U.S. Suppliers of Relay Components

OK, I can't resist. Why would you want to build your own relays? I don't see how you could buy all the necessary parts and assemble them, and not have it cost more that just buying the relays "off the shelf". Can you explain why you want to build your own? It may help others to answer.

Tom

I have a device that I am manufacturing. 1. Cost - I don't need all the housing that surrounds relays. 2. Size - Without the provided housings, I can reduce the size of the components I need. Sure the coil and contact may be the same size, but I can squeeze more in around them. 3. Because off the shelf relays cost to much. I just need the pieces.

Actually, I can reply. I used to make relays. Nobody sells all the parts. Do you have models/drawings? How many are you looking to buy per year? Perhaps i can point you toward some suppliers.

I am looking at building 1 relay, 5A 120vac at approx. 50,000 units a year.

I am looking at building 1 relay, .1A 120vac at approx. 100,000 units a year.

In those qty's, I should be able to buy my own parts and do as I desire.

Look at all the relays out there, where are all those components coming from???

Jeff (OK to call you Jeff?),

Sorry for getting off the subject, but just a couple of thoughts. Looks like you are planning to switch standard line voltage here, and you are planning sell a lot of your widgets. If you are planning to sell these anywhere they have regulations on safety, the devices you use for any mains voltages will need to be certified by certain agencies, or the widget you build will need to undergo stringent testing by agencies to certify it's safety. I don't know all the details, but as an employee with an OEM that manufactures consumer products, I know enough to say you need to consider more than just cost when you are dealing with consumer electronics devices.

Sorry to go off on a tangent, but it seems you might not have considered such things.

By the way, when you priced out relays for your application, did you price them with your quantities as shown in your post? It seems if you buy in those numbers, you could negotiate a price that would be hard to beat.

Tom

As to certification, I already have certified products I am producing. Your point about pricing is valid. However, I still have size issues which I am addressing. So still need suppliers for these type of components. Lets say I wanted to manufacture relays, where are the suppliers of these type components? That is my question. I don't question my thinking, not sure why you do???

Jeff,

I didn't mean to offend by "questioning your thinking", just trying to offer other applicable information that might not have been considered. CR4 has it's share of posters who have an idea for a better mousetrap, as the saying goes, but they fail to consider so many things that are going to be needed to get it to market, especially when it comes to things that plug into the wall.

I would have to guess that most relay manufacturers do fabricate their own parts, in order to maximize their profits. If they have to pay another vendor for the piece-parts, it's going to cut into their bottom line. And with the cost of manufacturing/labor in China, it doesn't take much before you're not making a profit.

On a somewhat related note, have you looked at solid-state solutions? I don't know about pricing, but I think you might be able to realize a size reduction with those.

Tom

Sorry, mate. I wouldn't even know what to suggest for such low quantities. Good luck.

Another possibility is commercial negotiation, with those sorts of quantities in mind, with a view to firming-up a supplier-consumer Term Agreement. While it isn't exactly engineering, an experienced Purchasing Officer ought to be able to help. Is there one in the organisation that can be energised, perhaps?

OK,

Point me to some supplier of components for relays. Let the supplier tell me they will not deal with me, not a former customer of the suppliers.

Why the big secret regarding the names of suppliers for components like the spring contact element in a relay... the coil in a relay... ?

A wee tad of civility goes a long way when you want something.

I appologize. I am somewhat frustrated.

Still serveral days, and not one clue as to one supplier whom I could call.

I knew before I got on here, what I wanted. I also have built prototypes using off the shelf relays. I also have torn apart my competitors products and seen they are buying components from someone... who I would like to know.

I have been told all my life I can't do this, and I can't do that... but guess what? I do things that others can't, and that is why I get the work I do, because I am more willing to look way out there and look outside the box, and think that I may be able to do something, instead of just buy it. So much of the time I cannot buy what I need. I have to build the tooling and make it myself. I believe that someone, somewhere, knows who these suppliers are, and all I am asking is for a little help.

I have found a supplier who does custom components in the UK. But I would rather not have my supplier in the UK, when I am in Wasington State, US. So I am looking who does this type of work here in the US.

I had a similar problem a few years ago, and I finally found that a small company in Minn. did what I needed. I had on my desk in 1 week all I needed... I could have ordered 1000's... and they would have gladly made them. That was a special motor brush... that they had developed... no longer supplied by the motor manufacturer. But the little company still had the abillity to make them, and still would.

TVP45, it appears you are the only one here who may could help. I would appreciate any leads you could send me. It could make a difference in my project.

Sincerely,

Jeff

As others have pointed out, essentially this whole business, along with just about every other business, picked up and went to China. I do not think you will find anyone in the US making just relay parts for sale as such. Some larger relays are still made outside China, but probably not much nearer to you. What I might have suggested, had you had significantly larger quantities, is that there are several coil automation people around who could, for $300,000 or so, build you a fully automated coil winding robot. There are also metal shops who can punch out 20 million contact springs a night without even waking the night watchman. The trouble is the tooling. And the design, of course.

Those are really low power applications, I seriously doubt you can make your own for even 5X the cost of buying ones already made. Almost all small relays like this are made in 4 factories in China now; their low cost to produce has driven almost everyone else in the industry to contract with them. 50K quantities are maybe a few minutes worth of production for them, I would imagine at those quantities you can find someone to sell them to you for under $5US each. Size? have you looked at "ice cube" style relays? 1/2"W is pretty small for the cheapest ones, but you can get some that are even smaller, about the size of a terminal block (6.2mm W) if you are willing to pay a few dollars more.

So who you want to look at is Idec, Schrack, Magnecraft and Finder. They are the price leaders.

Thanks, But this still does not anwser my question.

I have a product that includes three relays, for good reason, and the whole product will need to be built and packaged for between $5 and $10.

I have looked at what I can buy off the shelf, and Idec I use a lot, in Industrial controls that I build every day. But for this product I am building... I need to get it down to way less, because of cost. I cannot buy Industrial relays to put into my little small consumer product.

I cannot disclose what I am doing, but I can ask you this, try putting one of those industrial relays into your cell phone... and you may have a clue as to what I want to do... I have very little real estate, and so could use some components.

Who knows the names of the companies, who have the components, that go inside the relays... do all relay manufacturers make there own components?

Thanks...

"...do all relay manufacturers make there own components?"

Pretty much, yes.

What you my want to look at then are PCB mount relays and make your own boad to hold and control all 3. But 3 x 5A relays in a device the size of a cell phone may be extremely problematic. Heat is going to be your limiting factor. Good luck.

Well...

You might try these guys. Not sure how American the components are. Also not certain they will sell components, but worth a look.

http://www.guardian-electric.com/index.htm

I suppose you have considered and discarded idea of using opto-isolator relay?

Hope of use to you. I am familiar with aggravation factors above 6.3 myself.

jeffserv,

Since you said you're from Washington, I had a thought. Take a drive down to the Columbia River Gorge one noon. Have lunch where some of those high-tech, nerdy guys do (probably all vegan and roots, but what the heck). Talk to a couple and ask. There's a lot of strange stuff available along the Pacific northern coast.