Water and electricity don’t mix – we all learned this as kids. However, in many industrial environments, keeping them apart can be challenging. Modern factories rely on seamless connections between sensors, actuators and processors, but water, dust, chemicals and vibrations can compromise the reliability of electronics. That’s why it’s essential that connectors between systems are robust, secure and waterproof, allowing operations to continue dependably and safely in even the most hostile environments. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the different risks of water ingress, the importance of waterproof connectors, and how choosing the right connector can prevent costly downtime and potentially dangerous incidents.
Water ingress is an obvious concern for industries like shipping, underwater robotics or water utilities. In aquaculture, for example, waterproof connectors help to preserve the activity of sensors that reliably monitor water quality, temperature and salinity. However, beyond these areas where water is an ever-present threat, there are many other industries that need waterproof connections. These include washdown areas and food production lines – where high pressure jets can result in a large amount of liquid suddenly entering a system – as well as outdoor installations like solar farms or smart agriculture, which need to withstand rain, snow or even flooding.
If these systems aren’t adequately protected, moisture can cause significant damage to infrastructure, resulting in short circuits and equipment failures. Sealed enclosures can help to protect against water ingress, but even a small amount of moisture can lead to corrosion in the long term – affecting electrical performance and reliability – and condensation in lower temperatures. In fact, temperature fluctuations can cause a persistent issue of low-level condensation, potentially dripping onto the electronics and halting operations. The failure of these connections can have serious knock-on implications for a business, including:It’s important to find the right connector that protects electronics from the variety of harsh conditions that exist in any given industry, from extreme weather to high power wash jets. Overmoulded connectors are often ideal for engineers designing industrial automation systems, as they have a protective barrier that surrounds the connector and cable, helping to prevent water ingress. This means that, even if water enters the outer cable, it cannot pass into the connector and reach critical equipment. These sealed, circular, plastic connectors can withstand the harshest environments, making them ideal for reliable power and data connections in industries where liquid exposure is a threat.
Engineers need to consider many factors when choosing a connector for their specific use case, including:
Choosing a reliable and durable waterproof connector is essential to ensuring the resilience of your processes, and Bulgin offers a wide selection of overmoulded power, signal and data connectors to suit different needs, including with IP66, IP67, IP68 and IP69K rated options. For example, the 400 Series Buccaneer is our most compact power and data connector, giving engineers greater flexibility where space is limited. For industrial and automation applications, our IP67 rated, screw coupling M8 circular connectors and overmoulded cables are trusted worldwide to deliver reliable sensor, actuator and data connections while protecting against liquid and dust ingress. Our broad product range is designed to meet the specific requirements of a wide variety of industrial settings, ensuing connections won’t be being disrupted in even the harshest conditions.
Explore Bulgin’s solutions today to find the right waterproof connector to keep your industrial processed running.