Hello, I am Simon, a practitioner in the switch and socket industry for eight years. I have seen too many customers who only consider the price cheap and ignore the quality. I have also seen too many salespeople because the customer always said that it is expensive, and finally lost it. Opportunities for cooperation. Including myself.
We can know how good a switch is by analyzing the three most essential materials on lighting switches and electrical sockets. This is important. Often, a fire in a family is caused by a short circuit of the button, causing significant economic losses and even affecting life safety.
We can see from the International Electrical Safety Foundation data that there are many fires caused by electrical products on fire every year.
Plastic materials for lighting switches and electrical sockets
（Our company uses V0 flame retardant grade white PC plastic）
PC plastic (best for switch sockets, the price is about two times that of ABS and eight times that of electric jade powder):
PC plastic is also called bulletproof plastic; the scientific name is （Polycarbonate）
Features: high strength, good impact resistance, anti-aging solid ability, smooth and delicate surface, anti-ultraviolet radiation, not easy to fade, high-temperature resistance. It will not deform within 60 minutes in an environment of 100 ° C. The ignition point is above 850 degrees. It will automatically extinguish within 30 seconds after leaving the external fire source.
ABS plastic (more suitable for engineering switch sockets, remove and replace after acceptance, the price is about four times that of electric jade powder)
ABS material is a polymer material composed of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. The three materials are in English: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene.
Features: ABS material has the characteristics of good dyeability, good flame retardant performance, relatively mature processing technology, and relatively cheap. However, due to its material parts, ABS materials have poor toughness, weak impact resistance, short service life, and cracks that may appear on the surface of products after long-term use.
Nylon 66 (usually black and slightly soft, the price is somewhat lower than PC)
Nylon (Polyamide) refers to plastics composed of polyamide resins, generally including PA4, PA6, PA7, PA66, etc.
Features: Nylon 66, also known as PA66, has the highest mechanical strength among nylon plastics, but the material itself has a peculiar smell, insufficient hardness, and poor flame retardancy. Only some companies use this material as a back seat.
PA66 is characterized by high fatigue strength and rigidity, good heat resistance, low friction coefficient, and good wear resistance, but high hygroscopicity and poor dimensional stability. It can be used for wear-resistant and stressed transmission parts, such as bearings, gears, racks, worm gears, cams, rollers, couplings, etc.
Bakelite powder (usually black or white, good bakelite products are very bright)
Bakelite powder (Bakelite) was a commonly used switch socket material in the 1990s. Because of the significant pollution in the production process, although it has good insulation, the hardness of the finished product is relatively high and relatively brittle. It has been slow in the manufacturing process of the switch. Eliminated.
Copper materials for lighting switches and electrical sockets
(Our company’s socket products use tin phosphor bronze, ranging from 0.6mm-1.2mm)
The product code of tin phosphor bronze is QSn6.5-0.1. 6.5—indicates that the tin content is 6-7%, 0.1—indicates that the phosphorus content is 0.1-0.25%, Q-bronze, Sn-tin.
Features: After anti-oxidation treatment, the surface of the current-carrying part is purple-red; it has the characteristics of corrosion resistance, wear resistance, high strength, good electrical conductivity, not easy to heat, and intense fatigue resistance.
It is also commonly known as high-precision phosphorous copper in the industry, and some enterprises use high-precision copper without phosphorus addition. The reducibility of high-precision copper (brass) is relatively poor, and the price is relatively low. The current-carrying parts of general products are made of materials containing more than 50% brass, and brass has poor fatigue resistance and strength (many companies use brass or even iron as brackets for cost-saving sockets).
Silver Contact Materials for Lighting Switches and Electrical Sockets
(Our company’s switch uses A-grade silver-nickel alloy points that can withstand 16A current)
- Silver-nickel alloy material： silver-nickel alloy overcomes the defects of pure silver, such as easy oxidation, soft texture, low melting point, easy to generate an arc, easy to form needle points due to high temperature, etc., and also takes into account the good electrical conductivity of pure silver.
- Sterling silver contacts: Sterling silver has good electrical conductivity, but the melting point is shallow. When a large current occurs in the circuit, the generated arc will quickly burn the surface of the contact and soften the contact. After repeated use, the surface of the contact will appear. The unevenness reduces the contact area between the contacts, increases contact resistance, and leaves a safety hazard.
- Silver-plated contacts: Silver-plated contacts appear to be the same as sterling silver contacts on the surface, but during use, the silver-plated layer of the contacts will soften and fall off at high temperatures, which greatly reduces the electrical conductivity. At the same time, the uneven surface reduces the contact area between the contacts, increases contact resistance, and leaves a safety hazard.
My Judgment
I think it’s really important that any consumer know the difference between these materials. I am also particularly afraid that importers and wholesalers will buy inappropriate switch and socket products, causing losses to thousands of households. So please buy, PC+phosphor bronze+Silver-nickel alloy material switch socket
