While John Hanley patented the first uninterruptible power supply–UPS–system, which he called “Apparatus For Maintaining An Unfailing and Uninterrupted Supply of Electrical Energy,” the first UPS devices were rotary designs which used a flywheel to output very short intervals of backup power.
Typically used to protect electronic hardware such as computers, data centers and telecommunication equipment, they’re meant to eliminate unexpected power disruptions in systems which could result in injuries, fatalities or data loss.
The BESS System in Fairbanks, AK
As of now, the world’s largest UPS is a 46-megawatt Battery Electric Storage System (BESS) located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It powers up the entire city and surrounding communities during outages.
Now Battery Backup Power, Inc., a company that focuses on industrial, medical, laboratory, and specialized energy storage and UPS systems, is offering their systems to protect and power 3D printers.
Their current clients include laboratories, hospitals, utility companies, government agencies, universities, IT data centers–and now, 3D printer manufacturers and end users.
Battery Backup Power, Inc. also creates custom solutions which can be configured to handle specific battery run times and other special requirements, and they say those specs can be met for nearly any project or equipment.
The company is privately held by a pair of owners, founders Ross Modglin and John Ross, who boast lots of experience in the game.
In fact, Modglin spent 10 years managing IT equipment and uninterruptible power supplies for over 1,000 devices in various rural parts of the United States. During his experience, Modglin says he was frustrated when faced with prolonged power outages, constant voltage fluctuations and burned out equipment. Tasked with meeting 99% IT up time requirements, Ross decided to build a UPS brand focused on extended run times, reliability and durability.
That’s where Ross came into the equation with his in-depth knowledge of the uninterruptible power supply industry to the table. He worked for – and oversaw operations at – one of the leading laboratory uninterruptible power supply companies in the United States.
The Battery Backup Power UPS systems they came up with were designed, the company notes in the video seen below, to condition ‘dirty’ power and neutralize surges, as well as providing automatic backup battery power as needed.
Their industrial-grade uninterruptible power supplies designed for use with 3D printers protect both the printer and print jobs in power outage situations. Even when lacking external power, 3D printers can continue to operate normally, and in most instances, the UPS systems are capable of powering a Makerbot Replicator 2 for over 23 minutes.
You can check out their full line of UPS systems here, and the company makes those systems to work with a long list of over 20 3D printer manufacturers’ product lines.
Do you have a UPS system protecting your 3D printer? Have you ever lost hours of work from a power outage while you’re 3D printing? Let us know in the UPS Systems for 3D Printers forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video of the systems below.
