Contactor Auxiliary Contact Blocks

Contactors are electrical devices that are used for switching an electrical circuit on or off. They are considered to be a special type of relay and are most commonly used for controlling electric motors. The basic difference between a relay and a contactor is that the contactor is used in applications with higher current carrying capacity, while a relay is used for lower current applications. Contactors typically feature multiple contacts which are normally open and provide operating power to the load when the contactor coil is energized.

Auxiliary contacts are the contacts in the auxiliary circuits that are operated mechanically and are physically linked to the main contacts. They are activated at the same time as the main contacts, but do not carry as much current. Auxiliary contacts are used for auxiliary functions on a contactor, relay or circuit breaker and are available in normally open, normally closed or changeover. Many protection or control devices have additional auxiliary contacts to enable remote signaling of the main contact switching states.