Besides transportation and the maritime environment, mining and the petrochemical industry represent additional application areas. These sectors make extreme demands on the materials that are used. Connectors are subjected to impacts and shocks, as well as aggressive environmental influences such as salty air, and must consequently have effective protection.
Moreover: Connectors are also increasingly being put to use in critical outdoor areas due to the fact that they increase the flexibility of machines and vehicles and simplify the assembly and service. Since the 1990s, this demand has led to the development of modular connectors for currents up to 650 A whose performance matches that of permanent connections in every way.
The HARTING Technology Group bases its solution on the proven Han® M housing. The connector, which has already been designed for tougher environmental requirements, receives an additional outer skin made of polyurethane (PU) in a special procedure.
This provides the connector with additional protection against extremely high mechanical loads, for example as the result of impacts and shocks during assembly or even flying stones, and also against chemical and other influences. The consistent surface quality ensures a connection with high availability.
The new Han® M Plus series is particularly suitable for applications in harsh environments such as outdoor rail areas and also for maritime use on ships, offshore platforms and wind turbines. Further application areas are machines and vehicles that are frequently subjected to aggressive, e.g., salty, air, constant moisture and road salt, often for years.
RIM technology is what makes this possible. The acronym RIM stands for Reaction Injection Molding, a procedure in which two liquids are injected into a mold, which, in this case, surrounds an aluminum housing. The mixture hardens in the mold and forms a solid PU coating on the housing. This coating excellently adheres to the housing and increases the surface's impact resistance.
The new Han® M Plus housing series will be available in the sizes 6 B, 10 B, 16 B and 24 B starting in the fall of 2014. Because it is based on the proven Han® M series, it is plug-compatible with the entire existing product family, such as the Han-Modular® modules and the Han® contact inserts.