TE Connectivity brings connection innovations to SPS IPC Drives

TE's A&C Vice President and General Manager Craig McDonnell says: "SPS comes at a good time for TE as we are integrating Intercontec, our recent acquisition, into our automation and control (A&C) portfolio. In addition, we are growing organically with new and innovative products. Our customers will be able to see and talk about our innovations, products and applications with our experts at the show, and of course see the Intercontec product extensions to our connector portfolio."

Products under the spotlight on the TE booth will include:

Intercontec product family premiere

With the successful acquistion of Sibas end 2014, TE expanded its range of connectivity products for harsh environments. Now with the Intercontec acquisition, the Intercontec product portfolio will be presented for the first time at the TE booth at SPS.

Intercontec has an established reputation as an innovation leader in hybrid connectors, quick lock systems, rotatable servo-side connectors, and reliable electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and ingress protection (IP) performance. The acquisition represents an important step in TE strengthening its role as a full system provider, particularly for factory automation and machinery customers.

New Motorman hybrid connectors

Motorman hybrid connectors are now also suitable for decentralised servo motors as well as on AC servo motors with PCB. The Motorman hybrid connectors integrate communication, signal and power transmission within a compact rectangular connector.

Two fast Ethernet sockets offer the full benefits of real-time automation control and create more flexibility and space in machine architecture while reducing cabling complexity. This version includes metal and plastic hoods with secondary locking to secure the product.

A thermoplastic docking frame for HMN inserts in heavy duty connectors (HDCs)

The HDC docking frame enables blind mating of HDCs in drawers, allowing the connectors to guide themselves into the correct mating positions in environments where direct visibility or access is limited. With guide pins that replace a locking system, the HDCs ensure ease of handling.

Dynamic first made last to break (FMLB)

FMLB Dynamic Series connectors are designed for applications where there are specific grounding requirements, allowing the ground to be established prior to the power connections being made. Similarly, the ground is maintained until after the power connections are broken. The latest addition to the family is the D-3000 FMLB 5.08mm option, which offers FMLB solutions from signal level circuitry to power circuit connectivity up to 30A - in a ruggedised, industrialised package.

Remote input/output terminal system (RITS) connectors

Thin wiring can be quickly and easily attached to connectors that incorporate TE's RITS offering. The connectors, which are recognised by UL to US and Canadian standards, use insulation-displacement contact (IDC) technology.

With no need for any wire preparation such as stripping, this makes joining wires to connectors up to five times faster than with traditional connection technologies using a crimp or screw clamp.

RJ45 product family addition

The new field installable RJ45 Cat 6A plug can be terminated easily, quickly and without tools with Cat 6A cables. It is capable of terminating the most commonly used wire variant Cat 6A and can handle 10Gbps rates, supporting bandwidths of up to 500MHz.

A surface-mount PCB header for the industrial mini I/O series

TE's portfolio of industrial mini I/O connectors is enhanced with the addition of a surface-mount PCB header with optimised EMI and signal integrity performance, which makes the industrial mini I/O PCB header now scalable for use in future system upgrades to Cat 6A performance classes. This new product incorporates all the benefits of existing industrial mini I/O connectors, such as compact size, vibration resistance for industrial environments, ease of use, and durability.

A new thermocouple connector

TE's new K-type thermocouple connector incorporates a spring terminal concept that ensures superior connectivity compared with the traditional screw type termination. The push-on lock allows easy mating, while the particular shape of the metal-locking mechanism prevents unintentional unmating. The touch-proof design supports an ingress protection rating of IP20.

Smart I/O module and innovations

One SPS highlight at the show will be TE's IoT OmniGate module with which a communication path from the machine into the cloud can be built without compromising the performance of the control network. This increases the data usability by filtering and preparing the data by itself.

TE will be showing numerous other innovations at SPS IPC Drives. These will include advanced concepts as well as commercial products and applications. Innovation demonstrations at the booth will include:

• One-pair Ethernet offering IP-addressability up to 1Gbit/s down to sensor/actuator level
• PolymermmWave Fiber (PMF) to provide EMC immunity and improvements in field installability through contactless connectors for industrial communication
• Additive manufacturing for ultimate customisation of connectors with minimum lot size of one
• The Smarter Digital Factory, capable of next-day prototypes, holding no stocks and creating no waste

Visit TE at SPS IPC Drives during the show, or visit www.te.com/sps-2016 to view all TE product offerings or to schedule a meeting with the company's experts.