opposed contact arm 9 which in some instances may also be a spring arm a slide guide may be received in the housing or may be formed integrally with portions of the housing wall and includes spaced apart side walls 10 and 11 defining a slide receiving channel therebetween the slide guide walls 10 and 11 and the slide 6 are positioned with respect to the relay spring 7 and the armature arm 5 such that the slide is disposed at an angle thereto the angle u03b1 or respectively angle u03b2 is other than 90 u00b0 fig2 diagrammatically illustrates the effect of angulation of the slide member with respect to the armature and or the relay spring in the unactuated rest position the slide 6 will contact the armature portion 5 at point a since the armature is pivoted at point d point a will move during actuation of the armature along a circle having a radius r1 on the other hand because of the confinement of the slide 6 in the slide guides 10 and 11 the slide can move only longitudinally at the angle u03b3 with the circle at point a since at the furtherest point of movement of the armature during switching movement the point a will have moved to point a 39 while the end of the slide 6 will have moved to point a 34 the slide 6 must of necessity therefore move the distance d1 on the armature the distance d1 therefore represents a friction path a similar condition exists with respect to the contact spring 7 and its contact with the slide 6 the anchored contact.