Feature: Power supplies


Mitigating the internal failure C


mechanisms of DC power architectures By Giulio Bocciolini, Senior Product Marketing Manager EMEA, TDK-Lambda Hence focus turns to systems and


omplex production lines must operate with absolute reliability. Every minute of unplanned downtime risks a production line coming to a halt, resulting in instant


financial loss. In many industries, the consequences go far beyond lost output. Unforeseen downtime due to factors such as power outages can lead to serious damage to plant and equipment, as well as to products in the middle of a process on the production line. It can also lead to serious long-term reputation damage. A recent report from consultancy IDS-


INDATA suggests that UK and European manufacturers lose over £80bn a year due to downtime. In some sectors just one hour of inactivity can cost millions in lost output, create supply chain bottlenecks and pose compliance problems. Tese are seriously large numbers that underline the severity of the consequences that unreliable operations can have on a manufacturing organisation.


technologies that can guard against such outcomes. It is widely accepted that the higher the associated risk, the more robust the protection against unplanned failures must be. Tis makes a stable and reliable mains supply a priority, which is why most industrial facilities use uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) in combination with multiple independent AC feeds. Equally, there are other factors to


consider. In many modern industrial systems, the most important vulnerability might not be the AC supply, but rather the integrity of the internal DC power architecture. While upstream protection like UPS systems can play a vital role in stabilising incoming grid power, failures within the DC distribution layer can still have potentially damaging effects, including a complete system shutdown. Industrial organisations are therefore


keen to protect against these internal failure modes, particularly as many modern systems require multiple DC


28 July/August 2026 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


voltages in automation, control systems and drives, to name just a few. It is therefore imperative that the failure of a single power supply unit (PSU) doesn’t cause a shutdown of the central DC bus.


Failure modes of industrial DC power systems Industrial systems have become far more complex and interconnected, with several voltage rails supporting electronic equipment. Te DC bus then becomes a significant point of dependency, where a PSU failure can propagate across the system, putting operations at serious risk. With this in mind, engineers designing


for reliability need a firm understanding of how DC power systems fail in practice. While external disturbances like mains interruptions are widely discussed, internal failure mechanisms inside the DC supply architecture frequently get overlooked. Te most fundamental failure mode in


a DC power system is the loss of a single PSU. In non-redundant architectures


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