Introduction of new ecologically safe material for fusible elements of low voltage fuses

摘要

Purpose: In European Union countries the legalisation forbids the production, processing and use of cadmium. By January 2008 at the latest, all articles and products containing cadmium will either have to be withdrawn from sale or an appropriate substitute for this heavy metal will have to be found. Design/methodology/approach: The present technology of production of fuses in Slovenian firm ETI Elektroelement, and the action thereof are adapted to the existing ecologically harmful alloy of tin and cadmium SnCd20, which ought to be replaced by one or more ecologically safe alloys with technological and application properties as similar as possible to the existing ones. Findings: In the frame of the presented investigation work we have found that practically all stated problems can be successfully solved by the low melting alloy of tin, bismuth and antimony named ETI-Sn-Bi-Sb. Research limitations/implications: Alloy ETI-Sn-Bi-Sb is ecologically safe, and by its technical and physical properties (melting point, conductivity, wettability) corresponds to the requirements of the use for fusible elements of low voltage fuses. Practical implications: Practical implications of our common work is in the introduction of new ecologically safe material for fusible elements, without cadmium in the existing technology of low voltage fuses. Originality/value: High value and originality and of our engineering work is confirmed by European Union patent and two Slovenian national patents for the ecologically safe low melting alloy named ETI-Sn-Bi-Sb, which received authors of this paper and Slovenian firm ETI Elektroelement.