Nowadays, contactors, that use ultra-high vacuum technology, have become a viable alternative for the classic air contactors. They are used in order to increase the lifetime in harsh environments, to protect the environment, to reduce costs and the overall dimensions. This article presents the main technical aspects of designing the vacuum contactor according to the latest edition of International Electric Commission standard (IEC 60947). This research was carried out for four years in order to minimize the volume of the vacuum contactor and to increase the technical and the economical performance. The results of the main tests (mechanical endurance, chopping current, breaking capacity, thermal stability) are presented within this article.

Keywords: Vacuum, Chopping current, Dc actuator, Efficiency, Compactness, Reliability