Electric contact is widely used in relays, contactors, load switches, low and medium voltage circuit breakers and household appliances, automotive appliances (horns, lights, ignition) and other switching equipment leading electrical contact materials.At present, there are more than 60 enterprises engaged in the production of electric contact materials in China, among which AgCdO is the largest one.Because the material releases toxic cadmium oxide vapor during its manufacture and use, many countries no longer use it, and have sought to develop new materials such as silver tin oxide and silver zinc oxide to replace silver cadmium oxide contacts.However, the application of these materials is limited because of their serious shortcomings in preparation technology and performance.It is of great social and economic benefit to develop a new silver-based electrocontact alloy with similar or better properties and no pollution.
At present, the manufacturing level of low-voltage electric contact materials in China is close to or up to the international advanced level, but there is a significant gap between China and foreign advanced level in terms of production technology research and product reliability, especially the gap of silver metal oxide electric contact materials without harmful substances is greater.Developed countries, especially Europe, AMIDODUCO, a world-renowned manufacturer of electric touchpads, has used tin oxide silver and other materials to completely replace cadmium oxide silver.Foreign silver oxide contact material manufacturing technology has been developed from the original internal oxidation method, atomization powder production method to high-energy ball grinding method, high pressure oxidation method, chemical co-deposition method, solution thermal decomposition precipitation method.Companies such as Japan's Tanaka, Mitsubishi Materials, Marushan and South Korea's Starlight are all based on silver tin oxide with indium oxide.
