wireless charging antenna
The simulations used polymer bonding magnetics technology patented by Premo and flexible link-chain ferrite core concepts, also Premo-patented. Once the concept was validated, manufacturing feasibility was addressed. Premo reached a manufacturing concept that allows high volume production for the latest market trends on wireless charging deployments and compliant with SAE J2954 standards.
Based in Malaga, Spain, Premo specializes in the design and manufacture of electromagnetic components including transformers and other inductive components, RFID antennas, EMC filters and motion tracking devices. It employs about 800 people at seven design and manufacturing sites in Spain and other countries. For more info see www.grupopremo.com.
