DC/DC power architectures: Make or buy?

DC/DC conversion is key to many critical applications, including aerospace, military and e-mobility. For a variety of commercial and strategic reasons, it is essential that new designs reach the market in a timely manner. However, the well-documented component shortage resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic will likely continue to have far-reaching consequences for some time. In addition, the current situation in Ukraine is increasing global supply-chain uncertainty. In this climate, OEMs may prefer to develop their DC/DC power architectures in-house, although this approach can be beset with challenges.

A reliable supply of power components is key

The world has experienced strange times that have impacted global supply chains. The lockdowns associated with Covid-19 reduced demand almost overnight, and as a result, companies scaled back their manufacturing. When lockdowns ended, the pent-up demand was released into a severely restricted supply chain, resulting in an inability to meet demand and, therefore, shortages.

Conflicts can also disrupt even the healthiest supply chains — especially for high-reliability devices that may be needed for military usage. If there is a demand for a part by the military (often termed an “urgent operational requirement”), then by law, this takes precedence over other orders, disrupting a carefully planned supply chain.

Make or buy?

When things are unpredictable, as they are now, companies often consider that designing subassemblies (such as power modules) in-house is a route to supply-chain security. However, this is often a false security, and the resulting design is larger than a standard module.

Designing power solutions and then honing them for optimum performance and reliability is a specialist discipline, usually requiring a dedicated power designer. Even if this is possible, design times can be long once design verification is completed, especially if a re-spin is needed. Once the design is complete, then approvals must be gained, adding time, cost and risk to the process.

Even if successful, there is the need to manage a supply chain for tens or hundreds of components as well as manage the product life cycle, making changes for obsolescence or hard-to-source components. With the relatively low volumes associated with high-reliability applications, OEMs designing their own power solutions are unlikely to benefit from economies of scale in the way that power-module manufacturers can.

GRD-12 reference design board using GAIA’s converter modules (Source: GAIA Converter)

A resilient supply chain

Building a resilient supply chain does not happen by accident; it is the result of careful planning over many years and must be a key consideration when making component selections during the design process. Power-component manufacturers like GAIA Converter should have key relationships with many component suppliers and have the ability to control every aspect of product design within a single facility. In this way, they can avoid potential pitfalls by working with suppliers to select components with longevity — and multiple approved sources.

Also, look at where the R&D and manufacturing facilities are located. For example, GAIA’s R&D and manufacturing facilities are in the same time zone, allowing for rapid interchange of information and support where needed. This enables the company to be fast and flexible in manufacturing and supplying products globally.

Fast integration of DC/DC power architectures

The alternative to in-house design is to work with a reliable supplier of modular solutions, allowing OEMs to build complex power solutions from pre-designed DC/DC converter modules.

This approach not only saves the need for specialized component-level power design but significantly reduces the design verification, and gaining approvals is also simpler, faster, cheaper and with less risk, as existing module approvals can be leveraged. Issues like EMI compliance are already dealt with by the module maker, and where necessary, filtering can be developed based upon application notes — or by using pre-configured modules from the DC/DC converter manufacturer.

GPack-800 configurable power supply (Source: GAIA Converter)

By having access to a comprehensive and well-thought–out range of power modules, OEMs can rapidly configure almost any power solution rapidly and with minimal design input, risk and cost, giving them an assurance that their design will reach the market rapidly.

Unpredictable world events like pandemics and conflicts can have consequences for supply chains, hampering design efforts and stalling manufacturing. While bringing designs in-house may be a natural reaction, this can often cause as many challenges as it solves. Working with partners like GAIA that control all aspects of their products through design and manufacture is, most often, the best route to getting a design to market quickly and reliably.