It’s a harsh world out there in the industrial market for connectors. Humidity, temperature, exposure to chemicals, vibration, shock, and more all affect the reliability and efficient operation of connectors in challenging environments.

In this classroom, we offer various tutorials to help you select the connector that meets your specific needs for your industrial and other high-power applications, such as the types of connectors used on autonomous vehicles to a comparison of EV charging connectors. For those industrial applications also requiring reliability and robust connections, we’ve selected articles focusing on HVAC and other harsh environments, as well as tutorials on liquid cooling for industrial connectors and EVs.

Overcoming design challenges comes with the job. Let us help with a bit of on-the-job training. 

What’s a heavy-duty industrial connector?

What standards apply to heavy-duty and industrial connectors?

Where are liquid-cooled industrial connectors used?

A look at the construction and performance of HDCs found in robotics, automation, power, and more. 

An overview of a few standards specific to industrial environments, and connector size and power wiring color coding standards.

This FAQ looks at various liquid-cooled cable and connector structures for carrying up to 60 kA.

What plating options are available for high-power connectors?

Where are liquid cooled connectors and connectors for liquid cooling used in EVs?

What types of connectors are used on autonomous vehicles?

What are the different types of EV charging connectors?

We look at connectors' electrical characteristics, primarily frequency capability, for specific automotive applications.

In this article, we’ll discuss several different vehicle-side EV connector types and compare them, as well as why specific connector types are adopted in different geographies.

This FAQ starts with a brief review of basic plating system concepts, performance of noble metals, passive metals, and alloys, and the potential benefits of dispersions.

Liquid cooling systems can be prefabricated, sealed designs with liquid inside, and ready for installation.

Amphenol Industrial UL 1977 DIN charging connectors by Eaxtron provide arcless and effortless mating while lowering cost of ownership in for material handling, aviation ground support equipment, MRO, specialty vehicles and warehouse operations. The connectors feature Eaxtron’s patented vortex clip female contact, which reduces mating and unmating effort by 80% while eliminating arcing and providing more contact points for higher conductivity, further maximizing the lifetime of the contact.

The SurLok Plus compression lug from Amphenol Industrial is an environmentally sealed, field installable compression lug that incorporates the R4 RADSOK hyperbolic contact system. They’re ideal for high power connections in EVs and HEVs, rail mass transit, energy storage, process control, and more. SurLok Plus compression lugs feature a quick lock and press-to-release design for easy mating and unmating, as well as a keyway design to prevent incorrect mating and a 360° rotating plug for end-user convenience.

The need to focus on connector based solutions for industrial and commercial energy storage, driverless logistic vehicles, with regard for high safety and reliability are in high demand. SurLok Plus 8.0mm & 10.3mm 1500VDC are an ideal solution for power applications. Learn more in this application note.

The ePower-Lite 5.7mm was developed to meet the requirements of the integrated model design of the EV Market. It extends the ePower-Lite product family by diversifying to meet smaller size and higher current requirements in the EV Market. Learn more about these solutions in this application note.

How can connector sustainability be improved?

What are the top five performance needs for HVAC/harsh environment connectors?

How to improve contact reliability and security in HVAC/harsh environments

In this tutorial, the editors look at sustainable connectors from the outside in.

Contact security and reliability are important considerations when designing HVAC systems for use in harsh environments.

Amid a plethora of performance requirements for connectors used in harsh environments, five stand out.

Heilind Electronics, Inc. is one of the world's leading distributors of connectors, relays, sensors, switches, thermal management and circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire and cable, wiring accessories and insulation and identification products. Founded in 1974, Heilind has locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and China.