Advanced Conversion and WL Gore jointly announce the start of volume production of 200C high temp film capacitors.
Advanced Conversion, a leading manufacturer of high-temperature film, is thrilled to announce the successful launch of its newly established High Temperature Film production line. This line features GORE® High Temperature Film, renowned for its exceptional performance in applications up to 200°C.
This significant milestone marks the culmination of a strategic partnership agreement signed between Advanced Conversion and W. L. Gore & Associates in June 2024. Since then, the two companies have collaborated closely to transfer specialized production expertise, replicate critical processes, and ensure the quality of capacitors produced on the new line. They have also provided seamless support to key customers throughout the transition.
The High Temperature Film capacitors are now in active production, with capacity steadily increasing.
To facilitate a smooth transition, Gore has published a comprehensive quality readiness document. This document meticulously outlines the rigorous testing conducted on capacitors manufactured by Advanced Conversion, confirming their complete compliance with the qualification standards of previously built Gore products. The document is available at Proven Reliability Backed By Rigorous Testing.
In addition to supplying standard wire-lead capacitors to oil and gas and geothermal markets, Advanced Conversion is also expanding its product offerings. They are now offering their industry-leading Power Rings, a unique type of capacitor shaped like a ring. These Power Rings are now engineered with GORE® High Temperature Film, enhancing their performance in high-temperature applications.
“We are delighted with the completed line, which is already producing high-quality products,” said Ed Sawyer, General Manager of Advanced Conversion. “We are eager to embrace the new technology and capabilities, not only in traditional markets but also in Aerospace and Defense, where 200°C requirements are paramount.”
Connor Carr, Product Specialist at Gore, added, “The establishment of the new production line at Advanced Conversion is a significant milestone for the industry. GORE® High Temperature Film can now be seamlessly integrated into new form factors, ensuring exceptional quality and performance. This unlocks the potential of high-temperature capabilities for demanding applications.”
High-Temperature DC-Link – Overview
Advanced Conversion offers a specialized portfolio of film capacitor solutions that cater to operating temperatures spanning from -40°C to 200°C. The Advanced Conversion Power Ring Film Capacitor stands out with its unique aspect ratio, featuring a short height and a large diameter. This combination ensures the lowest possible ESR and thermal resistance, resulting in the highest Ampere per Farad rating. This is crucial for enhancing power density. These optimal windings can be utilized as discrete components or seamlessly integrated into bus structures when a low inductance configuration is desired. By minimizing the capacitor hotspot temperature rise due to internal heating, Advanced Conversion enables higher operating temperatures.
Advanced Conversion has pioneered the development of metallized polypropylene capacitor solutions with minimal temperature rise, enabling operation at up to 105°C coolant. While polypropylene is a well-proven and cost-effective solution, certain applications require higher operating temperatures beyond 105°C, where cooling becomes impractical. In such cases, system-level costing often favors higher-cost, higher-temperature capacitor films that eliminate the need for cooling or extend service life. Our technology is readily adaptable to higher temperature applications, and we now offer film capacitor solutions up to 200°C.
We provide KaladexTM PEN HV film from Mylar Specialty Films, which enables operation into the 150°C hotspot range with excellent self-healing and reliability. Notably, these capacitors offer up to thousands of micro-Farads in a single winding element. Recently, Advanced Conversion announced a partnership with W. L. Gore & Associates, granting us semi-exclusive access to GORE® High Temperature Film for specific markets. This partnership has finally bridged the gap to 200°C operation with demonstrated self-healing capabilities. As we transition this product line to Advanced Conversion, we are providing simple capacitor elements from 10 to 100uF while supporting existing Gore customers. This industry-leading film solution will eventually become part of Advanced Conversion’s high-performance DC Link portfolio.
It’s crucial to recognize that the added expense of high-temperature film is most effectively realized when the increased temperature limit is not consumed by internal capacitor heating (ESR). Advanced Conversion’s form factor offers the lowest possible temperature rise for any film, enabling the optimal exploitation of higher operating temperatures with reduced cooling, ultimately resulting in the highest economic value for the customer application.