Table 6.1 is meant to give suggestions for the use of contact materials for the specified devices. For most of the contact materials we deliberately did not indicate the exact composition and, as for Ag/SnO₂ and AgZnO, did also not include specific additives. The final material composition depends on specific design parameters of the electrical device. Advise on the special properties of specific contact materials can be found in chapter 2.

A multitude of technologies is available and used for the actual manufacturing of contact components (see chapter 3). The desired contact shape however requires specific material properties like for example formability and weldability which cannot be fulfilled by all materials in the same way. In addition the design of the contact part must be compatible with the stresses and requirements of each switching device. The following table 6.2 combines contact design, contact material, and specific applications.