In power transmission in metallurgical plants and rolling mills, electroplating plants, ship-building plants and docks, floor-borne vehicles and conveying equipment or in metrology extreme conditions can arise: major current rates of rise, idle running phases, light-load operations, aggressive gasses and vapours, severely fluctuating ambient temperatures, oil mist, a high dust or ash content as well as a high relative air humidity safeguard a broad range of requirements which are put to the materials used.

Whereas this abundance of diverse requirements means that most materials cannot be used for those applications, the transmission systems made of carbon materials with their excellent tribological properties can be used quite easily. For example, in the electroplating industry acid-resistant systems consisting of carbon brushes and a commutator ensure power transmission of more than 40000 Ampere, flexible current connectors transmit electricity reliably between mechanically separated components and entire brush holders and brush rocker systems can be found in the drives of almost every electric machine.

In addition to different metals it is in particular the graphite materials, the graphite-metal compounds as well as the impregnated graphite materials which play the most important role in this field.