03 EN: Under Voltage - High-Power Resistors By Miba Resistors Austria

00:00:00: This episode was translated from a German interview with AI.

00:00:28: Welcome to MEBA Insight, the tech podcast by MEBA for all MEBA colleagues and everyone who is passionate about technologies.

00:00:35: Here we talk what you don't normally see.

00:00:38: The technology inside engines trains ships wind turbines hydroelectric power plants power grids much more.

00:00:45: Our experts from MIBA explain how our components contribute to making our customers' products and applications safer, more reliable and energy efficient.

00:00:54: And they also demonstrate why we are among the world's technological leaders in many of these specialised fields.

00:01:00: Today were discussing smart grids & resistors.

00:01:03: What do MIBA components have to with power lines?

00:01:06: Why are small but crucial MIBA Components such an important part?

00:01:11: Christian Lindner and Philipp Wurzinger from MIBA Resistors Austria will be providing the answers today.

00:01:17: Welcome, thank you for coming!

00:01:18: Hello,

00:01:19: hello?

00:01:20: Christian is the sales manager of Europe, Philip is a product engineer at MIBA RESISTORS Austria our specialist in high voltage and other types of resistors based in Kirchbach-Stiria.

00:01:31: My name is Autren Schandel.

00:01:32: I am delighted to guide through this episode Dear Christian Dear Philip, a few quick questions to start so we can get know you better.

00:01:41: How long have been with Mieba?

00:01:43: I've been with him for thirteen years.

00:01:45: The running joke has always been that i told my managing director.

00:01:48: he wouldn't be able to get rid of me and thats still true today!

00:01:51: I am incredibly happy to work in such an interesting company And to accompany this path of smart grids and HVDC.

00:01:59: High voltage direct current transmission will get there later.

00:02:02: Phillip how long are you being here?

00:02:05: I started with an internship in March, twenty-twenty one straight out of my studies and then got a permanent position in October.

00:02:10: Twenty twenty one have been very happy here ever since.

00:02:14: what do you actually enjoy most about your work?

00:02:17: The main thing is the extreme diversity involved.

00:02:20: everything That means the higher standards you set, whether on technical or commercial side.

00:02:25: Even in marketing You can develop yourself In every area.

00:02:28: This means that you can truly embrace your unique strengths And consequently have a really good time at company together with colleagues.

00:02:35: It shouldn't just be seen as work For us.

00:02:37: it's also true.

00:02:38: many friendships Have developed through all we spend.

00:02:42: Yes, for me it's always nice to see when someone comes up with an idea or when the idea is born within a team.

00:02:47: The team picks and grows them together until they are ready for market.

00:02:53: And subsequently you can see that this product needs energy transition everywhere around the world.

00:03:01: It proves its worth, it always pleases me when I can indirectly create added value for our region through my actions and work.

00:03:08: And what i find really cool is that we have a production site in Kirchbach-Stiria so not right next to the big cities!

00:03:15: If a technology company can run a production sites in Kirchebach and creates real added values of the region honestly makes happy especially if you keep growing more people from this area.

00:03:27: yes thats definitely one of my biggest motivations.

00:03:29: You work with high voltage resistors which means it's obviously very much about electricity.

00:03:34: Have you ever actually had an electric shock?

00:03:37: Philip, you for sure!

00:03:47: the plastic cover, fixed it plugged in again and I was feeling really proud.

00:04:04: Like yes!

00:04:05: i did it.

00:04:06: And then while unplugging it... ...I accidentally touched a conductive part of casing.

00:04:11: that wasn't smart.

00:04:13: Well once & never again What about you Christian?

00:04:16: Even though im salesperson my background is electrical engineering.

00:04:20: So yeah pretty early on That meant taking broken devices apart Trying to fix them Then plugging back into And to be honest, I'd say the first proper shock was around seven or eight and yes there have been a few more from time-to-time during repairs.

00:04:35: Or when working on things at home not in the company though because when we're talking about high voltage work that's different world.

00:04:42: In the automotive industry High Voltage starts out about one hundred volts.

00:04:46: in our lab High Voltages is one hundred kilovolts.

00:04:48: That means of course if someone were touch anything here it would have much bigger impact.

00:04:53: Good thing It didn't happen At Work.

00:04:55: Could one actually say that you build MiBAR's laziest component?

00:04:58: Because it doesn't have to rotate, its not a friction lining.

00:05:01: It doesnt do anything mechanical but simply has to withstand?

00:05:04: Basically yes!

00:05:05: But we have two other running gags.

00:05:07: That is for us.

00:05:08: resistance is futile and the path of least resistance is best.

00:05:12: that works both as an electronics joke and a business joke.

00:05:16: Thankfully,

00:05:16: in real life resistance is not useless!

