Switch-mode power supply units are ideal for supplying power to control units and other similar loads in switch cabinets. With an efficiency of more than 90 percent and a long service life, they save energy and costs. High-quality devices for industrial automation, such as those from Weidmüller, offer MTBF times (Mean Time Between Failures) of more than 500,000 hours and a long service life. In particularly critical systems, such as production lines in the automotive industry or processes in the chemical, pharmaceutical and process engineering industries, system availability can be significantly increased by setting up redundancies. For this purpose, several power supplies are connected in parallel so that operation is guaranteed even if one power supply unit fails.

Due to the nature of the system, however, switched-mode power supplies have a special feature: if several secondary circuits are connected directly in parallel, mutual interference can occur, which in the worst case can lead to the destruction of the devices. However, this can be easily and reliably prevented with Weidmüller redundancy modules (function similarly to diode modules). They are connected between the outputs of the power supply units and the system to be supplied. The power supplies are thus decoupled and a short circuit no longer affects the load. They also offer protection against regenerative energy. These modules are suitable both for redundant operation to supply critical loads and for increasing power.

Weidmüller is currently presenting three new redundancy modules: The Pro RM 10 for input currents of up to two times twelve amps and a continuous output current of up to 24 amps, the Pro RM 20 with up to two times 24 amps (in) and 48 amps (out) and the Pro RM 40 with up to two times 48 amps (in) and 96 amps (out). The input voltage can be between ten and 32 volts DC. The devices in the Pro RM series are characterized by high performance with a small footprint; their efficiency is more than > 98 percent.

Mounted horizontally on the mounting rail, they can be bayed without spacing. A distance of 50 millimeters at the top and bottom for free air supply is sufficient. Thanks to the LED display and status relay, they offer permanent status monitoring and rapid status diagnosis. This simplifies maintenance and ensures reliable operation. The redundancy modules are certified in accordance with many international approvals (cULus, Class I, Div. 2 and ATEX). as