Planar Magnetics for Optimised Manufacturing, Performance and Limitations

The LION Navigator, as a standard product line of Airbus Defence and Space, has started a design for manufacturing initiative for switched mode power supplies in the year 2010. An analysis of the overall production effort of power supplies reveals that a high proportion is related to hand soldering of through-hole parts, integration of the PCB into the frame and conventional magnetics which are manufactured with low automatization. A concept study was originated to evaluate the technical prospects for an improved design for manufacturing strategy. The technical approach is related to substitution of remaining through-hole parts by SMD devices if it is economic, to cool Power-SMDs via PCB to structure and, last but not least, to replace conventional magnetics with planar ones, as main part of the study. The windings of planar magnetics are integrated into the PCB with a highly automated process. They provide advantages due to good cooling capability and a low component height but advanced calculation methods are necessary to succeed in the design. As a follow up to the study the development of the power converter for the LION Navigator was started in order to detail the hardware related to an improved design for manufacturing