In order to be affected by a magnetic field, the reed blades must be ferromagnetic thus the two reed leads are made up of a Nickel/Iron (NiFe) alloy which is naturally abundant and easy to anneal. The contact area of the Reed Switch has two additional metal layers that are both highly conductive and provide low and stable contact resistance. The under layer consists of typically 0.25-0.50 microns of either gold, copper or tungsten while the outer layer will typically have 1-2 microns of rhodium, ruthenium or iridium. Whether sputtered or plated, the process of applying the contact material must be carried out precisely in ultra clean environments similar to semiconductor technology. The final hermetically sealed switch leads undergo an automatic lead-free tinning process which is applied between 8-12 microns thick. All completed reed switches undergo half million dry switch cycles then receive extensive parametric testing for magnetic sensitivity, contact resistance, DCR and stability to ensure the highest quality.