History...

Incorporated in the State of Illinois under a Charter issued July 11, 1952, Plastic Capacitors, Inc., has remained a privately held corporation. Its history has included a steady record of expansion, research and product reliability. Employing about 100 people, it is classified as a "Small Business" by U.S. Government definitions. Due to its manageable size, it is usually more responsive to special customer requirements than large firms might be.

P.C.I. product lines are a combination of off-the-shelf and special High Voltage products. About half of sales are represented by custom designed items that are not contained in this Web Site. Capacitors for 250KV RMS 60MZ powerline use or high frequency AC; power supplies for X-ray CAT scanners, lasers and electrostatic coating; are examples of commonplace production at P.C.I.

The headquarters for Plastic Capacitors, Inc., is a building of 50,000 square feet, covering an acre of land, located on the northwest side of Chicago. All of our products are made with pride in the U.S.A.

With a Chicago location, in the industrial heartland of the United States, Plastic Capacitors, Inc., has access to the most complete transportation center in the world . . . O'Hare International Airport, the Port of Chicago, huge rail and truck terminals in Chicago, Joliet and Peoria, Illinois . . . which provide daily service to all domestic markets and hundreds of overseas destinations.

Type Of Products Manufactured...

Capacitors...

A product line that will satisfy virtually any high voltage requirement. The thousands of catalog items and variations are complimented by many years of design experience in producing special configurations for defense, industrial and commercial applications. Discharge capacitors are available from P.C.I. as our "LJ" line or on special order in other configurations. CONSULT OUR ENGINEERING STAFF WITH YOUR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.

Pulse-Forming Networks...

PFN's for short, these are components which deliver a shaped pulse of energy at a high level of intensity. Used in radar systems, this shapes the pulse of power that is transmitted, reflected by a flying object and received to form the "blip" on the radar screen. Basically, a PFN is just a bank of capacitors connected to a specially turned coil. For an in-depth examination of this topic, see Pulse-Forming Networks page.

Power Supplies...

Plastic Capacitors, Inc., manufactures a standard, off-the-shelf, series of AC to high voltage DC power packs... our widely specified "HV-M" series.
These are generally referred to as "brute force" power supplies, since they are not considered to have close regulation as regards input voltage fluctuation vs. output voltage change.
All standard line items function within specified parameters with inputs of 50 to 500 Hz, sine wave or square wave, at the rated input voltage. The standard "HV-M" series is designed for U.S. domestic line voltage; the "HV-M" export series is constructed with separate inputs for 220, 230 and 240 volts. Both are stocked, the domestic series in depth. All are single phase power operation.

Special Power Supplies...

What do you need? A non-metallic case, to avoid the need for a large, expensive bushing? A plug in output for X-ray use? A higher voltage or current rating than is shown in our catalog? How about a 500 Hz input or a low voltage DC to HV DC supply? Call (773) 489-2233 or E-mail for more information!

High Voltage Transformers...

We manufacture our own transformers for the power packs that we supply. Over the years, we have also supplied custom high voltage transformers for electronic applications. Usually, our XFMRS are hermetically sealed and filled with a non-toxic oil, to inhibit corona; we can also supply open-frame or encapsulated assemblies, as your design criteria may specify. Call (773) 489-2233 or E-mail for more information!

Military Products...

While many of our capacitors are used in Military applications that may reference MIL-C-25, MIL-C-18312 or MIL-C-19978, NONE of our devices are certified to Qualified Products Lists (QPL) for any of these specifications. Our products are industrial equivalents to the QPL items and, in many cases, are considerably smaller than their QPL counterparts.

Corona Suppression Devices...

The corona caps and corona spheres that are used on our "OT" capacitors and "HV-M" power packs are available for sale and can make excellent add-ons to your existing equipment.