MIG-MAG welding equipment series with MAGister control system
R&D work and its application in the practice of „network-friendly" solutions for energy saving and network pollution decreasing (competition for 2004-05 year)
R&D work of multifunctional equipment of material jointing and separating for further development and university education (competition for 2004-05 year)

Past projects from 1996

Development of „network-friendly" DC supply unit series
Half-wave X-ray equipment
- Industrial X-ray supply unit
- Tooth X-ray supply unit
Development of accumulator-charging equipment satisfying special requirements
Electronic ballast for controlling the luminous intensity of fluorescent lamps
Computer measurement system of power electronic equipment for product quality
Technological equipment utilising the heat effect of electric arc:
- Electrode welding apparatus of type HTR-180 T and HTR-180H with 2 and 4 stroke regulator, also in „network-friendly" variant
- DC-TIG welding equipment
- AC/DC-TIG DC and AC arc welding equipment
Welding equipment supplied by accumulator set on field
Universal supply unit of DC and AC output from accumulator set

The Beginning

In the early sixties power diodes and thyristors started to be widely applied. Soon, devices with semiconductors spread fast. In Hungary DPE pioneered in considering the application areas of the above, and the research activity of the department in question has been featured by power electronics ever since.

Early achievements

R&D results at DPE manifested in the products of most significant companies in power industry. Some demonstrative examples of series production by DPE: thyristor firing unit system, thyristor and power transistors DC drive series, uninterruptible supply units, middle-frequency melting furnace, current and voltage inverter frequency controlled drives, fuel handling machine for nuclear power plants, etc. Most of the above products were awarded the Grand Prize or Prize of the Budapest International Fair (BIF).

From the recent past up to now

The development field at DPE has significantly changed in the 90-s, as a consequence of many large companies’ closing down. Due to this situation, DPE was forced to find development areas in other fields of power electronics. Based on their available experience and business connections with some small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), a segment on the technology market, where the effect of electric arc is exploited, was found. Now, we consider developing some equipment for different technological processes by electric arc, in any field. Besides all this, different welding procedures for material joining and plasma cutting for material separation, material testing by industrial X-ray equipment belong to the above R&D activity. These technological procedures require well-controllable electronic supply units and special supplementary equipment of which 7 types were developed by the DPE. For the time being, two of them are in series production. Generally, several energy conversion steps are necessary for accomplishing the given task through the use of the most up-to-date microelectronic appliances and high-frequency technology. Network-friendly qualities to be developed for the equipment got special emphasis, as well. It seems to be peculiar but the problem sphere of electronic ballast for fluorescent lamps and switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives is similar to that of the electric arc technology. That is why R&D in the above field were considerable, several kinds of electronic ballast and two basic types of SRM drives were developed. Based on the experience during the past 10-15 years, the members of DPE have become specialists in power electronic converters. It is to be pointed out, too, that DPE worked in quality assurance for power electronics.

Completion of present R&D

Though the welding technology in question and the relevant equipment is fairly well-known, quality welding and other technical tasks require supply units and supplementary equipment that can be controlled in an improved manner, which can be achieved by up-to-date electronic means. The latest R&D at the DPE was to develop a versatile MIG-MAG welding equipment named as MAGister system (MAG technology and magister means master, scientist, scientific degree and rank, respectively). It is, practically, in the closing phase. We hope that the symbols in the name will be justified by the results of R&D.

Project arrangement in the interest of radical, local, electric energy distribution

Procedure and Equipment for Electric Energy Distribution Resulting in Energy Saving and Network Pollution Reduction (PDF, 285kB)

Network pollution effect to the AC line of power electronic equipment can frequently be experienced, which is due to the increasing number of electronic consumers connecting to the local network, and this effect must be decreased or diminished. In the interest of reducing network pollution, national and international standards in an ever-increasing number are initiated. To comply with the standards in question network-friendly pre-converters have to be built in most of the electronic equipment. It seems to be a rather economical solution for the long-run if relatively large local objects have only one, common one-phase and/or three-phase network-friendly pre-converters. This central rectifier provides a "de-coupling wall" between the line and consumers, and supplies electric energy to the users. The most important point in the above solution is that line pollution reduction and significant energy savings can be achieved by this new and unusual reform of local DC electric energy distribution. Simultaneously, this solution results in reduction of cost as well.

The aim of DPE is to initiate long-range projects (5-10 years) in national and international co-operations. All this is backed by our publication activity.

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