Supercapacitors or ultracapacitors offer unique advantages like ultrafast charging, reliable operation spanning millions of duty cycles alongside wide operating temperatures and collaborative integration with batteries or fuel cells for energy storage applications. This drives adoption across automotive, grid infrastructure and electronics industry.
This article profiles the top 10 global supercapacitor manufacturers providing state of the art ultracapacitor cells and modules catering to varying energy, power density and form factor requirements.
Overview of Supercapacitors
Unlike batteries storing charge chemically, supercapacitors rely on formation of electrical double layer of ions physically across large surface area electrodes sandwiching a thin electrolyte dielectric to store energy electrostatically.
Advantages
- Charge in seconds compared to hours for batteries
- Withstand millions of duty cycles without wear and tear
- Operate in wide temperature range (-40°C to +65°C)
- Deliver both high power and high energy density
- Simple charging circuits avoid overcharge risks
- Environmentally friendly with no heavy metals or toxic chemicals
These merits make them ideal for cost/weight sensitive industries needing efficient capturing of recuperative braking energy or peak power buffering yielding fuel savings alongside reliability benefits.
Now let’s profile the top supercapacitor manufacturers serving global markets.
1. Murata
Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd specializes in electronic components including capacitors, sensors and power supply modules counting among the world’s largest component makers with over $5 billion in revenues.
Their lineup of snap-in supercapacitors includes:
Supercapacitors for Memory Backup
- Small SMD variants for onboard energy storage backing up RTCs, SSDs and DRAMs during external power failures
- Capacitance – 0.22F to 1F
- Voltage – 2.5V to 5.5V
Cylindrical Ultracapacitors
- Diameter – 8mm to 25mm
- Capacitance – 1F to 500F
- Voltage – 2.3V to 2.7V
Button Ultracapacitors
- Diameter – 6.8mm to 25mm
- Capacitance – 0.47F to 30F
- Voltage – 2.2V to 2.85V
Large Can Ultracapacitors
- Diameter – 35mm to 72mm
- Capacitance – 40F to 33,000F
- Voltage – 2.5V to 2.85V
With global marketing reach spanning Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific regions, Murata’s consistent quality and reliability make them a trusted player in the passive components landscape.
2. Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a century old diversified Japanese conglomerate counting among the biggest appliance, battery and components manufacturers globally with consolidated revenues of over $62 billion.
They provide wide reaching supercapacitor solutions including:
- Goldcap brand large can ultracapacitors with maximum capacitance of 2800F supporting peak power discharges.
- Stacked ultracapacitors modules attaining capacities of 132,000F for industrial backup power usage. The modules integrate balancing and overvoltage protection.
- Supercapacitor backup packs for energy harvesting circuits to enable uninterrupted RTC retention during outages.
- Cylindrical ultracapacitor modules for automotive and transportation industry applications including regen Braking energy recovery needing high pulse charge/discharge rating.
With an international footprint spanning both sales and manufacturing, Panasonic meets varying geographical demands for commercial to industrial grade ultracapacitor offerings.
3. Rubycon
Rubycon Corporation founded in 1950 is Japanese electronic components giant specializing in aluminum electrolytic capacitors and power inductors counting annual revenues of approximately $600 million.
They provide commercial and industrial grade supercapacitor product lines encompassing:
- Button – Coin type ultracapacitors in through hole and surface mount formats from 5F to 60F range
- Snap-in – Cylindrical variants from 0.047F to 100F for rapid peaks handling
- Stack – Module assemblies from 6F to 500F for backup power usage
Rubycon leverages latest manufacturing automation technology ensuring high quality consistency across worldwide shipments. For supercapacitors, Rubycon targets moderate energy density markets not requiring ultra precision tolerance needs.
4. CAP-XX
CAP-XX is an Australian company established in 2005 specializing exclusively on R&D and IP licensing of proprietary supercapacitors to consumer, automotive and industrial partners. The venture is backed by over 100 global patents around innovative materials, architectures, packaging and manufacturing processes significantly expanding energy + power envelopes beyond conventional ultracapacitors capabilities.
Their current product lineup includes:
- G Series – For peak assist discharges in slim prismatic form factors
- D Series – Round thumb sized variants for burst power backup usages
- HS Series – High temperature resilience supporting under hood automotive environments
- AC Series – Miniature cuboidal supercaps for RTC domain power holdover
Instead of large capital investment into own manufacturing infrastructure, CAP-XX successfully commercializes their R&D via IP licensing partnerships translating lab innovations into commercial glanced globally by leveraging channels of leading component majors.
