This section provides an overview for surge absorbers as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 8 surge absorber manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked surge absorber companies as of March, 2024: 1.Flexicraft Industries, 2.Time Mark Corp., 3.E-Tech Components.
Table of Contents
A Surge Absorber is a device that protects equipment from surge voltage.
Surge voltage is a high voltage that rises steeply, and a typical example is the lightning surge voltage caused by a lightning strikes. Surge voltages are generated not only by lightning, but also by switching of high power conductors and static electricity.
Equipment connected to a circuit where surge voltage is generated is at risk of damage due to insulation breakdown. A device that absorbs surge voltage is called a surge absorber.
In other words, it is a device that protects equipment from momentary abnormal voltage.
There are two types of surge absorbers, one for power circuits and the other for control circuits. Surge absorbers for power circuits are classified into two categories: lightning protection and switching surge voltage absorption.
Surge absorbers for lightning protection are used on utility poles, etc., to release abnormal voltage to the earth in the event of a lightning strike. In this application, they are also called "surge arresters".
Surge Absorbers for open/close surge voltage absorption are used in high-voltage panels.
Surge Absorbers for control circuits are used in LAN circuits and telephone circuits. The main purpose is to protect office automation equipment and precision control equipment from lightning strikes, etc.
In addition to office automation equipment, surge absorbers are used to protect telephones, fax machines, modems, TV antennas, displays, and car navigation systems.
Surge Absorbers are devices that disconnect surge voltage from the main circuit. There are two main types of surge absorbers: those that absorb surge voltages due to ground faults and those that absorb surge voltages due to resistance.
The ground-fault type absorbs only abnormal voltages by means of semiconductors or discharge tubes. This type is used for equipment that may be subject to lightning strikes. The type that absorbs by resistance absorbs abnormal voltages using coils and resistors. Surge absorbers are mainly used to absorb surge voltages other than those caused by lightning strikes.
There are several types of Surge Absorbers. The principle and characteristics differ depending on the type.
The ZnO type surge absorber is the most common type of used for lightning surges. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is a type of semiconductor with low resistance to high voltage.
Grounding a circuit through ZnO allows surge voltages to escape to the earth in the event of an abnormality. It is used in a wide range of circuits from small to large capacitance circuits.
A capacitor or resistor is installed in parallel with the circuit to be protected. The capacitor acts to protect the circuit by passing current through the resistor in the event of an abnormally high voltage. They are mainly used in small-capacity circuits and are sometimes called surge killers.
A diode is installed in parallel with the circuit to be protected, and the rectifying action of the diode absorbs the surge voltage. They can only be used in DC circuits and are used in circuits with relatively small capacitance.
A grounded discharge tube is built into the circuit to release high voltages to the earth. The inside of the tube is filled with inert gas, and the operating voltage is adjusted according to the gap in the tube. While large-capacity discharges are possible, there is a disadvantage of slow operation speed.
In addition to the above, there are surge absorbers that use thyristors for grounding. Surge absorbers act as a device that does not exist in the circuit during normal operation when no surges are present. When a surge enters the circuit, the surge absorber quickly absorbs the surge current and protects the circuit.
In practice, however, surge absorbers inevitably have a delay before they react. The longer the delay time, the more damage is caused to the circuit; surge absorbers using semiconductors such as ZnO type have a feature of short delay time. For this reason, ZnO type surge absorbers are the most common type of surge absorber today.
Today's precision equipment is becoming more and more vulnerable to surges as it becomes more sophisticated and compact. Thyristors and ZnO elements also have large capacitance, and there is a danger of distorting the waveform of weak electric circuits, so they must be incorporated with consideration.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Time Mark Corp., founded in 1972 and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a manufacturer of special control devices and related accessories for various industrial applications. The company's product folio includes 3-phase monitors and testers, current monitors, liquid level controls, transformers, and, transducers that have a variety of uses in digital transmission, electronics gadgets, appliances, energy, and, electrical industries. The company also offers a 5-year warranty on 3-Phase Monitors and all other standard products have a 1-year warranty.
Littlefuse was founded in 1927 and headquartered in the United States. Littlefuse is a diversified industrial technology manufacturing company with customers globally. Littlefuse has products segments which are electronic, industrial, and transportation. Electronic segment products include fuses and fuse accessories, positive temperature coefficient resettable fuses, polymer electrostatic discharge suppressors, and varistors. Transportation products include blade, resettable, and high-current and high-voltage fuses, as well as battery cable protectors; fuses, switches, relays, circuit breakers, and power distribution modules. The Industrial segment offerings include contactors, transformers, and temperature sensors for use in renewable energy and energy storage systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, HVAC systems.
Matsuo Electric Co.,Ltd., founded in 1949 in Japan, is a specialty component manufacturer of tantalum capacitors, film capacitors, and circuit protection components. The company's microelectronics products include small size, long life, chip tantalum capacitors, leaded tantalum capacitors, fuses, and PET and PPS-type film capacitors used by original equipment manufacturers in a wide variety of industries, including the automotive, electronics, space, and healthcare markets for fire alarms, personal computers, power tools, hearing aids, automotive navigation, and many more devices. Matsuo Electric Co.,Ltd.'s products are RoHS compliant.
KOA Corporation, established in 1940 in Minowa-machi, Japan, is a manufacturer of electronic components. The company provides an extensive product range including resistors, current sense shunt resistors, fuses, thermal sensors, and inductors. These quality components find applications in industries such as automotive, ecology, energy conservation, telecommunications, power supply units, and home appliances. Operating under the guiding principles of circulation, finite resources, harmony, and enrichment, it continues to provide sustainable electronic solutions to cater to the ever-changing demands of global industries.
Levtech Service and Production SRL is a contract manufacturer specializing in electronic devices established in Lueta, Harghita, Romania, in 2016. The company offers a range of capabilities, including repair services for fuel station electronics such as pumps or dispensers, and CNC machining and manufacturing. It also offers custom development services for electronic devices such as controllers or transmitters, from design to production. The company chiefly serves clients in the automotive, consumer electronics, and semiconductor industries.
Telegärtner, a company founded in 1945 and headquartered in Steinenbronn, Germany, is a manufacturer and supplier of connectivity solutions. The company specializes in providing a diverse range of products, including coaxial connectors, network components, plastic injection moldings, industrial electronics, and cable assembly, catering to various industries like telecommunications, data centers, and industrial applications. Their offerings are utilized to establish communication networks. The company also provides customer services, offering technical support, and delivery to meet customers’ needs.
E-Tech Components, Ltd., established in the UK in 2004, is a specialist wholesaler and distributor of high-power electrical cable accessories to the telecommunications, wind and renewable energy, rail, oil, gas, and nuclear power industries, as well as to major construction projects worldwide. Acquired by Lagercrantz Group in 2017, E-Tech Components, Ltd. holds an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) certification and supports customers with design, training, and in-house tool repair and calibration. The company's cable accessories include cable terminals, crimp terminals, copper tube terminals, crimp tools, cable glands, earthing products, and earth rods.
Ranking as of March 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Flexicraft Industries |
28.6%
|
2 | Time Mark Corp. |
14.3%
|
3 | E-Tech Components |
14.3%
|
4 | Littelfuse, Inc |
14.3%
|
5 | Levtech Service and Production SRL |
7.1%
|
6 | Telegärtner |
7.1%
|
7 | KOA Corporation |
7.1%
|
8 | Matsuo Electric Co.,Ltd. |
7.1%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the surge absorber page as of March 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 3 | 50.0% |
Japan | 2 | 33.3% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 16.7% |
44 products are listed.
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