Power supplies rarely get the spotlight, yet they often determine whether a system performs reliably in the field. In aerospace and defence, engineers face a familiar mix of constraints: tight spaces, unstable voltages, and strict reliability demands. AirBorn, a Molex Company, has introduced the 3U VPX Power Supply to address those challenges, carrying forward the proven architecture of its award-winning 6U platform into a lighter, more compact form factor.
Mike Cole, SVP and president of Aerospace and Defence Solutions at Molex, said: “AirBorn’s line of VPX power systems sets new standards for power density and efficiency, based on our decades of experience developing, testing and deploying highly reliable power solutions for the aerospace and defence industry. With the new 3U VPX Power Supply, we continue to overcome the most formidable physical and electrical challenges in power supply design.”
Key Product Highlights
The AirBorn 3U VPX supply is designed to balance power density with rugged performance. Key highlights include:
- Compact form factor: about one-third the size and weight of the 6U VPX supply, while maintaining up to 1,000 W output.
- Standards compliance: designed for 28 VDC vehicle power environments (MIL-STD-1275) and meeting MIL-STD-461 CE101/CE102 conducted emissions requirements.
- Integrated EMI suppression: advanced internal filtering reduces noise at the source, cutting signal degradation and crosstalk.
- Rugged performance: ideally suited for ground vehicles, LEO satellites, UAVs, robotics, and distributed AI systems.
Scott Poole, director of Design and Development Engineering at AirBorn, added: “For customers building highly compact 3U VPX systems, the opportunity to leverage an ‘all-in-one’ power supply that handles power conversion and EMI filtering on a single printed circuit board is very compelling. We apply extensive engineering expertise and special processes to develop highly efficient power engines capable of achieving low noise switching, clean conducted emissions, ultra-clean output voltages and versatility in parallel VPX cards.”
Extending Reliability Beyond Defence
Although built to handle the voltage swings and demanding conditions of military vehicles, the supply is just as relevant in robotics, industrial automation, and distributed AI. The same ruggedisation that protects defence systems can help commercial engineers ensure reliable power delivery in equally space-constrained designs.
Closing Thoughts
With the 3U VPX, AirBorn has carried its proven VPX architecture into a smaller footprint while retaining ruggedness and compliance. For engineers, it means one less compromise between space, reliability, and clean power delivery.
Learn more and read the original article on www.molex.com
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