We Design. We Build. We Deliver.
Explore our benchmarked product lineup certified for high-voltage DC isolation, heavy industrial automation, HVAC compressor controls, and energy storage systems.
Headquartered in Sterling, Illinois, Altran Magnetics designs, builds, and delivers engineered power switching components, EMI filters, and solid-state relays for global OEMs.
Every power switch, magnetic contactor, and relay platform is engineered to meet strict international standards, including UL, cUL, CE, CSA, and RoHS/REACH requirements. Full compliance declarations and test data ship with qualification samples.
We modify coil voltages, termination configurations, auxiliary contacts, and mounting footprints to match your application schematics. Custom parts are locked under strictly managed customer-specific part numbers and drawing revision controls.
Our high-voltage DC contactors utilize hermetically sealed, gas-filled chamber assemblies or precision epoxy-encapsulated coils, preventing contact welding and sustaining zero-wear operations up to 1,500 VDC under demanding duty cycles.
The global electrical transition toward high-voltage direct current (HVDC) architectures—driven by Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI), Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and Solar PV integration—has radically redefined requirements for power switches and contactors. Legacy AC switching mechanisms are fundamentally incapable of breaking high-voltage DC arcs due to the absence of a natural voltage zero-crossing point. Consequently, top power switch manufacturers are introducing transformative technological innovations.
Modern 1000V to 1500V DC contactors employ sealed ceramic chambers backfilled with high-dielectric gases (such as hydrogen or nitrogen mixtures). When contacts separate under heavy load (up to 500A continuous), the gas rapidly cools and deionizes the electric arc plasma. This design prevents contact oxidation, reduces contact resistance to sub-milliohm levels, and eliminates catastrophic contact welding during emergency fault clearing.
Traditional electromagnetic coils consume continuous hold-in power, generating substantial waste heat within enclosed control panels. Next-generation magnetic contactors integrate dual-coil architectures or built-in Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) economizer circuits. The coil draws high inrush current for milliseconds to pick up the armature, then instantly throttles power consumption down by 70% to 90%, dramatically reducing panel operating temperatures and thermal stress on adjacent electronics.
In power factor correction (PFC) banks and solar inverter DC-bus pre-charge circuits, connecting uncharged capacitors induces massive peak inrush currents (often exceeding 100 times nominal rating). Advanced AC contactors (such as the CJ19 switching capacitor series) incorporate auxiliary contacts equipped with damping resistors. These early-make contacts absorb the transient current spike micro-seconds before main contacts close, extending component service life by over 300%.
Selecting the ideal power switch supplier requires evaluating technical capabilities, compliance verification, and total cost of ownership (TCO) beyond initial unit price.
As enterprise procurement managers navigate supply chain complexities in 2025–2030, power switching component procurement has shifted from generic off-the-shelf buying to strategic engineering partnerships. Below is an OEM evaluation matrix comparing commodity suppliers against specialized power switching manufacturers:
| Evaluation Parameter | Standard Commodity Suppliers | Altran Magnetics & Tier-1 Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage & Current Range | Limited to standard 240V/480V AC AC-3 ratings | High-voltage DC up to 1,500 VDC, 10A–500A continuous |
| Arc Suppression Tech | Open air chutes subject to environmental degradation | Hermetically gas-filled ceramic chambers & epoxy sealing |
| Customization Capabilities | Fixed catalog SKUs; high MOQ for custom leads | Tailored coil voltages, busbars, wiring harnesses, & private labeling |
| Compliance Documentation | Self-declarations; delayed UL/CE file numbers | Full UL, cUL, CE, CSA file numbers, REACH/RoHS composition reports |
| Quality Control | Batch sampling (AQL inspection) | 100% automated functional, dielectric withstand, & contact resistance testing |
Answers to key technical inquiries faced by electrical engineers and sourcing specialists when specifying power switching components.
Consult with our Sterling, Illinois application engineers today. We review load profiles, environmental constraints, and compliance requirements to deliver optimal power switching components for your production line.
