Frost: DIN-rail Power Supplies Preferred for Industrial Applications

July 8, 2006

Three-phase DIN-rail power supplies are riding a crest in the industrial automation market due to their specific design benefits. According to Frost & Sullivan, this advantage is augmented by increasing requirements for reliable, easy-to-service power systems among power-intensive applications, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), microcontrollers and embedded integrated circuits (ICs).

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan of the world DIN-rail power supply market found that the market was worth $203.8M in 2005 and should almost double by 2012.

While single-phase power supply units are compact, robust and serve low-voltage applications adequately, analysts said companies prefer using three-phase DIN-rail power supplies while handling the increasing high-power requirements of industrial applications. At a higher power range, three-phase units are more cost competitive and better performing than single-phase solutions, since they do not need additional components to boost the current.

DIN-rail systems have an edge over conventional enclosed designs, since they can be easily detached for servicing or replacement in the event of system failure, thereby reducing downtime. For greater power supply reliability, vendors offer redundant solutions with their power supplies, thereby ensuring that the system runs smoothly even if a DIN-rail power supply unit fails.

"These overriding benefits of DIN-rail power systems notwithstanding, the presence of low-cost conventional power supplies has restricted the uptake of DIN-rail systems," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Karthi Hanumantharau. "This trend is particularly prominent in the Asian market, while the U.S. persists with conventional industrial power supplies."

While companies in Europe use standardized DIN-rail systems, neither North America nor Asia Pacific has introduced standards on a large scale. Analysts said these two regions will be looking to replicate the success witnessed by Europe, thereby increasing system adoption all over the world. Standardization is likely to create demand not only for new systems, but also for those being upgraded in old manufacturing facilities.

Standardization is also likely to increase competition in the market and in order to stand out, analysts said manufacturers must distinguish themselves by providing top-quality solutions. They should focus on developing customer service relationships and improving product value.

"DIN-rail power supplies have gone through tremendous refinement in their performance and design, thus making them a more desirable option than other power systems," said Hanumantharau. "Presently, vendors of DIN-rail power supplies have achieved higher efficiency, smaller size and lower cost by adopting the latest switching power technology."

Vast improvements in various features are enhancing DIN-rail power supplies' prominence in the industrial market. Apart from developing the basic aspects of power supplies, analysts said vendors are incorporating additional performance-enhancing features such as power factor correction (PFC) and communications modules in their units.

Vendors also enhanced the temperature tolerance of power supply units, which can function at full efficiency, even at 60 degrees Celsius. Analysts said such features supplement the quality of these power supply units, thereby attracting a premiere price and creating greater margins.

Source: Frost & Sullivan.