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Albright Contactors For Forklifts

Reading time: 05 min 46 sec.

Albright International is a privately owned corporation established in 1946 and has been successfully managed by three generations of the Albright family. Since introducing the Albright forklift contactor series in the 1950s, they have maintained a strong commitment to developing and producing genuine forklift products. The company is one of just a few contactor businesses that develops and produces its entire product range.

They offer a wide variety of direct current contactors that may be used in forklifts, pallet trucks, reach trucks, and counterbalance trucks. Albright forklift contactors are compact, of exceptional quality, and have reliable performance because of our innovative designs and high-quality manufacturing standards.
Moreover, Albright offers a complete variety of genuine spare parts of their SW80, SW180, and SW200 series DC contactors. At Lift Parts Warehouse, we offer a wide variety of Alright spare parts for forklifts, including full sets of DC contactors, service kits, spare connectors, top covers, and coil assemblies

Summary

In this article, you will learn about the contactors, components of the contactor, purpose of forklift contactors, application of DC contactors in automotive, and tips to choose a suitable DC contactor.


Table of Content

1. Why You Should Use DC Contactors
2. Components of Contactor
3. Purpose of forklift contactors
4. Application of DC Contactors in Automotive
5. Tips for choosing a suitable DC contactor
6. Takeaways

Why You Should Use DC Contactors

A DC contactor is a device that switches current on and off through electrical control. It regulates circuit current by locking and unlocking internal contacts. A significant advantage of using DC contactors over AC contactors is that they operate at considerably lower voltages and produce much less arcing when the circuit is opened or closed. Its primary function is to connect and disconnect the power supply and load.

It has two sides, one of which is fixed and the other is moveable. Following an electrical energization, the resulting electromagnetic force pushes the moveable contact toward its stationary counterpart, and the spring drives the contactors apart once they have been de-energized.

DC
DC Contactors

Components of Contactor

It is important to note that the contactor is made up of three major components:

Coil

Probably the most important component is the coil or electromagnet. It provides the driving power needed to shut the connections. An enclosure protects the coil or electromagnet, as well as the connections.

Contacts

Another critical component of any electrical gadget is the contact system. It has many distinct kinds of connections. The most often seen are contacted springs, auxiliary contact points, and power contact points. Depending on the type of contact, each has a specific function to perform.

Enclosure

The enclosure offers protection and insulation for people coming into touch with the contacts. Meanwhile, it is constructed of many materials, including polycarbonate, polyester, nylon 6, bakelite, polymers thermosetting, etc. In most cases, an extra enclosure is added to the open-frame contactor to protect it from adverse weather conditions, explosion risks, dust, and oil contamination.

Components
Components of DC Contactor

Purpose of forklift contactors

Forklift contactors are designed to terminate the circuit in an emergency reliably. The inverter is responsible for controlling the three-phase motors being used for forklift trucks. Integrated circuits (ICs) handle the control mechanisms found inside the inverter. If there is a technical issue with the semiconductor, the inverter alone can not turn off the connection in an emergency; nevertheless, the forklift will continue to operate as before.

When the emergency stop switch is activated, the contactor powered by central electronics fails to operate. As a result, the system is disconnected from the power source, and the forklift would no longer be at risk. When it comes to the DC side, it mainly serves as a backup and is utilized as a substitute for the inverter that is not working correctly.

Application of DC Contactors in Automotive

Specifically, the Automotive contactors are the type of contactors installed in these electrical circuits in vehicles. These are used for capacitive, resistive, and inductive loads. To make it easier for you to comprehend, we will describe the two most essential applications associated with the forklift's circuit.

Resistive load

Resistive loads use the same amount of current as voltage. They usually work by converting electric energy into heat.

Capacitive Load

The capacitive load has a high inrush current but a low steady current. In a forklift, it is used in the regulation of the motor.

In motor or electric circuits in forklifts, a combination of loads is provided that serves as contactors. More details have been addressed in depth below.

Tips for choosing a suitable DC contactor

Using a DC contactor, it is possible to meet various environmental circumstances and unforeseen mishaps. Consequently, it is essential to understand the performance and operating circumstances or even test them in real-world situations. Before choosing the appropriate forklift electric contactors, we recommend that you should study the following five factors.

Mechanical characteristics

It is necessary to examine four mechanical characteristics of a forklift contactor: vibration resistance, shock resistance, environmental conditions, and mechanical life.

  • Vibration Resistance: Check the characteristics of vibration and shock when in use.

  • Shock Resistance: Analyze the impact of altitude, temperature, and other environmental factors on the contactor's performance in actual usage.

  • Environmental Conditions: Avoid sulfur gas, oil pollution, silicon-based compounds, or other contaminants in the surrounding environment.

  • Mechanical Life: When using a contactor in an environment with a magnetic field, consider the interference caused by the magnetic field.
Mechanical
Mechanical characteristics of DC Contactor

Main contacts

  • The rated control capacity of the primary contacts and their contact resistance and electrical life must be considered at the first moment.

  • Perform proper analysis of the size, type, and polarity of the contact load, as well as the inrush current and switching frequency, etc.

  • Take into account the location and connection of the contactor in the circuit.

  • Observe the temperature of the surrounding environment when the product is being used.

Verify the characteristics mentioned earlier of the primary contacts under practical usage circumstances (such as actual circuit, actual load, etc.)

Coil

We must take into consideration the following factors while determining the polarity of the coil, the nominal voltage, the operating voltage (or current), the releasing voltage (or current), the working voltage, and the coil resistance

  • Examine the power waveform of the control coil.

  • Analyze the variations in the power supply voltage and the power used.

  • Detailed analysis of ambient temperature, bow temperature increase, and heat onset

  • Consider the voltage loss while operating a contactor using semiconductors.

  • Pay close attention to the power supply's voltage decrease during startup.

Products
Products with or without PWM

Operate time

The impact of actual temperature and coil voltage on operation, release, and bounce times should be considered.

Operate
Operate time of DC Contactor

Other characteristics

In addition to the previously stated criteria, we must consider the insulating resistance, dielectric strength, installation, connection, and size of the contactor, among others.

  • The torque applied to the primary contact and mounting base during installation should be within the stated range.

  • Make sure the mounting contact area is level and smooth to avoid any problems later on.

  • Anti-loose precautions should be taken into consideration throughout the installation process.

Albright offers a wide variety of DC contactors that may be used in forklift trucks, pallet trucks, reach trucks, and counterbalance trucks, among other applications. If you want to learn more about accessories, then click here.

Takeaways

In summary,

  • Forklift contactors are designed to terminate the circuit in an emergency reliably.

  • It comprises three major components: Electromagnet or Coil, Connectors or Contacts, and Enclosure.
  • These are used for capacitive, resistive, and inductive loads.

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