From controllers, I/O and switches to terminal blocks, connectors and power supplies, Wago is well known for supplying the core technologies needed for automating equipment and processes across industry. Now, the company is looking to break new ground in an area long seen as being well-established in industry—power supplies.
Dean Norton, vice president of marketing for Wago, said the company is looking to change the power supply game with the introduction of its new series of Pro 2 power supplies. These new power supplies, designed by Wago and introduced at Hannover Messe 2019, are 70 percent smaller than Wago’s current line of power supplies, and provide an energy conversion efficiency of up to 96 percent. They are available—at launch—in 5-, 10- and 20-amp models. Forty amp and 3-phase models will be released soon.
Norton noted that this high-efficiency level is unique in the industry, where high efficiency typically tops out around 90-92 percent. Wago has been able to exceed the standard high efficiency level through its transformer winding processes.The tighter and more precise the windings of the transformer are, the higher efficiency achieved.“We have internal transformer development engineers that specialize in transformer winding,” said Norton. He added that these new power supplies are rated to run up to 800,000 hours before failure.
To understand how impactful this efficiency increase is, Norton provided a chart showing that the use of a 91 percent efficient power supply running at 40 A, 24 V, 960 W over a five-year period (24 hours a day, 300 days a year)—at a price of 10 cents per kWh—will result in $341.80 loss-performance costs. Applying those same operating conditions to the new Pro 2 running at 96 percent efficiency results in $144 loss-performance costs. This equates to a nearly 60 percent reduction in loss. The Pro 2 power supply software also features a calculator to show savings based on local rates.
“On top of that, we’re offering these new power supplies at a price below our current line of power supplies,” added Norton.
Another feature unique to the Pro 2 is its single channel electric circuit breaker. “Wago is the first in the industry to offer this and it’s the only electric circuit breaker rated for full current,” said Stefan Wagner, head of product management, power supplies, at Wago.
Other features of the Pro 2 power supply line include a TopBoost feature, which delivers 600 percent extra output current, and a PowerBoost feature that provides an additional 150 percent output current for five seconds. The Pro 2 line’s boost and hiccup modes are selectable and can be configured using Wago software or function block programming via a connected programmable logic controller (PLC), Norton said.
A USB communications port in the Pro 2 line offers support for IO-Link communications. The line will support Modbus TCP, Profinet and Ethernet/IP by 2020. This communications port allows the power supply to communicate its status through the PLC. "It can also be used to connect to the cloud via MQTT,” said Norton. “This means that users can restart the power supply from a PLC or remotely through the cloud.”
The Pro 2 power supply is designed to operate in a wide temperature rage—from -40 to 70 degrees C—and it is shock and vibration resistant per DNV GL regulations. “The units can withstand DNV GL rated vibrations for one hour,” said Wagner.
“Two Pro 2 power supplies can also be configured together for load balancing,” Wagner added. “With the Pro 2 power supplies, you don’t need a separate device to enable this kind of configuration.”
