A Detailed Insight on Polyester Film Capacitors Along With Other Types

Well, before getting into the details of different types of film capacitors along with their mentionable features and applications, it is important to know what a film capacitor is. Film capacitors are basically such capacitors that use a lean film made of plastic as the dielectric. The main part of any film capacitor is this lean and thin film. Based on the required characteristics and features of the film capacitor, this thin film can either be left untreated or can be metalized. Once the film is ready, electrodes are added to it. Now, to protect this assembly from the environmental factors, the entire cluster is anchored into a safe case.

Different Types of Film Capacitors:

Among various types of film capacitors, the widely used ones are polyester film capacitors, polypropylene (PP) film capacitors, metallized film etc. Due to some mentionable and superior features like low inductance, good stability and obviously low cost, these film capacitors are used widely in many important applications. Apart from all these above mentioned hugely popular film capacitors, mixed dielectric film capacitor is also used in many fields.

Wondering what is the basic difference between all these distinct types of film capacitors? Well, it is nothing but the material of the dielectric. Based on the serving purpose and application, this material of the dielectric is chosen.

Features and Applications of Various Types of Film Capacitors:

For your better understandings, here a list of the features and applications of different types of film capacitors has been jotted down briefly.

Polyester film capacitors use polyester and polyethylene terephthalate as its dielectric. Some of the mentionable characteristics and features of these film capacitors are – low absorption of moisture, small sized but efficient enough to compare it functionally to the other type of film capacitor i.e. polypropylene film capacitors. This film capacitor is mainly used in the circuits that are semi-critical.

Polypropylene is used as the dielectric in the polypropylene (PP) film capacitors. Some features of this type of film capacitor are low dissipation factor, narrow capacitances, enhanced insulation resistance etc. This film capacitor is mainly used in the application of AC power, EMI suppression etc.

The metalized film capacitors use PEN, PP, PPS, PET and PTEF as the dielectric. Self-healing is one of the most significant features of such film capacitors.

Well, mixed dielectric film capacitor is manufactured with the combination of single layered polypropylene film and a layer of the tissue paper between the two electrodes made of aluminum foil. This capacitor ensures perfect impregnation along with remarkable insulation strength.