Leveraging $6 million in DOE (U.S. Department of Energy) funding, Powerex is has announced the opening of a new automated production center. The facility is capable of producing both silicon and silicon-carbide modules for inverters in electric vehicle, aerospace, and industrial applications.
The DOE grant, awarded in March 2010, provided 70% of the funding for the $8.6 million project which increases Powerex's silicon-module-production capacity from 17 k units produced in 2009 to 100 k units in 2015.
Total Project Cost: $8.6 million (70% U.S. Department of Energy funding)
- Equipment: $4.8 million investment (purchase robots from Sony)
- Facilities: $2.6 million investment
- Labor: $1.2 million investment
Modifications of existing Powerex facility:
- 22,600 ft2 (2,100 m2)
- 40% to 60% relative humidity control
- 22 °C ±2 °C temperature control
- Class 10,000 manufacturing areas
Creation of new manufacturing center
- 7,200 ft2 (670 m2)
- Capable of producing 100,000 units/year in 2015
Creation of reliability testing center
- 4,300 ft2 (400m2)
- Capable of testing to automotive standards
Creation of prototype center
- 4,400 ft2 (410m2)
- Utilizing existing Powerex equipment
Powerex created this new center to accommodate the production of SiC MOSFET modules. Since its inception in 1986, Powerex has been manufacturing custom silicon IGBT-based modules. Recently, Powerex offered the first commercially available SiC MOSFET module. These SiC MOSFET modules can operate at temperatures well beyond the temperature limits possible with the traditional silicon IGBT-based modules, allowing for 38% lower conduction losses and 60% lower switching losses for a total power loss reduction of 54% when operated at 20 kHz.
Powerex
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