Real-world installations showcasing the performance, reliability and scalability of our industrial power supply solutions across demanding applications.
a major Australian steel manufacturer, a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel, operates high-volume tube mill production lines that require extremely high-current DC power for continuous electrochemical coating processes. Their existing SCR thyristor-based rectifiers were ageing, energy-inefficient, and producing output ripple levels that affected coating consistency across production runs.
The key requirements were: reliable high-capacity peak output per system, sub-1% output ripple for superior coating quality, full PLC integration for automated process control, and the ability to operate continuously 24 hours a day, 5 days a week across both tube mill lines.
Australian Rectifiers designed and delivered two complete high-capacity systems, each comprising multiple PE 4000 Series IGBT switchmode rectifier cabinets operating in parallel. Each system uses two banks of 20,000A units to achieve the required peak output, with built-in N+1 redundancy for uninterrupted production.
The installation included water-cooled copper busbars rated for continuous high-current operation, Profinet IO integration with the client's existing Siemens PLC infrastructure, and full remote monitoring capability via TCP/IP. Australian Rectifiers managed the entire project from system design through to commissioning and operator training.
The PE IGBT switchmode technology delivered immediate, measurable improvements. Output ripple dropped from 4-8% (SCR) to below 1%, directly improving coating quality and consistency. Energy consumption decreased by more than 20% compared to the previous SCR installation, with the higher power factor (0.95 vs ~0.7) significantly reducing facility power demand charges.
Both systems have been operating continuously since commissioning, with zero unplanned downtime. The compact IGBT cabinet design also freed up significant floor space compared to the previous SCR rectifier installation.
We are documenting additional customer installations across electroplating, anodising and electrowinning applications.
Multi-line chrome and nickel plating facility transitioning from ageing SCR rectifiers to PE 3000 Series IGBT switchmode units with full automation.
Type III hard anodising facility with PE 4000 rectifiers and pe8705 colour controllers, achieving precise layer thickness control across large batch runs.
High-current copper electrowinning installation in regional Queensland, replacing conventional rectifiers with parallelable PE 5000 Series units.
Our technical team can design, supply, install and commission systems from 50A bench units to large-scale industrial installations. Tell us about your application.