Astute Electronics has introduced Amphenol’s range of Heavy Mate heavy-duty modular metal connectors for harsh industrial environments. The Heavy Mate hoods, housings, inserts and contacts suit industrial areas where robust design is necessary, where a high number of poles or different kinds of signals are being transmitted, where EMC protection is required, and where a safe locking system may be needed.
Key product features include hybrid interconnections, voltages from 250V to 1kV, vibration proof, high current, IP65 to IP68 ratings, corrosion resistance, and VDE, UL and CSA approvals. They suit indoor and outdoor use and come with from three to 280 poles per connector. Current ratings are from 10A up to 250A per contact.
Typically, a user would start by selecting an insert that meets requirements, choosing the related contacts if not included in the inserts, choosing the related housings and cable glands, and specifying whether a cable assembly is needed. From this, the correct connector and customisation can be chosen from the extensive range of Heavy Mate connectors.
Various contact technologies are available: turned contacts that correspond to the market standard; turned female contacts of copper for higher current carrying capacity for the modular system; Radsok laminated contacts with very low transition resistance, suitable for high current applications; stamped contacts with high performance for semi-automatic processing at great cost savings; and selectively coated gold plating stamped contacts.
Surface coatings are available in two versions, either standard or high end with a salt mist resistance of up to 500 hours.
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If I may add my own personal Tip No. 6 it goes something like this: From time to time a more senior member of staff will start explaining something...