Littelfuse Unveils the First Encapsulated Surface Mount Fuse for Intrinsic Safety Protection

Littelfuse Inc., the global leader in circuit protection, has officially introduced the first encapsulated surface mount fuse. It has been designed for intrinsic safety protection of equipment intended for use in or near hazardous locations and explosive atmospheres and certified to the UL 913 Standard. 

 

In the case of overcurrent and short circuit fault conditions, the 1-mm thickness encapsulation around the body of the PICO® 304 Series surface mount fuse minimizes the amount of heat produced and contains sparks or arcs inside the fuse assembly.

 

This prevents their exposure to potentially explosive gases or dust in the environment. It also eliminates the need to pot or coat printed circuit boards or assemblies, saving production time and money to reduce end-product costs. 

 

The PICO® 304 Series is rated for 277V AC/DC with 1500A breaking capacity which makes it suitable for barrier circuits and other circuits separating intrinsically safe circuits from non-intrinsically safe ones. 

 

 

 

Carrying the current ratings from 50mA to 750mA, the series is ideal for limiting fault power available in a circuit and reduces the required power ratings as well as the size of downstream components, wiring, and circuit board traces.

 

Typical applications for the PICO® 304 Series include the following:

 

• Measuring or processing electronic and electrical equipment, motor controllers, communication handsets/two-way radios and associated battery chargers.

 

• Process control and automation equipment, sensors, lighting.

 

• Flow/gas meters in the oil, gas, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other process industries.

• Encapsulated and sealed design meets safety requirements for hazardous locations by preventing sparks from being exposed to potentially explosive gases or dust in the environment. 

 

• It increases the overall safety of production and maintenance equipment in which it is used, and ultimately, the safety of employees working in hazardous locations.

 

• High breaking capacity rating of 1500A and current ratings ranging from 50mA to 750mA enable these intrinsically safe fuses to be designed into a broad variety of applications.

The PICO® 304 Series Fuse is available in surface mount packages in 24mm tape and reel format in quantities of 100 or 800 pieces. Sample requests may be placed through authorized Littelfuse distributors worldwide.

Founded in 1927, Littelfuse is the world leader in circuit protection with growing global platforms in power control and sensing. The company serves customers in the electronics, automotive and industrial markets with technologies including fuses, semiconductors, polymers, ceramics, relays, and sensors. Littelfuse has over 10,000 employees in more than 40 locations throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.