00:05:18: Well resistors are obviously needed wherever electricity flows.

00:05:22: What specific tasks do your resistors perform?

00:05:25: In most cases our resistors have protective elements.

00:05:28: That means they limit current voltage.

00:05:30: And there're different types with specific names.

00:05:32: These are damping resistors filter resistors shunts bleeders.

00:05:36: Exactly Charging and discharging resistors, for example are there to safely discharge an electrical load down to a certain voltage level.

00:05:43: For example To perform maintenance or to switch off and safely discharge the device.

00:05:48: And then there are lots of other applications like measuring resistors.

00:05:51: A classic example is in HVDC systems high-voltage direct current transmission.

00:05:57: There you might use continuous discharge resistors.

00:05:59: So if an HV DC system needs servicing The whole system has to be shutdown.

00:06:07: Otherwise you simply couldn't enter the facility because the voltage is so high that it could harm people.

00:06:12: We've heard a lot about HVDC or High Voltage Direct Current Transmission, what is that exactly?

00:06:18: Basically as the name says its transmitting electricity over long distances using high-voltage direct current.

00:06:24: I think threshold is somewhere around seventy kilometers depending on project where starts to make sense.

00:06:30: For a long time people assumed alternating current transmission was more efficient or had lower losses, but over the past years that view has shifted.

00:06:36: That's why HVDC is gaining ground and in HV DC our resistors are sometimes even used in combination.

00:06:43: so you might have power resistor combined with measuring resistor A high voltage resistor In one package!

00:06:49: That creates real value for customers More function in less space.

00:06:54: It has a power resistor Combined With a measuring resistor.

00:06:59: So electricity is generated and then converted into direct current during generation, And then convert it back to alternating current where it's consumed.

00:07:07: Is that correct?

00:07:09: Exactly!

00:07:10: But we have to add, your resistors aren't the ones you'd find in a radio.

00:07:13: they're specifically designed for high power and high voltage.

00:07:17: Exactly!

00:07:18: For more specialized applications like higher-voltage, higher-power continuous power or higher pulse loads.

00:07:24: I recently worked on a project for customer that operated at about one point five degrees above absolute zero And then high vacuum.

00:07:31: so thats very specific environment.

00:07:32: In this case the resistor basically acted as mini heater.

00:07:37: Fundamentally what matters is High voltage, high power in very compact designs.

00:07:43: That means if we're talking about two thousand watts today there's no competitor offering that the same size.

00:07:49: If someone else offers two-thousand watts their component is roughly three to five times larger than ours and thats why we see ourselves as market leader because were are pushing technology.

00:08:00: We have one or two steps ahead of course compared competitors Europe also Asia

00:08:05: Yes exactly.

00:08:06: To give you a picture If you take those two kilowatt-power resistors that Christian mentioned, we're talking about around fifty by fifty millimetres in size.

00:08:15: What's important to mention?

00:08:16: They are actively cooled otherwise it wouldn't work!

00:08:20: We always try support our customers as best we can with our expertise to ensure the resistor works reliably on a final

00:08:26: application.".

00:08:27: Todays episode is about resistors for smart grids.

00:08:30: So... Smart Grids In A Nutshell.

00:08:33: What Are they And what are used For?

00:08:35: Do they already exist?

00:08:37: Why do you need special resistors for them?

00:08:40: Smart grids today are basically intelligent power networks because we now have many different energy producers.

00:08:46: There are wind turbines, gas-power plants solar power often spread across different locations including offshore.

00:08:51: Energy has to be transported efficiently and on the local level.

00:08:55: energy is fed into the grid not just by plants but also by communities buildings and homes.

00:08:59: with PV systems We feed energy into the grit And at the same time were consumers.

00:09:05: And now in automotive, we're moving toward bi-directional charging.

00:09:08: So you can charge your car from the grid at home but in future... ...you also feed power back into it like a battery.

00:09:16: All of this has to be monitored somewhere either locally or on medium voltage level and that's where smart grid sensors come in.

00:09:23: they detect grid fluctuations and help stabilize system.

00:09:27: The car battery example is great because its easy picture But whole idea charging and feeding power back in scales up massively.

00:09:34: It's really about bi-directional energy flow, and communication And for that you need smart grids intelligent networks and among other things You need voltage sensors and resistors for accurate low loss measurement and harmonic transmission.

00:09:48: Could you compare it to a motorway network with traffic lights?

00:09:51: And rules so traffic flows as smoothly as possible even though it sometimes goes one way and Sometimes the other.

00:09:58: That's actually a pretty good comparison.

00:10:00: It is not just the flow, it also about detecting damages.

00:10:04: In Europe The grid is monitored Not only at power or medium voltage levels, but also in high-voltage transmission networks.

