Contactors

A contactor is an electrical device which is used for switching an electrical circuit on or off. It is considered to be a special type of relay. However, the basic difference between the relay and contactor is that the contactor is used in applications with higher current carrying capacity, whereas the relay is used for lower current applications. Contactors can be field mounted easily and are compact in size. Generally, these electrical devices feature multiple contacts. These contacts are in most cases normally open and provide operating power to the load when the contactor coil is energized. Contactors are most commonly used for controlling electric motors.