Empowering the All Electric Society Circuit board connection technology up to 1,500 volts and 232 amperes

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PHOENIX CONTACT Deutschland Gm

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

High voltages pose various challenges. This not only affects the required air and creepage distances. The requirements for the plastics can be contrary to the technical properties otherwise demanded in the market.

*Silvia Brand is product manager for circuit board terminal blocks at Phoenix Contact in Blomberg.

Climate change containment and sustainable resource utilization require electric solutions and decoupling from fossil fuel energy. To realize these electric solutions, increasingly powerful devices and applications are required. An efficient and space-saving power connection, even for high currents and voltages of printed circuit board components, is one of the components of sustainable product solutions for the All Electric Society (AES).

The vision of the All Electric Society describes a world in which regeneratively generated electrical energy is available worldwide in sufficient quantities and completely economically as a primary form of energy. The basis for this is the electrification of all sectors of the economy and infrastructure, in addition to comprehensive networking and automation.

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The goal is, wherever possible, to replace energy from fossil sources with renewable electricity and at the same time provide a comprehensive, efficient infrastructure for energy transport. This reduces CO₂ emissions not only in consumption but also in the distribution of energy. Moreover, electrified installations can be more easily integrated into larger, data-technical systems and controlled automatically. Therefore, electrification is always a prerequisite for linking all areas of life and work in the sense of the All Electric Society.

New devices, applications, and individual electrical solutions are needed for the electrification of the world. Whether photovoltaic applications, controls for wind turbines, or solutions for the charging infrastructure: Future-proof devices should always become more compact but at the same time more powerful. Therefore, a circuit board-based device design is inevitable in many places.

With a circuit board as the centerpiece, a safe and efficient circuit board connection is a core element for realizing sector coupling. Depending on the application, the requirements for such a connection point are different.

While intuitive, tool-free operation and handling are in focus with wall boxes installed in private households, the trend towards high voltages in the area of renewable energies is given much greater weight. The need to transfer ever higher currents to the circuit board is also steadily increasing.

Efficient and compact despite high performance

Efficient use of the energy generated is one of the triggers for the trend towards higher voltage. The highest energy transmission loss occurs through resistance losses. If the voltage is doubled, the current can be reduced for the same performance and thus also the conductor cross-section used. This means that, in addition to the significantly reduced power losses, copper is also saved. Especially in the field of renewable energies, which are fundamental to meeting energy needs and thus addressing the climate crisis, manufacturers are aiming for voltages of 1,500V.

In order to take advantage of high voltages, various challenges must be overcome. Depending on the standard and area of application, high currents and voltages require more than just compliance with the required air and creepage distances between two electrical potentials. In particular, the requirements for plastics to achieve voltages up to 1,500 V may be contrary to the technical characteristics otherwise demanded in the market.

Often times, when deciding on a plastic, a conflict arises between technical properties such as high heat resistance, flexibility for easy assembly, color selection, or creep current resistance.

In addition, power connections are still costly and complex to install today. From busbars to complex wiring to the time-consuming assembly of ring cable lugs—these solution approaches from the past offer potential for improvement.

In addition to the installation effort and costs, the space requirement of these solutions is also a disadvantage. For example, uninsulated busbars or screw contacts increase the distance to the next potential. A circuit board terminal with an insulating body significantly reduces this distance and thus also the space requirement. With each generation of devices, the demands on the compactness and economic efficiency of all components increase.

Slim, resource-saving devices mean compact circuit boards and compact components. An individual, tailored power connection is essential for this.

Already today, the portfolio from Blomberg offers a comprehensive variation of circuit board terminals and connectors for the power connection. In addition to new, future-proof products, the existing portfolio is also being adapted to the requirements of the future. This includes considering the previously mentioned requirements—even when developing or creating additional accessory parts for the extended use of an already existing product.

Solutions for variance and individuality

Examples are spacer plates, new plastics with higher voltage resistances, or the simple, clear provision of data. Above all, highly individualized connection solutions are increasingly being requested in devices and the number of these application examples is increasing.

To offer a straightforward, efficient design-in process, the company from Blomberg has developed the "SPT modular" series for use at high voltages up to 1,500 V. Configurable circuit board terminals of the series enable numerous applications in industrial and semi-industrial sectors (Image 1). The vertical variants are primarily aimed at internal wiring and are preferably positioned in the middle of the circuit boards. The connection terminal tailored to the circuit board can be created without registration on the website using the designated online configurator.

Whether 1.5 or 35 mm²: The air and creepage distances, and thus the voltage resistance of the product series, can be fully digitized and individually defined for each connection pole. Via "drag-and-drop", various grid spacers, so-called "spacers", can be inserted. These spacers increase the voltage resistance of individual terminals up to 1,500 V (UL 1059, Use group E), making them particularly interesting for applications in the field of renewable energies or in electromobility. After completing the configuration, all item data for the design-in process is immediately available.

The data for each configured item are automatically created after the configuration process is complete. The drilling pattern, the CAD file, as well as the air and creepage distances between each individual pole are immediately available. Using the "Solution-ID" generated for each configured item, the configuration can be retrieved at any time after completion and can be adjusted again (Image 2).

The SPT series is characterized by the uncomplicated push-in connection and enables efficient conductor connection. Due to the defined contact force at the clamping point, the connection is stable over the long term and does not require maintenance.

With the connection cross-section of up to 35 mm², a current of up to 125 A with SPT modular is possible.

In high-current applications, for which 125 A is not sufficient, higher currents of up to 232 A can be transferred directly to the circuit board by the MKDSP series (Image 3). With a connection cross-section of up to 95 mm², it is the most powerful, wave-solderable circuit board terminal. With the largest connection cross-section and the compact grid dimension of 20 mm, unlimited use with 600 V (according to UL 1059, Usegroup C) is possible.

The screw technology established for decades ensures a firm conductor seat even for bulky, large conductors. In order to reliably transmit the tightening torque, the product has a Torx drive. Thanks to the screw connection technology, all common types of conductors can be connected, whether with or without ferrules. The clamp is efficient not only because of the uncomplicated conductor connection.

Even with a connection cross-section of 95 mm², the clamp can be wave-soldered and can thus be mounted and soldered with other components in the normal soldering process. By saving process steps, considerable assembly costs are avoided and the space requirement is also reduced.

Conclusion: Combating climate change requires resource-saving, compact solutions and individual designs. With a comprehensive portfolio variance, the power connection of the circuit board can be precisely tailored to these requirements.

The highly customizable products offer the right design for every application and connection. With the extension of voltage resistances, nothing stands in the way of efficient power transmission to the circuit board. (kr)

This article was first published on our sister brand  'ElektronikPRAXIS' (German Edition), Vogel Communications Group