TECHNOLOGY NEWS:

Revolutionary foam coverings for metallic electrical contacts

AMC-ETEC, France, has developed a range of foam coverings, Ecocontact®, designed for metallic electrical contacts. Designed to dramatically cut energy losses, this revolutionary patented material has proved particularly effective in hostile environments where maintenance is not only costly but also dangerous, as well as providing major energy savings by reducing losses in electrical power circuit contacts. Another benefit is that the maintenance costs for these contacts are also significantly reduced. The manufacturing process developed by AMC-ETEC has received awards from ANVAR (the French National Agency for the Promotion of Research) and EDF (the French Electricity Board), and has attracted significant interest from electrical equipment manufacturers. Thanks to the particularly attractive conductibility properties, the Ecocontact® silver foam enables users either to increase the service life of high-amperage connections by slowing down contact surface degradation, or to restore good conductivity to worn connections. The Ecocontact® process provides a spectacular reduction in energy losses (between 50% and 98%) resulting in substantial energy savings, which are estimated to stand at an average of 0.3kW per contact. The contact foams are produced by the evaporation of pure silver in a vacuum. These foams, with their honeycomb structure, offer good porosity and malleability characteristics. The honeycomb structure makes it possible to produce a surface comprising thousands of micron-sized contact points (up to 200 points per mm2 for a foam thickness of 2mm). These micro-points perforate the oxide layers, thus creating micro-welds. This feature enables any current concentration zones to be eliminated. Ecocontact® foam is supplied ready to install in the form of flat plates or sheets cut to the size of the contact surface. These plates are designed for electrical connections from 100 to 100,000A. Their dimensions extend from 100mm2 to 100,000mm2.

Established in 1936 and specialising in electrical power technology, AMC-ETEC is the only company in Europe capable of designing, producing and maintaining high-amperage circuits in electrolysis plants, steelworks and test centres. For several years, the company has been investing in innovative R&D; with a view to improving electrical circuit performance. After working on conduction bars and on electrolysis tank cathodes, the company has been focusing on advanced foam coverings for metallic contacts.

Photo: The new Ecocontact® foam covering

Photo: AMC-ETEC specialises in electrical power technology capable of maintaining high-amperage circuits

Company Information:
Company:	AMC-ETEC
Country:	France
Fax:	+33 4 93 60 85 64
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	www.amc-etec.com