Home News High Power Baseplate-Cooled Power Supplies Explained

When you need power conversion that keeps its cool under pressure, high power baseplate-cooled power supplies are often the best choice. These solutions are designed for environments where traditional fan cooling is impractical, unreliable, or where sealed, IP-rated enclosures prevent airflow. Instead of relying on forced airflow, the heat generated is transferred directly through a conductive metal baseplate into a chassis, heatsink, or external cooling system.

This makes them particularly attractive in applications where reliability, sealed operation, and high-power density are non-negotiable.

What is a Baseplate-Cooled Power Supply?

A baseplate-cooled power supply uses conduction cooling, rather than airflow, to dissipate heat. Instead of blowing air across components, the unit’s metal baseplate is mounted to a thermal interface, which then draws heat away.

Key advantages include:

  • No fans required – improving reliability and eliminating moving parts.
  • Sealed enclosure capability – ideal for IP-rated systems exposed to dust, moisture, or contaminants.
  • Quiet operation – essential in low-noise or sealed environments.
  • Improved performance in harsh conditions – including dust, vibration, and temperature extremes.

Why Choose High Power Baseplate-Cooled Designs?

high power baseplate cooled power supplies diagram

High reliability applications such as industrial automation, transportation, defence, and renewable energy demand robust performance. Baseplate-cooled power supplies excel because they:

  • Deliver consistent performance in sealed or outdoor enclosures.
  • Allow system designers to manage cooling at the chassis level.
  • Provide higher MTBF (mean time between failures) due to no fan wear.
  • Operate across wide temperature ranges, making them suitable for rail, automotive, and military use.

Cincon’s Baseplate-Cooled Power Supply Range

Relec Electronics partner Cincon, a world leader in power conversion, to supply a comprehensive range of high-power baseplate-cooled solutions. Cincon’s DC-DC and AC-DC products are engineered for mission-critical environments, with wide input ranges, high efficiency, and rugged construction.

One standout example is the new CBM300S series.

The CBM300S is a 300W fanless AC-DC baseplate-cooled power supply designed for demanding industrial applications. Its ultra-compact brick package measures just 106.7 x 85.0 mm, with an exceptionally slim profile of only 19.7 mm. Despite this, it delivers a continuous 300W output, with peak power up to 360W.

Key features include:

  • Deliver consistent performance in sealed or outdoor enclosures.
  • Allow system designers to manage cooling at the chassis level.
  • Provide higher MTBF (mean time between failures) due to no fan wear.
  • Operate across wide temperature ranges, making them suitable for rail, automotive, and military use.

The CBM300S is fully protected with overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature, and short-circuit safeguards. It also carries approvals to IEC/UL/EN 62368-1 3rd edition and is EMC compliant to EN 55032 Class B.

high power baseplate cooled CBM300S power supplies

Its slimline design makes it particularly attractive for applications where space or height is limited, including automation equipment, telecoms and networking, test and measurement, and industrial ITE systems.

Baseplate-Cooled Typical Applications

Explore Cincon’s Range with Relec

If you are specifying high power baseplate-cooled power supplies for demanding projects, Relec Electronics can help. Our engineers will guide you through Cincon’s extensive portfolio, including the CBM300S series and other high-performance DC-DC and AC-DC solutions.