5. Eaton
Founded in 1911, Eaton Corporation is a multinational power management company catering to electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power management industries with 2021 sales exceeding $19.6 billion. Eaton owns multiple brands serving OEM equipment sectors via broad range of circuit protection, power distribution, uninterrupted power supply and energy storage solutions.
Eaton supercapacitors offerings under Cooper Bussmann division include:
- Small cell supercapacitors (0.1F-1F) for memory backup and burst power support across operating temperatures ranging -40°C to +70°C
- Configurable ultracapacitor modules customizable from 6V to 48V comprising series stacked cells attaining capacitance over 132,000F as drop-in lead acid battery alternative for UPS systems. Protective heat sinks manage heat dissipation enabling high power delivery.
With an extensive global footprint spanning over 170 countries alongside application expertise powering critical systems, Eaton reliably delivers commercial to military grade supercapacitor systems.
6. Tecate Group
Founded in 2005 and headquartered in California, Tecate Group provides complete end-to-end vertically integrated ultracapacitor solutions from initial client requirements analysis to designing customized cells to installing packaged modules matching quality benchmarks through their global manufacturing facilities spanning USA, Korea and China containing entire supply chain ensuring performance consistency and shorter lead times that contract manufacturing relationships.
Their extensive supercapacitor product lineup includes:
Cells
- Diverse packages including cylindrical, coin, prismatic etc providing optimal flexibility for given volume constraints
- Ultra low ESR variants to minimize parasitic losses during GigaWatt discharge bursts
- High current cells rated up to 9400A pulse handling meeting demands of hyperfast EV charging stations
Modules
- Flexible supporting voltages requirements from 2.7V to over 500V via series cell stacking
- Integrated safety features like cell balancing, temperature and voltage oversight built-in avoiding need for external protection circuitry
Tecate offers supercapacitor based solutions tailored to clients goals rather than one-size-fits all standard catalog products enabled by complete supply chain control translating to better tuned outcomes optimizing critical metrics around energy density, temperature ratings or charging cycle lifetime needs.
7. LS Mtron
Established in 1962, LS Mtron is flagship member of South Korean chaebol LS Group which holds diversified business portfolios spanning petrochemicals, cables, batteries to electronic components including multilayer ceramic capacitors and telecom modules with consolidated revenues over $10 billion.
LS Mtron supercapacitors lineup encompasses:
- Button cells capacitance 0.1F to 100F supporting operating temperatures range -40°C to +85°C
- Snap-in and large cylindrical variants from 1F to 3000F
- Integrated modules for industrial backup power and UPS systems
Besides established pedigree over half century of manufacturing expertise, LS Mtron serves clients locally within Korea plus maintains extensive overseas exports distributing products globally.
8. Jinzhou Kaimei
Founded in 2003, Jinzhou Kaimei Power Co specializes in R&D, design and manufacturing of automotive grade ultracapacitor cells and modules counting among pioneering Chinese firms delivering supercapacitors matching quality and reliability required by advanced semiconductor fabrication chain enabling usage in flagship EV cars and energy storage systems with billion cycle durability.
Product spectrum comprises:
- KAMCR series cylindrical cells provide 1000F+ capacitance with 2.7V ratings able to endure over million charge/discharge cycles. Used across automotive, transportation sectors.
- KAMCN rectangular ultracapacitor cells cram 2700F into compact brick sizes for applications needing high energy density.
- Special extreme fast charging optimized cells withstand 14000 amps supporting acceleration and regenerative needs of high performance electric supercars
- Custom battery supercapacitor hybrid packs
Kaimei keeps investing into upgraded pilot labs and semi-automated winding assembly lines adopting Japanese oversight principles ensuring consistency as production volumes scale delivering high energy density and low ESR supercaps solutions tailored around client size, voltage and form factors constraints.
9. ELNA America
Started 1947 in Japan, ELNA group is global capacitors manufacturer providing wide spectrum from ceramic, film, electrolytic and super caps with revenues over $300 million. Americas demand is addressed by dedicated ELNA America subsidiary formed through merger of Northwest Capacitors known for its electrolytic capacitor expertise.
ELNA America supercapacitors lineup includes commercial and automotive grades:
- DZ series – Slim profile screw terminal supercapacitor modules rated from 25F to 200F at 2.3V primarily aimed at peak power assist and backup across industrial segments.
