Welcome to the April issue of PSD. It has been a bit of a crazy time. I am writing this the day after the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, put the whole country under a lockdown that is set to continue almost until the Easter holidays, but with scope for as many extensions as necessary. Most European countries are in a similar position with hotels, pubs, restaurants and other places where people meet closed until further notice to try slow down the spread of coronavirus. Of course, exhibitions and conferences that facilitate thousands of people getting together from all over the world are most definitely a no go. In our industry, APEC was called off completely, while PCIM has been postponed until the 28th July. Hopefully things will be getting back to normal by that time, but who knows? In the meantime, the most important advice is to try keep as safe as possible by social distancing.
Hopefully this magazine can help keep you busy in your isolation, as least for a few hours. Inside the issue we will look at industrial technology. The industrial sector is a huge market for electronics, especially in Europe where it is the largest individual area. As big as the sector already is, it will also be one of the fastest growing as Europe gears up for industry 4.0 implementation. Manufacturers are determined to increase the efficiency of their operations and the advantages that industry 4.0 will bring through preventative maintenance, better customisation and differentiation and better control of processes will all contribute to that higher efficiency. All of these advantages will be achieved through electronics, whether it is smaller, more accurate sensors for conditioning monitoring or better edge AI implementation from complex processors.
Power has an important part to play too. All of the above innovations are based around low power consumption, especially the battery powered sensor clusters that may often be situated in hard to access locations. At the other end of the scale, industrial motors are one of the biggest consumers of electricity worldwide - according to Researchgate, 60 percent of global industrial electricity consumption. Even a small percentage saving through greater efficiency can compound into a massive global saving.
Components and modules for industrial use usually have to face some challenges not found in consumer equipment. They have to operate in less benign environments, often with widely varying temperatures and a large amount of electrical interference. They can also be used frequently in areas which are wet or dusty or with a corrosive atmosphere. As such, they must be much more rugged than devices intended for consumer use. There are many other restrictions placed on industrial components that don’t apply to consumer designs. Inside the issue we will feature a wide range of articles, including ones on safety and three-phase supplies.
As well as the features in the special report, we have more general power articles in our technology focus section and lots more besides. I hope you enjoy. And say safe!
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