00:10:11: In the US for example sensors are used to detect damage like a fallen tree or snow related issues over dozens of hundreds of kilometers.

00:10:20: this means it's not just about stabilizing the network ,but also about actually detecting damage or faults allowing you to pinpoint them two smaller areas so you don't have to search hundreds.

00:10:31: But that's not about the smart grid itself.

00:10:33: That is the sensors and the MiBAR resistors are part of this sensor, right?

00:10:37: Exactly!

00:10:39: Our resistors integrated into these sensors play a crucial role for measuring voltage as precisely possible.

00:10:46: Our resistor is passive component but it requires an extremely controlled properties like temperature coefficient tolerances, voltage coefficients etc.

00:10:56: And we're very strong here.

00:10:58: We are market leader in this area.

00:11:00: In production we differentiate between direct print and adjustment.

00:11:03: Direct Print means the resistor is printed, And cannot be adjusted afterwards If it's out of tolerance its scrap Right now where only manufacturer are offering that Others rely on adjusting after printing.

00:11:14: That mean resistors can be adjusted After printing.

00:11:17: That brings us back to these lightning impulse tests.

00:11:19: But Adjustment has disadvantages Like one sided feed-in.

00:11:23: We go deeper into this later And direct printing also gives higher pulse resistance bringing us back to lightning impulse tests.

00:11:31: What happens in HVDC networks and smart grids if they didn't have these sensors?

00:11:36: If the voltage sensors didn't exist, The entire network would be unstable And not smart enough To meet their requirements.

00:11:42: It will kind of blind because you wouldn't know what's going on In the network.

00:11:47: Technologically we've taken a step forward.

00:11:49: Previously voltage sensors used capacitive voltage components Which are much less accurate but grid standards now require certain accuracy classes, and that's almost only achievable with resistors because precision has improved so much.

00:12:02: For example we are the only manufacturer worldwide who can produce these cylindrical parts with a temperature coefficient of plus or minus two parts per million.

00:12:12: That means that the resistance may only change by zero point zero zero two percent per every degree of temperature change.

00:12:19: Basically, there are only three measuring device manufacturers worldwide that can measure that.

00:12:24: this means our customers must be able to rely on the expertise.

00:12:28: How do you build something like that and how did it happen that such a high-tech product is being developed in Kirchbach, Syria?

00:12:35: It's continuous development.

00:12:36: We really focus on understanding what the market needs And then we take existing technology In this case thick film technology.

00:12:43: Keep pushing forward.

00:12:44: As Christian mentioned The temperature coefficient Is perfect example Especially for voltage sensors.

00:12:50: Here, only the best is good enough and that's exactly where we can score.

00:12:54: Can we explain for our listeners how you actually build such a resistor?

00:12:58: What does it usually look like?

00:12:59: And what are the MiBAR resistors magic behind it?

00:13:02: Basically in thick film technology You start with substrate Usually technical ceramic Often aluminum oxide.

00:13:09: For voltage sensors It typically around rod A ceramic cylinder of certain diameter.

00:13:14: For power resistors it could also be flat substrate Up to about one point five millimeters thick.

00:13:20: then a metallic paste mixed with glass fritz, tiny glass particles is applied to this substrate which is flat or round using a screen printing process forming the resistor pattern.

00:13:30: The layout controls the resistance value among other things.

00:13:33: Then it's sintered at around eight hundred fifty degrees Celsius.

00:13:36: so material bonds and that forms the resistance.

00:13:39: After that component is coded to protect from environmental influences And then determinations contact points are added.

00:13:47: that's the simple version.

00:13:48: how long does it take from start to finish?

00:13:51: i believe if you look at the entire cycle allowing the necessary time for all processes steps then your talking about a maximum throughput of three weeks depending on quantity and just to clarify thick film.

00:14:02: so you understand what we mean by thick film.

00:14:03: coatings were talking about ten micrometers, Thin film would be in the nanometer range, like ten to thirty nanometers.

00:14:12: Thick film and thin film might sound trivial but they're worlds apart.

00:14:16: there are quite a few different technologies behind them And we happen to be the manufacturer with the broadest portfolio of these technologies.

00:14:22: What was the key innovation specifically for smart grids?

00:14:26: How did you develop it?

00:14:27: Was is something that you anticipated knowing that Smart Grids will likely need become even more intelligent because there might be even more diverse forms of energy generation and energy consumption.

00:14:39: Or did a customer request

00:14:46: it?

00:14:52: That's how we keep moving forward.

00:14:53: What can be added to this is that customers typically try to use standard products and scale them as economically as possible, in this case however the customer ordered a resistor from us then ran initial tests and saw it didn't meet the accuracy class they actually needed.

