HOW TO SOURCE

POWER ELECTRONICS
INT RODUCT ION

In Part 1 of this series we explored how to specify power electronic

requirements to most clearly and concisely articulate needs, and to help
determine the best sourcing strategy. Here, in Part 2, we will review
common approaches to sourcing COTS, custom and semi-semi customer
solutions, along with key considerations for each.

Understanding and defining power electronics requirements

Selecting the right power conversion components starts with identifying
and evaluating any COTS components or systems that appear to meet
your needs and technical requirements. Keep in mind during this exercise
that it may be possible to overcome certain deficiencies, such as product
life or maximum load capability at elevated temperature by derating a
larger capacity system. To ensure that you evaluate COTS products
thoroughly before making a decision, answer the following questions:

• Does it satisfy your input and output requirements with sufficient

margin?
• Will it function efficiently and reliably with your min/max operating
temperature range?
• Is the cooling system appropriate?
• Does the packaging fit my design needs?
• Will it stand up to shock, vibration, and other environmental
conditions?
• Does expected product life satisfy my applications requirements?
• Does it have all the proper certifications that are necessary?
• Is it within my budget?

If a negative answer to any of these questions disqualifies a straight

COTS solution, then you’ll need to determine if it can be modified to meet
your requirements and if there is a commercial vendor (OEM or third
party) willing and able to modify the existing COTS product or if a custom,
application-specific design is necessary. Equally important, is the vendor
willing and able to support their design modifications as you move forward
with your power management project?

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 Analyzing your application-specific power conversion solution needs
If you determine that a COTS or modified COTS solution won’t work for your specific
power conversion system, you may have to consider one of two options: designing and
building your own power management system in-house or partnering with an outside
vendor to handle custom application work.

Manufacturers who consider building power management systems in-house typically

do so for three reasons: cost, control, and competitive advantage. While these are
certainly credible reasons for going in-house with an application-specific power
conversion solution, it’s important to weigh the risks and be mindful of the potential
pitfalls of taking on such a project, namely the commitment of personnel, facilities,
critical development time, and other valuable resources.

If you decide to in-house your power management system build, there

are three basic scenarios:
• Design, produce, and assemble the entire power management product or system
internally, using outside vendors only for supplying the necessary components, such as
IGBTs, capacitors, heatsinks, and cabinetry, as well as ICs and passive components
for control PC boards.
• Design your power conversion device or system in-house, then contract with an
outside manufacturer to build and test the final product.
• Purchase modular, COTS components and subassemblies from outside vendors and
assemble the pieces in-house, perhaps using a standard modular platform as a base.

3
Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 3
If you’re considering any one of these three common in-house
build scenarios, before you commit valuable time, money, and
resources to the project, it’s important to answer the following
questions:
• Is it within my engineering group’s core competencies? Is there a learning curve
involved with getting our team up to speed for this particular project? Can we afford
the added cost in time, money, resources and risk that come with learning on the job?
If we’re hiring power electronics design engineers for this project, will we have
sufficient design work long-term to retain them?
• Does my engineering group have the bandwidth to do the design? Is our power
conversion project one plate too many for them to be spinning, especially if it’s not
within their daily scope of work, or if it takes away from other critical tasks or projects?
• How long will it take to bring our power electronics to production? Is the decision to
go in-house going to take more time than if we contracted the work out, and will that
adversely affect our competitive position and product time-to-market?
• Can we qualify a power electronics product such as this? Does our engineering
group have the experience and expertise to confidently qualify a critical component
such as a power conversion system?
• Can we manufacture this? It’s one thing to design and build a prototype or a one-off
device, it’s quite another to consistently and reliably build and support the number of
power management components that may be involved in a sizable project or an
ongoing new product line. Can we get this product up the maturity curve quickly?
• Can we test it? Does our team have the expertise, experience, and resources to
adequately and cost-effectively test in-house power conversion system?
• Can we support the product on the manufacturing floor and in the field after
deployment? The power electronics system is most likely the heart of our alternative
energy or industrial electro-mechanical product – are we in a position to service and
support our custom in-house system once it leaves our facility? Are we committed
and able to maintain the necessary support staff long-term?

Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 4

 While cost is the major driver regarding decisions to
build application-specific power conversion systems
in-house, when the total project cost is tallied,
including soft costs that are often considered part of
general overhead, the actual cost of in-house
custom power management system production
often run twice as much as using outside vendors.

The situation for time-to-market is often worse unless power electronics design and
manufacture are already core competencies. It’s important to realize that the decision
to in-house power electronics requires a commitment to making this a company core
competency, and requires investment that will only make sense if spread out over a
number of ongoing programs.

Choosing the right vendor to provide and support your

application-specific power electronics solution

If upon carefully considering all the facets and risks of in-house power electronics
production you decide to seek the help of an outside vendor, the set of questions on
the next page will help you identify the ideal candidate to partner with for your power
management project.

Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 5

Choosing The Right Vendor – Questions To Ask

• Is our power management requirement within the vendor’s core competencies? Are
they really just a manufacturer or distributor of components or do their have the
design, test, and manufacturing expertise to help us with our specific application
needs?
• Do they have existing similar or standard solutions that can be modified? Full
customizations can be expensive and time-consuming, and few applications are so
unique as to be unable to leverage prior work. A lower risk and more cost-efficient
option is semi-customization of an existing proven platform.
• Are they cost competitive? While full customization is often costly from a
development perspective, it usually results in cost-effective production unit price.
Semi-customization can save both time and money by enabling you to take
advantage of a tested, reliable base platform, while still providing the production cost
benefits of a fully custom product. Additionally, semi-customization can help you
avoid the delay and expense of developing an entirely new solution for your particular
power conversion application.
•What type of support do they provide? Does your vendor provide you comprehensive
support for your custom or semi-custom power conversion components during and
after manufacture and delivery? Who will provide support? A field service
organization can provide good support of standard product and common applications,
but usually fall short supporting custom or semi-custom product and specialized
applications. The more specialized your system is, the more critical it becomes to
have access to design and test engineers intimately familiar with the product and
application.
•Are they experienced in qualifying your type of power electronics? Does your vendor
have the experience, expertise, tools, and resources to design and thoroughly qualify
your power conversion system for safe, reliable performance?
•Can they meet your production schedule? It’s not enough for a power management
systems vendor to be able to provide the right solution for your requirements. They
need to be able to do so consistently and reliably, delivering proven products on time
and on budget.

Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 6

 CONCLUS ION
Power electronics are playing an increasingly important role in the design and
manufacture of a wide range of commercial and industrial machines and systems. As
the demand for alternative power sources such as wind and solar energy increases,
and the growth of hybrid vehicles and mobile technologies drives the need for more
powerful and efficient energy storage, OEMs are faced with the need to develop more
efficient, more reliable, and longer life power electronics systems, while at the same
time improving on cost-effectiveness.

Careful planning and the effective use of existing appropriate resources can help
some manufacturers gain a competitive edge and reduce cost by designing and
building their own in-house power management systems. But the slightest
miscalculation can increase the risk of added expense, time delays, and potentially
unreliable or even unsafe power electronics systems.

If you have a specialized power control application, semi-custom design using a

proven, modular approach, such as our OZip™ Intelligent Power modules is an
attractive option that enables you to solve your challenging power problem faster and
with much less risk and lower cost than in-house or fully-custom solutions.

About the Author

Oztek Corp., Merrimack, New Hampshire, is a power control solutions

provider specializing in cost-effective, semi-custom power management
systems based on its proprietary, proven OZip™ Intelligent Power
modules, including inverters, DC/DC converters, and motor drives. For
more information, visit www.oztekcorp.com or call 603-546-0090.

Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 7

 Speak with a professional
to learn more about choosing
the right power control
solutions for your needs.

Not sure how to define your

power electronics needs?
Download our free eBook: How
to Specify Power Electronics

Part 2: How To Source Power Electronics 8