Product Portfolio
A series of high-quality and highly reliable vacuum interrupters is available from AMS Technologies for the utility and industrial markets. With a set of contacts (one fixed, one movable) in an evacuated insulating case, these interrupters handle a wide range of voltage and current interrupt levels. A metallic bellows operates the movable contact from the outside, closing and interrupting the electric circuit.
The contacts’ copper alloy is developed for use in AC voltage applications. The interrupters’ end plates are made of stainless steel or copper. Due to their excellent switching capabilities and compact design, these vacuum interrupters provide the most economical switching device solutions for medium to high voltages, but they are also used for low-voltage applications.
Related Products
Whether high or low voltage, or variable power stages, AMS Technologies offers a compact and cost-effective solution for your power supply challenge. Bearing in mind that every electronic engineering project has a requirement for power, we have assembled a comprehensive portfolio of power supplies in bench-top or 19-inch rack mountable formats to support your application and power needs.
Our portfolio comprises AC/DC, DC/DC and DC/AC power supplies both for low and high voltage as well as capacitor charging units and high voltage pulse generators. AMS Technologies’ product offering also includes a broad range of passive components like high-quality resistors and capacitors that are suitable for high voltage applications.
Definition
For medium voltage level switching without rapid wear or destruction of contacts, current interruption in a vacuum is considered the optimal switching technology. However, this technique is also used in high-voltage and low-voltage applications.
As the circuit’s interruption takes place in a vacuum and thus without surrounding gas molecules, electric arcs can only form within the hermetically sealed body of the interrupter. That is why these switching elements are free of noise, flashing and contamination of the contacts – oxides or corrosion layers cannot form in a vacuum either.
In addition, no greenhouse or toxic gases are produced. With vacuum as the dielectric, the contacts of the interrupter can be arranged closer together, making the components more compact overall. The interrupting mechanism does not depend on the current amplitude, so the interrupting process can be aligned with the first zero crossing of the current without the risk of restriking – also because the dielectric in the contact gap recovers faster than the recovery voltage can rise.
With all these properties, vacuum interrupters can be expected to achieve the same lifetime as the equipment in which they are installed.
Alternative Terms: Vacuum Interrupters; High-Voltage Interrupters
