This section provides an overview for electric cutouts as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 14 electric cutout manufacturers and their company rankings.
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An electric cutout is a switch, a small switchgear designed to cut off electricity. An electric cutout used for high voltages, especially commercial voltages such as 6,600 V, is called a high-voltage electric cutout.
The case of the electric cutout is made of highly insulating porcelain, and the circuit is opened by opening the lid of this case. Inside the electric cutout is a fuse to protect the equipment connected downstream from the high current that would flow in the event of a short circuit.
There are two types of high-voltage electric cutout, box type and tubular type, used in different applications.
Electric cutouts are installed at indoor pull-in and branch points, and high-voltage cutoffs are installed upstream of pole-top transformers.
The electric cutouts are a switch for a circuit, so if you do not want current to flow in the circuit during construction or inspection, open the lid of the electric cutout to turn it off and shut off the electricity.
High-voltage electric cutouts are also used to interrupt the 6,600 V voltage used in overhead lines, etc. They are installed on the wires connected to the overhead lines to open and close the circuit in the same way as electric cutouts for low-voltage lines.
The electric cutouts have two purposes: one is to cut off electricity, and the other is to protect the equipment connected to the electric circuit by blowing a fuse when an overcurrent flows through it by incorporating a fuse.
The electric cutouts are turned on and off by opening and closing the lid, not by using a lever or button. When the lid is opened, the metal parts separate and electricity stops, and when the lid is closed, the metal parts stick together and electricity flows. On the other hand, opening and closing the lid repeatedly renders the device unusable, and it will reach the end of its service life after about 100 times of opening and closing.
A similar device is a circuit breaker, which trips when a large current, such as a short-circuit current, flows through it, but can be used again by lifting the breaker lever. However, in the case of electric cutouts, the fuse melts and blows when a short-circuit current flows, so the fuse must be replaced before the circuit breaker can be used again.
In addition, elements made of ZnO, or zinc oxide, are used in cutoffs for lightning protection. Zinc oxide has high resistance at low voltages, but low resistance at high voltages, such as lightning strikes. This non-ohmic property of zinc oxide is used to protect the circuit by allowing surge current to flow through the zinc oxide and escape to ground when a surge current is generated by a lightning strike.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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ABB E-mobility provides electric vehicle charging solutions for customers around the globe. ABB E-mobility offers DC fast chargers as well as AC chargers with focus on reliability and uptime. Since 2010, ABB E-mobility has sold over 50,000 DC fast chargers and over 1 million total AC chargers. ABB E-mobility offers home single and multi-charge units, retail, workplace, and hospitality charge units, electric vehicle fleet sales, as well as public transportation. Additionally, numerous digital solutions and software services are available.
Hybrid Electronics is a global distribution specialist of electronic components, with access to over 50 million unique components. Among the markets HE serves are the aerospace, automotive, communications, defense, industrial, medical, national security, and test & measurement industries. In addition to components, HE also provides quality and compliance testing, counterfeit detection, upscreening, and other forms of quality control. Examples of component subtypes that HE offers include ICs, batteries, capacitors, semiconductor products, sensors, circuit protection, interconnectors, filters, optoelectronics, relays, switches, power supplies, and cables and cable assemblies.
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