Transformers are an essential electrical component in the modern world. Almost all of the world’s electricity will have passed through a series of transformers by the time it reaches the consumer. These components are used to increase or decrease the voltage of electricity, and they have a wide range of applications across all fields of industry.
The most well-known application is in transmitting electricity over a long distance, such as from a power plant to a home. Due to resistance, wires dissipate electrical current, with the amount lost increasing with the distance of transmission. By lowering the current and increasing the voltage before transmission with a transformer and then reversing the process at the other end, it becomes possible to transmit energy economically over long distances, minimising losses.
Other applications beyond power conversion include healthcare and telecommunications. Additionally, the renewable energy industry requires particularly high-efficiency transformers, making a toroid a much better choice than a traditional laminated core due to its greater energy efficiency.
One size fits all?
Naturally, the many applications of transformers mean that a one-size-fits-all approach is often not appropriate. Specific devices, especially new consumer electronics, may require a particular size of transformer in order to fit inside the product casing. This ability to choose a range of different core sizes allows designers and engineers a much greater scope for meeting their clients’ dimensional requirements.
Specific technical requirements are also met more easily with custom transformers. For example, toroidal transformers by Siga can cover power outputs from 1VA to 10kVA on a 50hz power supply but can also be obtained for use on 60Hz and 400 Hz supplies, demonstrating the advantages of the custom-made procedure.
Be aware of international standards
When undertaking any electrical work, safety and quality are naturally paramount, and industrial professionals know that this concern should extend all the way down to the choice of components used. One thing to bear in mind when considering a manufacturer is to check that their products conform to international standards. In the case of custom-made transformers, they will need to meet UL506 standards.
The custom-made procedure may take slightly longer because you will need to communicate your specific requirements to the manufacturer, but this additional time is often more than worth it when seeking to meet the requirements of clients.