Electrical metal stamping is a unique niche in the metal stamping industry. Found in electrical circuit components like electrical switches, relays, and breakers, spring-loaded electrical contacts are crucial to many industries.
We are diving into the nitty-gritty of spring-loaded electrical contacts — how they work, where they’re used, and why they’re so important today.
How Are Electrical Contacts Created
Electrical contacts can be manufactured on different pieces of equipment. At APS, everything from prototypes and short runs to large orders are produced on tooling made by our expert staff. We offer a 48-72 hour window for most prototyping as we utilize our wire EDM and standard tooling. Fourslide, power press, and fourslide forming tools and dies are custom-crafted for long life, high precision, and low maintenance.
From there, our process involves inspecting the contact material (more on that below) and verifying the metal received against the customer’s print, APS purchase order, and the material certification. We’ll consider and review RoHS and DFAR requirements — these are implemented at every point of the order. During production, our team monitors the process heavily to ensure each phase is done appropriately with precision at the forefront.
When the prototype or batch is finished and passes our exhaustive internal inspection, we bring our customers back into the process and continue working with them to ensure the electrical contact is exactly what they need.
Choosing the Right Electrical Spring Contact
Choosing the right electrical spring contact is crucial. Our team helps customers with this decision daily.
In order for electrical contacts to function properly, they need conductivity first and foremost. APS utilizes various metals to create high-quality and well-functioning electrical contacts, including:
- Beryllium Copper
- Aluminum
- High Carbon Steel
- Low Carbon Steel
- Stainless Steel
- Brass
- Phosphor Bronze
- Nickel
Each metal selected has properties that make it appropriate for individual applications and industries.
In addition to strong conductivity, these metals also ideally should be as resistant to oxidation, corrosion, and mechanical wear as possible. We also strongly consider cost efficiency, especially for those industries where a large volume of electrical contacts is required.
We also evaluate whether plating or finishing is needed, whether pre-or-post stamp. Treatments like heat treating increase hardness, allowing a beryllium copper contact to hold its shape under extreme heat. Tumbling, deburring, and plating finishing options can also impact the final performance of an electrical contact in its environment.
Atlantic Precision Spring, Your Electrical Contact Manufacturer
Atlantic Precision Spring has been providing its made-in-America electrical contacts for decades. Our experts are versed and uniquely qualified to help serve the following industries:
- Automotive
- Medical
- Aerospace
- Industrial Gas
APS also leads the industry in OEM, supplying a wide variety of springs, contacts, and other metal stamping to companies across the United States. We work with companies to develop a partnership and identify the right parts and the right price. For more information, send us a message.