Delta Electronics launches new Charging Solutions at Modex 2018

At Modex held in Atlanta 9–12 April, Delta Electronics, a global leader in power and thermal management solutions, launched a 30kW wireless battery charging system for the material handling industry, capable of charging a 600Ahr-48V battery in 60 minutes. Adding to the company's growing portfolio of wireless solutions, this powerful charging system is suitable for large and complex vehicles associated with the burgeoning warehouse automation industry, such as scissor lifts, forklifts, trucks and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). In addition, the company debuted its 720W and 1.5kW on-board chargers, offering compact, rugged, and feature-packed designs ideal for meeting the growing demands and pace of material handling applications.

"Today's material handling industry is under intense pressure, as enterprises around the world look to the supply chain to reduce costs and gain an advantage over their competition," says M S  Huang, president of Delta Electronics (Americas). "Our products can help achieve this through top-of-the-line efficiency, charging speed and durability. What's more, our range of solutions are all compact and installation-friendly, meaning there is a system well-suited for every environment."

Wireless Charging Solutions

Delta's new 30kW solution is the latest addition to its growing number of wireless charging offerings, which can deliver an industry-leading efficiency of up to 93%. This significantly outperforms many industrial chargers that commonly waste more than 30% of the power consumed from the AC line.  In addition, Delta's solutions enable safe, highly reliable, programmable, and efficient charging for any battery type, without the need for costly cables, connectors and contact plates that can wear down and require frequent replacement.

The company's range of wireless charging solutions, which cover applications from 1kW to 30kW, can be customised to meet the unique needs of a diverse number of installation sites, such as warehouses, factories, ports, and any location where traditional wired battery chargers are found. These innovative systems, comprised of a base-pad connected to a wall-box and a low-weight on-vehicle unit, eliminate the use expensive cables, connectors, and contactors, decreasing maintenance cost, and ensuring ease of operation. The transmitting and receiving sections communicate via WIFI and communications with the vehicle are via CAN bus. With an IP65 waterproof rating, the system is durable and allows vehicles to operate in outdoor environments.

Onboard Charging Systems

At the show, Delta introduced two new onboard charging systems, designed to efficiently charge the battery in industrial electric vehicles, even in the harshest environments.

Developed to easily integrate with a variety of vehicles, such as pallet trucks, scissor lifts, aerial platforms, floor-cleaning machines and more, the 720W Onboard Charger brings material handlers a compact solution able to fit in the smallest of spaces. The charger's rugged design is also IP65 dust and waterproof. Equipped with a battery temperature sensor, the solution is able to optimise charging, which is fully automated. It also offers extended data storage capabilities, including a full history of the previous 1000 charges. This provides vital visibility into battery mishandling or early termination of charging. CAN bus is available for connection to smart battery or vehicle systems, and the interlock feature prevents the vehicle from moving during the charging process.

Similarly, the 1.5kW Onboard Charger, also equipped with the interlock feature, brings a durable solution to material handlers to accommodate larger or more energy-intensive vehicles. It is compact, efficient, and feature-packed with a robust die cast chassis designed to bear the shock and vibration standards of industrial machinery. Most notably, the 1.5kW charger is 100% convection cooled, making it particularly suited to applications in environments where water or pollutants are present. The 1.5kW unit offers several connection options to smart battery or vehicles systems, with additional connections available for an optional external LED module and battery temperature sensor. As with the 720W model, the unit will store information on the past 1000 charges, which can be easily accessed through a data port.