Page 52 - 2020 Interconnect Innovations eBook

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» Materion’s iON EV clad is made by joining silver with other materials through the cladding process and offers the benefits of all integrated materials in a single reliable solution.
Customizing iON EV Materials for Various Charger Designs
Although effective, even the high-performing, silver-based iON EV clad material isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Due to the evolving nature of EV technology, variations of the material can be created based on unique charger terminal design parameters to truly address the specific needs of each application. The first step in this process is to select the perfect high-performing silver alloy for target performance. Next, the alloy thickness and location within the strip material are optimized before cladding it to a substrate based on the design needs. By customizing the material, the design engineers can optimize the composition of silver and the other elements used to make the contact surface the best performing material it can be.
To further improve the material’s performance, the engineering team brought in a specialized additive that enables a lower coefficient of friction, at or below 0.2. In some cases, this translates to a significantly lower insertion force, which further helps to reduce wear. In terms of surface hardness, the electrical conductivity of silver can be as high as 103–105%, but when making an electrical contact, the surface needs to be hard to mitigate the typical contact wear.
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» The use of different alloy options allows design engineers to select a material that meets their specific design requirements.