Power Electronics / Power Management


Unusual application for programmable power supply

15 October 2008 Power Electronics / Power Management

Since the Pretoria-based company was established in 1987, Southern Implants has been a pioneer in the field of dental implant science. The company is constantly expanding its product range to incorporate the newest technologies and trends and the use of a programmable power supply to ensure consistent colour on its titanium components is just one of these innovations.

Colouring titanium using a programmable power supply is not a new concept.

In fact, anodising is one of the few predictable methods of colouring titanium. Southern Implants' technical manager, Christo van der Walt, explains, "A constant current at a preset voltage is important to give the precise colour needed on titanium components. The Xantrex programmable power supply has the adjustability and accuracy that we require to render the different colours that we use to distinguish different sizes and applications of components."

Southern Implants’ anodising technician Jan Molefe
Southern Implants’ anodising technician Jan Molefe

Prior to acquiring the Xantrex XHR Series DC power supply, Southern Implants utilised a simple power pack that did not offer the required accuracy. The company is now in the process of acquiring a second power supply as volumes have increased rapidly and there is need for additional capacity. Van der Walt adds, "We process some 1000 components a day and in order to increase our throughput, we decided to acquire another Xantrex programmable power supply."

Southern Implants is one of the only dental implant companies in South Africa that uses this method of anodising its titanium dental implants. South African dentists have had to rely on imported products in the past, but now they and dentists in the United States, Europe and Australasia are benefiting from Southern Implants' commitment to offering a wide range of products of an international standard.

Hilton Preston of Comtest (Xantrex’s local supplier) says, "The XHR DC power supply provides 1000 watts of DC power in a compact half-rack package. It is power factor corrected for low current draw – only 11 amps at 120 volts a.c. for 1000 watts – and reduced generation of input current harmonics. Zero voltage or ‘soft switching’ virtually eliminates switching transients for high efficiency, low noise and high reliability."



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