Would you tell me what started the development of the PLT?
We started the development because the one of our customer's needs conformed to our own ideas at Murata.
Tsuda responding at the interview
(Technical & Sales Dept.)
Tsuda: We started its development in 2009, a year when the problem of noise from power lines was beginning to grow in the market.
As a result of the increasingly complicated design of power lines for motors, equipment for automobiles, and control circuits of computers and so on, which was our targeted market, noise suppression methods also became more complicated; therefore, we decided that it was necessary to develop noise suppression products that could solve these problems.
Takashima: Lead type noise suppression products able to handle large currents, including some from Murata, were already on the market; however, there was no SMD (surface mounted device) type product able to handle 10A. The product lineup from other companies included some up to the 6A class. However, we assumed that as the equipment continued to become more complicated, the market would also demand a 10A class product in the future.
Therefore, we started discussing how we at Murata could make full use of our know-how to develop an SMD type noise suppression product in the 10A class.
Yamagishi: I personally, as someone involved in both the development and the plant areas, also wanted to promote the development of an SMD product.
I also felt that all current components would eventually become SMD, and I thought that once SMD type components could be developed, we could discover new demand areas.
I believed that we could integrate the performance of leaded products into an SMD type product by using our past knowledge and know-how. Therefore, I approached the product planning department to have it develop the PLT09H series (leaded type common mode choke coil for automobiles) as an SMD product.
Takashima: In addition, just at that time, Murata's noise suppression team received an inquiry from a motor manufacturer that was having problems with noise suppression. Murata proposed the solution: using a common mode choke coil on the motor. The demands the customer made at this time were for "a product that can handle 5A or more," and for "a surface mounted type product, because they wanted to mount the component on the control board of a motor."
We decided to start this development because the requirements of this customer conformed to our own ideas at Murata.