Industrial · European-built machinery
Industrial breaker and contactor repair for European-built plant
A line, press or compressor built in Europe often arrives with its own IEC switchboard: Masterpact or Emax at the top, TeSys LC1F and other large contactors below. When those fail, the local replacement rarely fits. We repair the original in our UK workshop and fly it back tested and certified.
- ContactorsLC1F 265–2100 A, AF, 3RT/3TF
- BreakersMasterpact · Emax · 3WL · IZM
- Door to doorAbout 8–11 working days
- Warranty24 months on overhauls
The problem
The machine came with its own switchboard
European machine builders ship complete systems. A packaging line, an injection-molding cell, a paper machine section, a press or a compressor house arrives with the switchgear its designers specified, built to IEC practice. Inside you'll find Schneider Masterpact or ABB Emax breakers, Siemens 3WL, Eaton IZM, and large TeSys LC1F, ABB AF or Siemens 3RT contactors.
Years later, one of those units fails. The local distributor can sell you a current-generation product, but the breaker that fits the board is the one already in it. A different frame means different mounting, different terminations, different control wiring and an engineering change on a machine nobody wants to re-engineer.
We repair the original. Same frame, same footprint, same terminations. It goes back where it came from and the machine runs as it was built.
Where we see them
The industries that bought European
The IEC frames turn up wherever the equipment came from a European builder.
Packaging
Complete lines delivered with their own distribution and motor control.
Plastics
Extrusion and injection-molding plant, where heater and drive contactors cycle all day.
Paper
Machine sections and converting lines with large drive systems and their own LV boards.
Automotive
Presses and assembly lines supplied by European builders.
Food
Processing lines, refrigeration and compressors.
LC1F contactors
TeSys F is obsolete. We still repair it.
The Schneider TeSys F range has been obsolete since 2023, and Schneider's own FAQ says LC1F contactors cannot be repaired. Its answer is TeSys Giga, which means a new part number, and often a new footprint, terminations and control wiring.
We overhaul LC1F frames from 265 A to 2100 A. Main contacts, pole carriers, springs, arc chutes, coils and auxiliary blocks are restored or replaced, then the contactor is proved on the bench before it ships.
- Coil resistance and insulation resistance
- Pick-up and drop-out voltage, and operation at 85% coil voltage
- Contact resistance per pole and insulation resistance phase to phase and to earth
- Electrical and mechanical operations recorded on the certificate
The duty
Plant switchgear works harder, and dirtier, than the drawings assumed
| Duty cycle | Frequent starting, inching and reversing erodes contactor contacts and arc chutes much faster than steady load. |
| Dust | Fine dust from paper, plastics or food processing settles into mechanisms, arc chutes and trip-unit electronics. |
| Oil mist | Mixes with dust into a film that stiffens latches and tracks across insulation. |
| Vibration | Presses, compressors and conveyors loosen terminations, and loose joints run hot. |
| Age | Machinery outlives its switchgear's production run. Masterpact M has been obsolete since 2003. |
For large frames, a contact-set and coil overhaul costs less than a new contactor and avoids the lead time. For small contactors a new one is usually cheaper, and we'll tell you which is which.
Main switchboard
The breakers at the top of the board
Incomers, bus couplers and large feeders. Fixed or drawout, current or obsolete.
Masterpact NW & NT
Fixed and drawout, 630 A to 6300 A, IEC and UL versions.
Masterpact NW & NT
Siemens 3WL
All frame sizes. 3WA trip units don't fit a 3WL.
Siemens 3WL
Emax E1–E6
First-generation Emax with PR111 to PR123 trip units.
Emax E1–E6Masterpact M, obsolete since 2003 Emax 2 Eaton / Moeller IZM, IN, IZMX
Shutdowns and breakdowns
Fit the work around production
For a planned shutdown, send us the list ahead of time. Units come out on the first day, fly to the UK, spend 2–5 working days in the workshop and fly back: about 8–11 working days door to door plus customs clearance. Express cuts the workshop stage to 1–2 days.
For a breakdown, an exchange unit is faster still. We hold many tested units in the UK* and fly one out the day the fault is reported if the model is in stock. When a plant has too many units to air-freight, our engineers can come to you.
*Subject to model and rating.
From the UK
What US plants ask first
You choose DAP, where your broker clears customs, or DDP, where we quote a delivered price. We prepare the commercial invoice and repair-and-return paperwork. Duty treatment depends on classification, and your broker confirms it. Shipping & customs.
Every unit leaves with an injection-test certificate, before and after photos and a parts list. The warranty is 24 months on full overhauls and 12 months on repairs. Warranty.
FAQ
Industrial questions
Schneider says LC1F contactors can't be repaired. Can you?
Yes. We overhaul LC1F frames from 265 A to 2100 A, including arc-damaged units. Our LC1F780 case study shows one that arrived with welded contacts and went back in a week.
Should we repair the old breakers or replace the switchboard?
If the busbars, enclosure and cabling are sound, repair is usually the answer. Switchboards rarely wear out because their breakers are obsolete; the breakers wear. Where a unit is beyond economic repair, we say so.
Is it worth overhauling a contactor rather than buying new?
For large frames, usually yes. For small contactors a new one is often cheaper and quicker. Send us the list and we'll tell you which is which.
Can you work to our shutdown dates?
Yes. Give us the scope early and we'll plan freight and workshop time so the units are back before restart, using Express or exchange units where the window is tight.
What do we need to send for a quote?
A photo of the nameplate, a photo of the unit in its board and a description of the fault. We reply the same working day. Request a quote.
Send us the nameplate
A photo of the nameplate and the fault is enough for a first answer. We reply the same working day with a recommendation and a price for diagnosis and freight.