AMI DODUCO Prepares for High-Voltage Infrastructure Market Opportunities

AMI DODUCO, a Technitrol company, announced that it has completed a two-year program to expand production in high-voltage contact technology. Custom-designed furnaces have been acquired, the latest-generation welding equipment brought on board and the mechanical and automated production centers expanded.

“Despite the broad economic slowdown, these investments are timely,” said Christian J. Hagedorn, AMI DODUCO’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Europe. ”At least for the near term, we expect high-voltage electrical infrastructure equipment to be our strongest market, due to continued build-outs in China, India and other developing nations, along with anticipated public policy favoring investments to modernize and upgrade the power grid in developed countries, notably the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Australia.”

Components that are critical to the reliability and durability of high-voltage switchgear include highly erosion-resistant contacts manufactured by AMI DODUCO in Pforzheim. These contacts must be able to switch up to 800,000 Volts of power while withstanding temperatures reaching 20,000°C in the arc during switching.

The stability at high temperatures is achieved by means of a tungsten skeleton infiltrated with copper. As the arc burns, the copper on the contact surface liquefies, simmers and evaporates. As it does, the contact surface cools to about 2,400°C. Because the tungsten frame is stable up to 3300°C, however, the shape of the copper is preserved.

AMI DODUCO is a global leader in electrical contact technology and fabrication. The company supplies contacts and assemblies, contact materials, electroplating and surface treatment services, and precious metal refining and recycling to more than 3,000 customers. AMI DODUCO operates from locations in North America, Europe and Asia. The company’s website is www.amidoduco.com.