Product Premieres at SPS 2021

7 October 2021

SPS - Smart Production Solutions

Halver, 7 October 2021 – At the SPS 2021 in Nuremberg, the German connectivity specialist ESCHA is giving an outlook on the coming trends and technologies that will shape the development of connectors in the coming years. The main focus will be on Single Pair Ethernet technology (SPE). ESCHA will show a first concept, which is going to be further developed in customer discussions and adapted to current needs. In addition, the company is showing two product novelties that will be available immediately after their trade show premiere. These include new connectors in Deutsch-DT design, which are primarily aimed at applications in the field of mobile automation, as well as new shielded connectors that complement the present multipole M8 product range.

Single Pair Ethernet – The future standard

Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is the future technology in industrial automation. Using compact cables and connectors, high data transmission rates can be brought to the most distant sensor in the field. SPE is a vital component on the way to a fully networked production as envisaged in Industry 4.0 or IIoT. As a member of the SPE Industrial Partner Network, in which leading technology companies have joined forces, ESCHA is promoting the development of a uniform SPE interface. On this basis, ESCHA has developed an SPE concept based on the T1 industrial interface according to IEC 63171-6, which was defined in 2018.

The overmolded M8- and M12-variants shown by ESCHA will meet the market-based tightness requirements and are therefore particularly suitable for use in harsh industrial environments. They will be available as single-ended- and double-ended cord sets and facilitate the power transmission typical for SPE (Power over Data Line). But before the concept will be finally market-ready, the connectivity specialist wants to use the first in-person trade show in two years to discuss the final details in joint customer meetings.

Connectors in Deutsch-DT design for mobile automation

In the agricultural sector and commercial vehicle industry, exceptionally high demands are placed on connectivity. The environmental conditions and everyday stresses are extreme. In this sector, as well, the trend is away from manual assembly and towards overmolded connectivity that can be used immediately. The advantages are obvious: less susceptibility to errors as well as faster, more reliable and more cost-effective wiring. ESCHA has developed a new product range with overmolded connectors based on the widely used Deutsch-DT design, which combines the aforementioned advantages in one product. Additionally, it does not fall back on prefabricated components, but offers a solution engineered from scratch at ESCHA, in which the self-designed contacts and contact carriers are overmolded in a one-shot process. This avoids long supply chains and ensures high availability.

The 2-, 4- and 6-pole versions are available in male- and female design as well as single-ended- and double-ended cord sets. As usual at ESCHA and upon customer request, different modification options are possible, such as double-ended cord sets with M12-connectors on the B-side. Due to this wide range of variants, the overmolded connectors in Deutsch-DT design do not only replace the field-wireable variants that were primarily used up to now, they also offer a compact alternative to valve connectors. The DT-connectors can optionally be equipped with a threaded grip body for protective hoses. The protective hoses offer additional protection against stone chips and pollution in the outdoor area. All products meet the high demands of protection class IP67, IP68 and IP69.

Multipole M8-connectivity in shielded design

Sensors are becoming more compact and more complex; therefore they have to deliver even more information, too. Due to this development, the demand for simultaneously compact and multipole connectors is rising. The connectivity specialist ESCHA meets this demand with its M8-product-range in 8-pole-design. So far, the ESCHA multipole product range only consisted of unshielded versions. The shielded versions will celebrate their premiere at the SPS. At market launch, straight and angled versions will be available in male and female design. With «S370» (PUR/PP) and «P00» (PVC/PVC), there are two cable qualities to choose from.