What Is A Direct Opening Mechanism (Forcibly Opened Contacts) ?

A direct opening mechanism is one that forces open a welded contact by the direct force applied by the actuator (operating section) pressing down.
Safety components with direct opening mechanism (forcibly opened contacts) display the mark(*) on their labels.
 

After the contacts have been forced open, the contacts have enough insulation between them to clear the stipulated impulse withstand voltage (EN 60947-5-1) when the specified operating force (corresponding to DOF) or stroke (corresponding to DOT) is applied against a force of 10 N applied to the contacts (equivalent to the contact weld force).