Home Electrical Contacts Applications

Each contact application must be analyzed on its own merits. Electrical circuit considerations, mechanical forces, environmental and service requirements (among other aspects) are relevant to the contact application. As you likely already know, similar applications often use very different materials that depend on the very specific circumstances of the application. Please call or email us with your inquiries and let CMW work for you in your search for the product, component or material that is right for your application.

For more information concerning common applications using CMW® electrical contacts and contact assemblies, click on the links below.

Aircraft Circuit Breakers and Relays
Aircraft Contactors
Rotary Switches
Industrial Controls and Relays
Limit Switches
Knife Switches
Door Closure Mechanisms
Motor Controllers and Line Starters
Load Tap Changers
Reclosers
Vacuum Switchgear, Breakers and Interrupters
Diesel Electric Locomotive and Mining Equipment Contactors
Material Handling Truck Switching

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Most common aircraft circuit breakers and relays require direct current, high-reliability circuit protection for control and/or enabling systems or indicating alarms.

• Heavy duty contacts include CMW Elkonite® G12, G13, G14, G17, G18, 35S, and D54®
• Medium duty contacts include CMW D54® and CMW® D55
• Light duty contacts include CMW D54X®, D54F®, CMW® D55X, D55F, Fine Silver

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Contacts for high reliability make and break cycles.

• Best materials include CMW D54®, D54F®, D54X®

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Sliding and selector switches for enabling systems.

• Best materials include CMW D54®, CMW D54X®, CMW® Fine Silver

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Devices for controlling machines, automation, process controls and indicating alarm conditions.

• Best materials include Elkonite® 20S, 35S, 50S, CMW Elkonite® G12, G13, G17, G18, D50, D56, D54®, D54F®, D54X®

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Switches for limiting travel, movement or cycles.

• Best materials include CMW® Coin Silver

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Switches for higher voltage applications that often experience light arcing.

• Best materials include CMW® D58, D1058

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Fail-safe type mechanisms for door control in elevators.

• Best materials include CMW® Coin Silver

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Delivering variable amp current to ramp up or ramp down electric motors and for high in-rush motor starting applications.

• The CMW® silver-cadmium oxide family of materials perform best in these high amperage switching applications. These materials include CMW D54F®, CMW® D55F, D154F and D355F

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High voltage transformer applications under load experiencing moderate to severe arcing.

• Best materials include Elkonite® 1W3, 3W3, 5W3 tips on copper for arc resistance.
• Best materials also include Elkonite® 40W3, 50W3 for arc resistance

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Devices that eliminate contact bounce.

• Best materials in air include Elkonite® Silver Tungsten
• Best materials in oil include Elkonite® Copper Tungsten

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In these types of applications, resistance to arcing is important. Due to the speed that the circuit is turned off, current chopping is a factor.

• Elkonite® 40W3 and 50W3 are frequently used.
• In some applications, a Silver Tungsten Carbide Elkonite® such as CMW Elkonite® 1060 is used. This helps reduce the current chopping by putting some silver in the plasma arc, slowing the speed that the arc extinguishes.

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High amperage, DC applications for electric motor control and switching.

• The CMW® Silver Cadmium Oxide family of materials perform the best.
• Other materials include CMW D54®, D55

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DC applications in which contact welding or sticking is a concern.

• Best materials include CMW D54®, D55