Meltric Decontactor Can Save You Time & Improve Safety

How did Meltric outgrow & outperform conventional technology?

A $23.6 million wastewater treatment plant in Wisconsin suffered firsthand from the pitfalls of hardwired engineering when one of the submersible mixers malfunctioned, putting the entire tank out of service for a day. This left the technicians to ponder for a more viable solution, one that would have minimum installation time and excellent performance without compromising the safety of any plant asset.

The soution? The plant’s mixers were fitted with Meltric Decontactors as they checked all the marks for an efficient, long-term solution

Meltric’s Decontactors series switch-rated plugs and receptacles provide synergetic set of features, combining the safety of disconnect switches and the convenience of a plug. Their state-of-the-art design and fabrication through high quality materials make sure users have the ability to safely make and break connections under full load during normal operation as well as faults.

Here’s how the contact mating sequence goes:

1. The ground closes first
2. The neutral follows
3. Then the phases
4. Finally, the auxiliary contacts

The mechanism is simple. The circuit is broken as the operation ring is depressed, which in turn releases the energy in the spring-loaded mechanism, breaking off any connection instantaneously. It takes 15 milliseconds for the Decontactors to isolate the circuit. Re-insertion of the plug automatically reloads the spring-mechanism.

Built for Reliance

The use of silver-nickel alloy with the butt-style contacts only adds to the overall strength of the Decontactors, giving it consistency over long-term usage. The end-to-end mating mechanism eliminates the chances of any wear and tear adversely affecting the plug’s overall performance.

Such features are completely over-the-top for conventional pin and sleeve style contacts which are not only inefficient but are also unsafe, accumulating resistance and heat loss with the passage of time. This runs the risk of malfunction quite high, adding to increased costs as well as wastage of time.

Elimination of Exposure Hazards

Meltric Decontactor devices are built with safety shutters so that before the plug can be removed, the receptacle contacts become out-of-bounds for the user. This shields the user from hazardous exposure such as arcing and live connections, during or after the removal of the plug.

The plug has to be rotated 30 degrees in the counter-clockwise direction for removal, which automatically closes and locks the safety shutter. This creates a fine insulation barrier between the user and the receptacle contacts.

Arcing, which is one of the biggest electrical hazards during switch operation is completely isolated with Decontactor devices. The problem is inherent to pin & sleeve type devices but Meltric has eliminated it by trapping the excess energy within an enclosed arc chamber. The rotation of the plug confirms this, and closes all paths that could lead to a shock, thus, eliminating the possibility of drawing an arc.

Reduction in Cost

Through top-notch design and build quality, Meltric’s Decontactors not only improve safety and reduce time wastage, but also considerably bring down the equipment and operating costs. Replacement motors and other supplementary equipment required by Decontactor devices are already pre-wired, and the whole unit requires a simple plug and play. This reduces change-out downtime by 50%, allowing resources to be diverted towards more critical tasks.

Furthermore, the use of Decontactor devise also reduces the onsets of accidents, injuries and their related costs. Faster changeout means more productivity, and hence greater profits, while the simple usage instructions eliminate the need for highly-trained personnel, which once again burdens the company.

Meltric Decontactor Technology is implementable to a broad range of applications such as Air Compressors, Welding Machines, Process Pumps, Trailing Systems, Conveyer Systems, Hoists and Cranes, and so on. Basically, every place where the pin and sleeve resulted in reduced performance and output.

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