- Silcap UL series – Button cells and snap in variants focus on temperature resilience with working span from -40°C to +85°C. Used for power holdover functions.
Alongside consistent quality as expected from a Japanese conglomerate, ELNA America leverages application intimacy with clients designing customized ultracapacitors rectifying pain points instead of one size fits all commoditized cells.
10. TDK
TDK Corporation founded 1935 in Tokyo is a leading electronic components manufacturer counting among recognized brands for capacitors, sensors, power adapters and batteries generating $12 billion plus consolidated revenues globally.
Their ultracapacitor portfolio encompasses:
- Gold capacitors series – Screw type cylindrical cells in capacitance range 1.5F to 30F supporting memory backup and burst power assist usages across wide -40°C to 85°C temperature span.
- Ultracap series – Large can 3000F cells configured into stack modules scale from 8V to 25V for industrial and UPS energy storage applications requiring product operational durability spanning 15+ years.
With expertise and rich heritage spanning over myriad passive components and inductive solutions, TDK meets the gamut from prototyping needs to mass production demands for supercapacitors leveraging their overseas as well domestic manufacturing sites and expansive sales infrastructure catering to global markets.
Notable Mentions
Other significant manufacturers providing specialized ultracapacitor solutions for defense, aerospace and automobile segments include Maxwell, Sunwoda, NESSCAP and Skeleton Technologies.
Comparison of Top Supercapacitor Manufacturers
| Manufacturer | Country | Cell Offerings | Modules | Key Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murata | Japan | Coin, cylinder and large can cells | Yes | Consumer electronics backup power |
| Panasonic | Japan | Goldcaps, stacked modules | Yes | Memory retention, energy recovery |
| Rubycon | Japan | Button, snap-ins and stacked modules | Yes | UPS and backup systems |
| CAP-XX | Australia | G, D and AC series cells | Yes | High temp automotive |
| Eaton | USA | Small cells and large modules | Yes | UPS, telecom, automotive |
| Tecate | USA | Customized cells + integrated modules | Yes | Defense, aviation, automotive |
| LS Mtron | Korea | Button, cylinders | Yes | Electronics, battery hybrids |
| Jinzhou Kaimei | China | High current capability cells | Yes | Electric vehicles and supercars |
| ELNA America | Japan/USA | DZ screw terminal modules | Yes | Electronics backup power |
| TDK | Japan | Goldcaps series cells, Ultracaps | Yes | Energy storage, UPS |
This covers leading supercapacitor manufacturers delivering solutions for electronics, automotive transportation, grid infrastructure decision makers selecting suitable ultracapacitors types balancing key metrics like energy density, temperature resilience, peak current capabilities and mounting form factors for given application environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some commonly asked questions regarding supercapacitors:
Q. How is rated lifetime determined for supercapacitors?
Accelerated testing calculates expected operational lifetime by extrapolating from cycling units over compressed test duration spanning days or weeks cycled continuously under peak charge and discharge rates, temperature and humidity to simulate aging over years of real world loading.
Q. What causes supercapacitors to wear out eventually?
While absence of chemical breakdown mechanisms impart near unlimited duty cycle endurance, factors like electrolyte evaporation, external corrosion, insulation seals degradation on prolonged usage spanning decades slowly reduce capacitance levels determining eventual retirement life.
Q. How to integrate protection for supercapacitor modules?
To securely deploy supercapacitor modules in systems, external protection circuitry gets added monitoring against cell imbalance, temperature or voltage excursions outside safe envelopes shutdown charging preventing runaway episodes if operational conditions drift severely due to external factors.
Q. What substitute emerging for supercapacitors?
Graphene ultracapacitors promise order of magnitude surge in energy storage capacity compared to current activated carbon based electrodes potentially brightening adoption horizon as manufacturing costs dampen over time however still nascent technology today.
Q. Do supercapacitors require special disposal?
Unlike lithium batteries, supercapacitors utilize non toxic, non flammable materials hence dispose as normal e-waste conforming to respective regional regulations without needing special handling precautions.
In summary, supercapacitors augment modern electronics systems in cost efficient and environmentally friendly manner compared to batteries better suiting peak power demands alongside energy recovery usage constraints. Selecting right supercapacitor cell or integrated module matching size, voltage, capacitance and temperature requirements allows leveraging their complimentary strengths towards enriching overall system optimization goals.
