New Industry Products

Stackpole Announces Custom Wirewound Product Capabilities

September 21, 2006 by Jeff Shepard

Stackpole Electronics, Inc. announced wirewound resistor engineering and manufacturing capabilities that customers can use to tailor certain products to specific applications. Many wirewound resistor manufacturers have the capability to manufacture non-inductive, fusible, or high pulse withstanding resistors, but Stackpole's custom wirewound capabilities are claimed to extend beyond the usual fusible or non-inductive offerings.

In one case, a customer needed a fusible wirewound, but also needed the part to fuse without explosion or fire, and without creating excessive heat that might ignite nearby flammable materials. By optimizing wire and core materials, tightly controlling the resistor element attachment and utilizing a unique coating material, Stackpole provided an extremely safe fusible wirewound resistor that was suitable for use in residential fire safety equipment.

In another case, a customer needed both the high current capability of a wirewound resistor and the frequency response associated with higher inductance. Standard wirewound resistors are designed to limit inductance as much as possible since they generally have a parasitic or detrimental effect on resistor performance; therefore standard wirewound resistors were eliminated from consideration. The application presented another design challenge since higher current means larger, more robust materials, while higher inductance is most easily achieved with smaller wire for more turns. Stackpole created the right balance of materials to provide a part with the correct pulse withstanding and the right frequency response for the customer.

Another customer needed the continuous performance of a wirewound resistor, but also needed a fusible response faster than what was normally possible with wirewound technology. The part also needed to be longer than normal due to the high voltage requirements of the circuit. Stackpole found the right combination of materials and processes to yield what was essentially a wirewound resistor with circuit protection characteristics similar to that of a commercial fuse.

Stackpole's new custom wirewound service are claimed to surpass traditional customization. Parameters such as pulse load capability, inductance and lead forming, as well as material and final component size / power rating combinations, can easily be tailored to meet customer demands.