Know how

 

Research and development

 

ICAR is a leader in designing and manufacturing metallised polypropylene film and  metallised paper capacitors for electrical use.  

ICAR’s R&D department is endowed with comprehensive product knowledge concerning the dielectric material employed, the metallization, the electrical, thermal and mechanical design thanks to a full vertical integration of all capacitor production stages.

Our technicians can also tune the intermediate processing stages the end product must undergo to reach the level of performance, quality and reliability required by our customers.

ICAR's R&D department adds outstanding skills when it comes to testing the outcome of design, development and production stages.

As a matter of fact, ICAR can fully develop exclusive capacitor automated testing equipment, compliant with current regulations and/or with specific "custom" tests agreed with the customers.

Also LV power factor correction systems and LV voltage stabilisers are designed and developed by in-house specialised technical teams.

 

 

Testing laboratories

 

Tests are performed according to main product standards:

 

• EN60871 (HV static power factor correction capacitors)
• EN60252 (Motor run capacitors)
• EN60831 ((LV static self-healing power factor correction capacitors)
• EN61048 -EN61049 (capacitors for fluorescent lighting and similar applications)
• EN61071 (Capacitors for power electronics)

• EN61881 (Rolling stock equipment - capacitors for power electronics)

 

Performed tests include:

 

• AC 50Hz voltage tests up to 350kV;

• DC voltage tests up to 250kV;

• AC / DC  endurance tests with test temperature from  -50°C  to 110 °C;

• Short-circuit tests;

• Measurement of inductance and internal series resistance;

• Capacitance and tan δ measurement with frequencies up to 100kHz;

• Tests with predefined impulsive currents;

• Thermal tests with traditional thermal recording and/or thermal imaging recording;

  impulse tests: 3/15kV and up to 250kV;

• High frequency tests up to 100kHz;
• Thermal cycles from -50°C to +110°C with humidity up to 95%.

 

The indoor testing laboratories are arranged over more than 1000 sqm.

Monza premises host a facility exceeding 600 sq m of such surface.

In detail, the testing laboratory at Monza site is IMQ certified according to EN ISO IEC 17025 standard, 2005 edition. 

The laboratory is licensed for:

 

• tests  carried out in compliance with product main reference standards;

• assisted testing within certification processes in compliance with the above-mentioned standards;
• applying exact test procedures;

• performing measurements complying with national or international measurement standards;

• defining measurement uncertainty.

 

 

Individual tests, compliant to CEI EN 60439, are carried out on LV power factor regulators and on LV voltage stabilisers in the laboratory at the LV production plant.

 

All devices produced by ICAR undergo testing.