Hermetic Connectors

Hermetic electrical connectors create a gas and liquid tight connection that is safe to use in sealed environments from aerospace to automotive to other critical oil & gas applications. Our custom hermetic feedthroughs and hermetically sealed connectors allow power and signals to pass into sealed electronics enclosures and control systems. Douglas can manufacture a hermetically sealed connector to a variety of standards including MIL-STD-810. Contact our technical sales engineers with questions.

Douglas Electrical Components will use a commercially off-the-shelf (COTS) connector that is non-hermetic and use a proprietary process to apply epoxy to create a hermetic seal. The low-outgassing epoxy adds design flexibility to customize the mechanical interface of the connector housing while also the flexibility to integrate virtually any electrical interface in the connector assembly.

Hermetic connectors can be used in both vacuum and positive pressure applications. In vacuum applications, the hermetic connector maintains the vacuum condition inside the chamber. The pressure is commonly measured as a leak rate. In other industries and applications, the environment dictates the requirement for a hermetic connector. It can be critical to make sure your connections are gas tight throughout the life of a program. Without a hermetic seal in your critical application, you are vulnerable to moisture ingress, explosions, and other catastrophic failure modes. Our hermetic feedthrough connectors provide the reliability, cost reduction, and ease-of-assembly that your operation requires. For over four decades our technology has been implemented in a wide variety of industries and applications, including military/defense, aerospace, space simulation, high radiation gloveboxes, x-ray systems, automotive, and other instrumentation and control systems. Our hermetic feedthroughs and hermetic electrical connectors meet a variety of primary and secondary explosion proof ratings, including UL, FM, IECEx, CSA, and ATEX.

Epoxy creates a high degree of flexibility when integrating electrical connections into the connector assembly. Douglas can employ various connection types including pins, sockets, terminals, wires, cables, in-line connector assemblies, flex circuits, optical fibers, and more. Customer benefit from encapsulating the termination to make a true hermetic seal, creating strain relief for wires, and simplifying the integration into OEM designs.

A Circular Hermetic Connector is a specialized electrical connector designed to form a secure, impervious seal against moisture, gases, and contaminants. Also known as a hermetic circular connector, it ensures a complete barrier, making it essential for industries like aerospace and military. These connectors are available as custom hermetic connectors, offering variations in size and materials. Known for their liquid-tight sealing and featuring a crucial hermetic sealer, they excel in applications requiring reliable connections in challenging and demanding environments.

Circular Connector Types

Common aerospace circular connectors include:

• MIL-DTL-38999
• MIL-DTL-26482
• MIL-DTL-5015

Common industrial circular connectors include:

• Metric: M8, M12, M23
• Push-pull connectors

Hermetic Rectangular connectors differ from standard connectors such as circular connectors based on their shape. Rectangular connectors produce a linear platform with various pin counts and sizes to produce enough variety to meet various application needs. Hermetic rectangular connectors are traditionally installed with two threaded screws to mate between the plug and receptacle; on the other hand, circular connectors are commonly threaded together to create the interconnect. Hermetic can be added to a rectangular connector through the process of backpotting or manufacturing a hermetic rectangular connector feedthrough.

Rectangular connector types

• D-sub
• Micro-D
• Nano-D