When people think of silver, the first things that come to mind are usually jewelry and fine silverware, but many are unaware that silver is frequently used in electronics. Silver is used to make a variety of electrical products and is commonly found in electrical contacts within switches and relays.
Electrical contacts are the points in an electrical circuit that connect to a wire to complete the circuit and make it work. They are made out of a variety of different types of silver. The following are some of the most common:
Coin Silver
Coin silver is the most commonly used material in silver contacts, because it is highly effective and less costly than fine silver. Contacts made of coin silver are found in a variety of electronics, usually in the form of rivets, buttons, screws, facings, and wire.
Fine Silver
Fine silver contacts have the highest thermal and electrical conductivity of any metal. Contacts made out of fine silver are less common because of their higher price, but they are still frequently found in relays and switches used in appliances, cars, airplanes, and industrial products
Silver Nickel
Silver nickel usually contains somewhere between 85% and 95% silver. It is often used as the main contact in circuit breakers and switching devices with auxiliary contacts due to its increased resistance to wear.
