The prize in the Electric & Electronic Component category of “CHO” MONODZUKURI (Ultra Craftsmanship) Innovative Parts and Components Award co-hosted by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun and the Conference for the
Promotion of MONODZUKURI went to the LAN pulse transformer ALT 4532 series from TDK.
In recent years, LAN interfaces have become almost a standard feature in digital home appliances and IT equipment, and pulse transformers are always used in such interfaces. Unlike existing transformers with ring-shaped cores that need to be hand-wound, the new LAN pulse transformer from TDK has a drum-shaped core that lends itself to automated manufacturing using a winding machine. With manual manufacturing, quality variations are hard to prevent, which is why automatization of the process was highly desirable. The automatic winding process contributes to improved quality and stable supply, so that the needs of the market can be promptly met. The new transformer also has the advantage of allowing surface mounting, thereby eliminating the need for complex wiring and resin fixing to be performed by hand. This results in a drastic reduction of the number of work steps.
In December 2011, Robert Taylor, the safety engineering manager of TDK-Lambda UK Ltd., a group company of the TDK Corporation, received the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 1906 Award, which is granted to IEC engineers and experts who have made a major contribution to standardization activities. The 1906 Award was established in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the IEC, an international organization promoting standardization in the field of electric and electronic technology.
Taylor belongs to the IEC’s Technical Committee 22 and for 15 years has played a leading role, as chairman and secretary of the committee, in tackling the standardization of equipment stabilized power supplies. In particular, the IEC presented the award in recognition of his dedicated activities using his expert knowledge to ensure electromagnetic compatibility (noise suppression) and safety.
