Dry-Type Transformers Development Trends

At present, there are more than 2,000 units developing and producing dry-type transformers in China, including state-owned, private and foreign-funded enterprises. The worlds largest dry-type transformer manufacturer and the worlds largest soft ferrite manufacturer have production bases in China. Many advanced dry-type transformer technologies, production processes and products in the world are gathered in our country. Faced with such a diverse platform, stable transformers have a lot of room for development in China.

1. Development towards miniaturization and portability

Dry-type transformers with stable performance can be selected and purchased worldwide, only by taking the road of technological innovation. The improvement of every small link can bring new ideas and new products. Dry-type transformers must complete specific functions under specific conditions of use, and are generally characterized by light, thin, short, and small and develop toward miniaturization and portability. Dry-type transformers must adapt to the volume and weight requirements of the users power supply products. At the same time, the price of raw materials for dry-type transformers has risen. Therefore, how to reduce the volume and weight and how to reduce the cost has become the main direction of the development of dry-type transformers in recent years.

2. Application of new materials

Silicon steel is a core material widely used in dry-type transformers in power frequency power supplies. Now, in order to save energy, many power supply products put forward standby loss requirements. The core loss of the dry-type transformer is the main component of the standby loss, so there are clear and strict requirements for the efficiency or loss of the dry-type transformer. Polymer soft magnetic composite materials have developed rapidly in recent years, and high-frequency power transformers and inductors have been manufactured with this material abroad, and corresponding analysis theories and design procedures have been established. As far as the author knows, research and development of polymer soft magnetic materials have been carried out in China.

3. Use enameled wire to reduce costs

Another noteworthy development trend in recent years is that dry-type transformers use enameled wires with high temperature index and high heat resistance grade. The amount is also reduced at the same time, which can reduce the overall cost of the dry-type transformer. Especially for high-frequency and low-power dry-type transformers that require small size, the use of enameled wires with better heat resistance can show more technical and economic benefits.

The new trend in the development of dry-type transformers will only make the transformer technology more mature and stable, which is a good thing for our users. Now, China is developing various aluminum wires for the best-selling dry-type transformers in power supplies. Some companies have developed copper clad aluminum wire with copper wire on the outer layer. Taking into account the trend effect and proximity effect, copper-clad aluminum wire has a much lower resistivity than pure aluminum wire, and the cost does not increase much. A composite material that takes full advantage of copper and aluminum.