Polypropylene (PP) film capacitors are a commoncapacitor used in electrical equipment. They are made of two pieces of thin plastic film, charged with electrodes as the dielectric. They can replace electrolytic capacitors in applications where the voltage is above 500V.

RS have a great range of capacitors including these polypropylene film capacitors in various capacitance, voltage ratings and tolerances for all your electronics needs.

Types of polypropylene film capacitors

There are two main formats of polypropylene film capacitors. They can be recognised by the type of dielectric (insulating) material used. Firstly, film foil has two metal foil electrodes separated with two plastic films. Whereas metallised film has two very thin layers of metallisation, with plastic film as the dielectric. To get the desired electrical characteristics you need, such as stability or ability to withstand high voltage, you can choose different film materials for the dielectric layer.

What are polypropylene film capacitors used for?

These types of film capacitors have a high tolerance and voltage resistance which means polypropylene film capacitors are used in a wide range of electric applications. These include switching power supplies, high voltage circuit applications, lighting ballast systems and circuits with high peak current levels.

Do polypropylene capacitors have polarity?

These types of film capacitors are non-polarised meaning that they are not polarity sensitive.