High Voltage Switching

Switching vs. Stand-off Voltage

In high voltage applications, there is a distinct difference between “Switching Voltage” and “Stand-off (Isolation) Voltage”.

• Switching Voltage: The maximum voltage the relay can “hot switch” (open or close while load is applied). This is limited by arcing.
• Stand-off Voltage: The maximum voltage the open contacts can withstand without breaking down across the gap.

Tungsten Contacts

For high voltage switching (e.g., 1000V+), standard Rhodium or Ruthenium contacts may weld. MiRelay uses Tungsten contacts in our HVR series. Tungsten has an extremely high melting point (3422°C), allowing it to survive the micro-arcs generated during HV switching.