Fifty years of vacuum interrupter development in the UK

From the very beginning the UK has significantly contributed to the development of the vacuum interrupter. During the early years of the technology important techniques and materials were developed which today form the basis of much of modem design. The copper chromium material is now universally used. The approach of simultaneously designing both the product and the manufacturing process led to the "One Shot Seal Off" technique, which today is the manufacturing method of choice. Innovations such as the "Shieldless" interrupters have shown a willingness to try what conventional wisdom said was not possible, together with the skills to make the solutions work. The UK success was recognised by the award of two Nelson Gold Medals (1983 & 1996) for workers in this field. Over the past fifty years the world has moved away from national companies and technology towards a multinational view. With the transfer of ALSTOM's facilities to France, vacuum interrupter design and manufacture has now physically ceased in the UK.