00:15:08: And our approach solution based means work with the customer together.

00:15:13: look at all of requirements including things like how potting process works.

00:15:17: what technical requirement are?

00:15:20: One of the biggest pain points was lightning strike testing.

00:15:24: Lightning Strike Testing, meaning every resistor used in the smart grid sector undergoes a lightning strike test depending on the sensor size.

00:15:32: we start at ninety-five thousand volts for the smallest sensor thirty nine millimeters in size and go up to three hundred millimeter size that is tested with a three hundred twenty five thousand volt lightning strike.

00:15:44: And there's another set that has been tested up to one point two five million volts.

00:15:48: Those are the voltage classes where our resistors are designed for.

00:15:52: Where do you see one point twenty-five million volts?

00:15:55: They're used.

00:15:55: measure these eight hundred kilo volt HVDC systems.

00:15:59: That means, this sets also part of a large voltage divider and monitor actual high voltage DC transmissions.

00:16:05: Christian as mentioned You're world market leader.

00:16:08: so sell worldwide But your not producing in only on location right

00:16:13: That's right.

00:16:14: We also have a sister plant in China, uh...in Guangdong and an extended workbench in Slovenia.

00:16:20: we also have the sales office in the USA.

00:16:23: these are American colleagues responsible for the north-and-south american markets.

00:16:26: everything else china and the america's aside is served from europe.

00:16:31: let's talk about your location in kursbach again Philip, you've already mentioned how much you value working in the region.

00:16:37: Last year the site was expanded.

00:16:39: You now have a completely new building at your disposal.

00:16:42: What did that change?

00:16:44: We significantly expanded production area and optimized process flows.

00:16:48: we used to have production in Sankt Stefan And brought it back home to Kershbak which streamlined everything Now organized into three solution teams The solution team for industry One for automotive customers And one for PSD power safety devices, allowing us to serve different sectors really well.

00:17:06: And another important point the work environment has improved massively.

00:17:10: in the past In the ovens and screen printing area there was no natural light.

00:17:14: now There are bright workspaces large windows proper climate control.

00:17:19: back then Oven rooms could hit fifty two sixty degrees Celsius.

00:17:22: in summer people were still happy.

00:17:23: to be fair.

00:17:24: You can't always see things negatively, but today there's so much more space all the production processes.

00:17:30: People have opportunities to actually get together in their rooms.

00:17:34: they've managed to reintegrate a different production process into single location and such way that people interact with each other again.

00:17:41: previously having separate locations meant everything was truly isolated.

00:17:45: you had to drive there.

00:17:48: Now we have short distances again.

00:17:50: And what's a huge advantage, as Philip already briefly mentioned is that we've renovated parts of the old production facility too and moved all development areas in there from

00:17:59: product engineering perspective for testing possibilities.

00:18:03: That's huge for us.

00:18:04: So we got the most out of the existing building with a major renovation.

00:18:07: now, We have ideal conditions for prototype construction and testing.

00:18:12: And here?

00:18:12: We have expanded our capacities and capabilities significantly.

00:18:16: and what also shows The difference compared to huge corporations?

00:18:20: during their renovation people pitched in electricians lab stuff setting up Their own labs because they were so motivated by the new space.

00:18:28: that kind Of mindset is a big part of What makes this work.

00:18:31: That's a good point.

00:18:32: Electricians and lab technicians, what professions are actually needed at MIBA Resistors Austria?

00:18:38: What kinds of jobs?

00:18:39: I

00:18:40: think in principle, having a background in electrical engineering is a huge advantage.

00:18:44: We always joke it's easier to explain mechanical engineering to an electrical engineer than electrical engineering to a mechanical engineer because in electrical Engineering you only notice something when You get hit by an electrical shock.

00:18:55: but jokes aside we have people from all kinds of backgrounds From Mechanical Engineering Mechatronics Electrical Engineering Electronics and Automation Technology.

00:19:05: And we also Have People who came from completely different backgrounds for example Who started out as carpenters.

00:19:10: If someone is motivated and interested, they can learn a lot

00:19:13: here.".

00:19:14: It's actually quite rare to find the job that allows you develop so much in different areas without needing perfect background.

00:19:20: if you've got That means no one automatically has more influence just because they've been here for thirteen years.

00:19:41: We argue based on facts and what people bring to the table, And for us it doesn't matter whether someone had expertise at twenty five or fifty-five.

00:19:49: we don't differentiate in that

00:19:50: way.".

00:19:51: If

00:19:53: our listeners are now fascinated by this topic

00:19:59: Follow me on LinkedIn.

00:20:00: No, I am just joking!

00:20:22: Thank you, thank you

00:20:28: too.

00:20:28: Together we're creating technologies for a cleaner planet!