Modern industrial automation systems depend heavily on high-performance power electronics, especially in applications where electric motors, variable speed drives, and automated production systems are required. Without electric motors and advanced electronic control systems, modern industrial processes would not achieve the level of efficiency and performance expected today.
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are widely used to control high-power electrical drives in industrial environments. These devices enable efficient switching of large electrical loads while requiring only low control power. In many systems, the connection between control units and power modules is achieved using polymer optical fiber (POF), which provides galvanically isolated and interference-free signal transmission.
However, traditional IGBT control systems that rely on optical fibers often require multiple individual connections between the controller and the motor-side circuit board. Signal conversion from electrical to optical and back again is handled by transceivers mounted directly on the control board. This setup can take up significant space, resulting in larger and less efficient system designs.
To address these limitations, HARTING has developed a more compact and efficient solution for IGBT control systems. The new approach was presented at the SPS IPC Drives trade fair in Nuremberg, showcasing advancements in industrial connectivity and power electronics integration.
The proposed system relocates optical transceivers from the control board into a pluggable module, combining electrical connection and optical transmission in a single integrated solution. This “electrical connection and optical transmission” concept significantly reduces space requirements and improves system design flexibility.
HARTING uses solutions such as the Han-Eco® 10A series to support compact electrical connectivity in automation systems. The Han® housing system is designed to meet the increasing demands of industrial automation, offering robust protection, strain relief, and secure fiber management for polymer optical fiber connections.
By integrating control and transmission components into a modular system, this solution improves efficiency, reduces installation complexity, and supports more compact industrial drive designs. As demand continues to grow for IGBT modules, industrial motor drives, automation systems, and power electronics solutions, innovations like these help enable more efficient and scalable industrial architectures.
