The materials of electrical components mainly include conductive materials, insulating materials, metallic structural materials, and composite materials. The specific choice depends on the function of the component and the operating environment.
1. Conductive Materials These are core components used for transmitting current, requiring high conductivity, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance:
Copper: Excellent conductivity, widely used in wires and cables, terminals, switch contacts, etc.
Aluminum: Lightweight and low cost, commonly used in transformer coils, busbars, and other high-current transmission applications.
Silver and Silver Alloys: Used in high-end electrical contacts, possessing excellent conductivity and resistance to arc erosion, commonly found in circuit breakers and relays.
Rare Earth Modified Copper: Improves conductivity and wire drawing performance by adding trace amounts of rare earth elements, suitable for the production of ultra-fine copper wire.
2. Insulating Materials Used to isolate live parts and prevent leakage and short circuits, these materials must possess high dielectric strength, heat resistance, and moisture resistance:
Plastics: Such as PVC (cable sheaths), ABS (casings), PC (observation windows), etc., lightweight and easy to process.
PPO (Polyphenylene Oxide): Flame-retardant modified plastics, such as PX9406-701, with halogen-free flame retardancy, low smoke and non-toxicity, and temperature and moisture resistance properties, suitable for low-voltage electrical appliance housings, wiring insulation components, etc.
Ceramics and Glass: High temperature resistant and aging resistant, used in high-voltage insulators, resistance sheets, etc., such as porcelain insulators in transmission lines above 110kV.
Silicone Rubber: Highly hydrophobic, with a lifespan of 20-25 years, widely used in insulating covers and cable accessories in heavily polluted areas.
Inorganic insulating materials, such as mica, quartz, and heat-resistant ceramics, are classified into Y-class (90℃) to H-class (180℃) according to IEC standards, and are suitable for high-temperature equipment such as motors and electric furnaces.