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Inside a UPS Manufacturing Plant

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

The UPS is your PC’s armor against power supply irregularities that can corrupt data and applications, damage components, and lead to a lot of wear and tear inside your PC. So, what makes up a UPS? To find that out, we visited Emerson Network Power’s (previously Tata Liebert) plant in Mumbai. The plant has three assembly lines–one for 3 to 6 kVA UPSs, another for 10 to 20 kVA, and the third for those above 20 kVA. We visited the 3 to 6 kVA assembly line.

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The transformers for the UPSs are made separately at the plant. Here the transformer coil being wound around a core

Most UPSs have built-in microprocessors that monitor the UPS’s functioning. These functions are carried out with the help of control software and hardware–the PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) that you see being assembled. The SMTs (surface mounted transistors) or integrated circuit chips on these PCBs come pre-mounted, and a template is used to guide the assembler as to which of the other components have to go where. She inserts them in the designated places, after which the board goes for cutting and soldering. This is the bigger 10-20 kVA UPS 

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The ready PCB is tested and then given to the concerned UPS assembly line 

The transformer has been wired in place and the fan (for dissipating the heat generated) is being put in

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This is the bigger 10-20 kVA UPS in which the transformer is being wired in. It’s on a conveyor, since it’s too big to move along the assembly line manually 

This is the middle plate of the UPS, where you’ll find the control wiring of the UPS, IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) that help your UPS switch faster and more efficiently between the two sources of power, and heat sinks. 

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The PCBs are connected here and other minor wiring is done. The front-panel switches and LEDs are also put in here. The unit goes for quality testing after this, where a battery of tests is carried out to check various aspects of its functioning

The cover is screwed on and the UPS is ready. This UPS doesn’t have batteries inside. The company supplies those separately, depending on the consumer’s backup requirements. The consumer can also buy only the UPS and connect his own batteries to it 

Pragya Madan

We thank K Gopalakrishnan, business manager, DGP, and his colleagues at Emerson Network Power for their inputs

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