Electromechanical Switch Endurance
If you’re an engineer concerned about the reliability of your switch in a hostile, demanding operational environment, then you’re worried about electromechanical switch endurance.
In applications like limit switches, safety interlock switches, door open/close switches, and many others, failure of the switch can cause massive downtime, safety hazards, or damage to more expensive equipment that is not easily or cheaply replaced. Electromechanical switch endurance then refers to the ability of your switching solution to perform as expected for a long time despite extended duty cycles and conditions of dirt, ice, water, oil, sand, vibration, shock, and salt spray. Not to mention extremes of high and low temperature and submersible requirements.
Typical specifications for electromechanical switches can run anywhere from to 1 to 5 million cycles despite the aforementioned hazards, and can require tight specifications related to travel parameters and electrical requirements.
How Does CPI Make Reliable Electromechanical Switches?
Meeting operational switch requirements at the absolute limit is what CPI does and has done for over 50 years. Key to being able to design for electromechanical switch endurance of over 5,000,000 cycles is an extensive knowledge of how every switch design parameter affects operational reliability at the limits. We’ve learned the hard way how electrical configuration can prevent contact freezing at low temperature; how to prevent contact chatter in vibrational environments: or how to handle startup electrical loads that contribute to early switch failure.
Key to solving these problems is the broad array of actuator, travel, and mounting configurations we have deployed over the years. Over 2000 configurations are available. Once our engineers have selected and designed the combination of elements that best meet your need, then it is time to field test in the application. Time and time again we have seen that no amount of bench testing can duplicate field trials where unforseen (and often unspecified) requirements are imposed on the design. Solving these problems finally leads to better more reliable switch operation and informs our production testing leading to more reliable parts all around.
Another Key to delivering robust electromechanical switches is the reliable manufacturing and testing of custom parts in production quantities. While CPI manufactures and produces many standard parts, it is in custom manufacturing that we really excel. All our design and manufacturing is done in the USA, we do not outsource design or primary manufacturing. Not only does this insure higher quality and consistency, but our 50 years of experience building switches has allowed us to pioneer techniques that keep us cost competitive, even at low volumes.
At CPI we’re proud of the engineering tradition we’ve built, and committed to remaining a “Made in the USA” company.
Please contact us to discuss your application for one of our high performance, high reliability, electromechanical switches.
Make the switch to CPI today!
