- Commercial and appliance switches: These switches find
application in fairly clean environments including offices or homes.
The switches are not sealed and are used for light, and various
other low-current applications.
- Industrial switches: These switches find application in various industries. They are ruggedly constructed as they are quite frequently exposed to chemicals oil, solvents, and dust. Industrial switches can be categorized into basic types including standard duty, heavy duty, heavy-duty oiltight, miniature oiltight, and multilight-control oiltight.
Mechanical or manual switches have one or more combinations of switching actions. In case of a momentary-action switch, the operator pushes (pushbutton or toggle) or twists (rotary) the actuator or actuating device and the contact moves to transfer the circuits to the second set of contacts. On removing the actuating force, the actuating device and the contacts return to their original position.
In case of a maintained-action touch switch, the contacts move for transferring the circuits to the second set of contacts. There is no change until the operator actuates the switch a second time. Finally the touch switch circuit moves to another set of contacts or returns to its original position.
In case of mechanical-bail switches, they have separate switching assemblies that are interlocked so that actuation of one switch deactivates another.
In case of a capacitive touch switch, it consists of two conductive layers on opposite sides of an insulating material including glass or a printed-circuit board. The touch switch has conductive layers that create a capacitance, which decreases when a layer is touched. Several types of touch switch circuits are available in the market.
Popular Types of Mechanical Switches
- Snap Action switch
- Slide switch
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