The Harsh Environment and Underwater Electrical Connector Solution

The Importance of Custom Waterproof Connectors

The wet-mate connector category has been in existence for over 150 years. Engineers have gone through many iterations to develop a better solution for underwater applications. In fact, the first underwater electrical connector – a transatlantic communication cable – made a splash in 1858.

In the early years, most underwater connectors were homemade using regular electrical components wrapped in rubber. Of course, they didn’t last long in subsea conditions (some less than one month). Saltwater, in particular, is extremely damaging to electrical assemblies due to its corrosive properties. If connector contacts or parts of the metal connector body are exposed to water, they will eventually corrode, causing electrical failure.

Custom wet-mate connectors are the linchpin of a successful underwater application. Unless you identify the right subsea connectors for your project, they could be dead in the water, or, at the very least, require frequent, expensive repairs. Our solutions, however, are self-insulating and corrosion resistant. Additionally, they do not require additional sealing, O-rings, gaskets, or oil bladders, so they’re designed to provide optimal quality and performance in any application.

Types of Custom Underwater Cable Connectors

A traditional underwater connector relies on a watertight seal. Several variations have been developed over time to achieve this, including the following.

Rubber-Molded Wet-Mate Connectors

A wet-mate connector is created between a female connector end and a glass-reinforced, epoxy bulkhead connector through a locking sleeve as well as neoprene or polyurethane overmolding.

Rigid Shell Wet-Mate Connectors

Rigid shell wet-mate connectors are molded into a rigid body to offer greater stability, strength, and lockability. Two connector halves are screwed together, sealing the junction with an O-ring.

Fluid-Filled Wet-Mate Connectors

For this component, a chamber is filled with oil or another dielectric fluid to isolate the contacts from water. As the ends are mated, the contact pins are wiped clean by the diaphragm in the face of the receptacle.

Inductive Couplings

These pinless, subsea connectors attach magnetically without exposing any conductive parts to the outside environment.

While each of these wet-mate connector designs significantly improved the flexibility, lifespan, and safety profile of underwater electrical applications, there lacked a solution to eliminating the risk of corrosion altogether. That is until niobium wet-mate connectors emerged.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Subsea Electrical Connectors

The industry’s long-standing underwater interconnect solutions vary in application, material, and design. Many underwater cable connectors often feature O-Rings, gasket seals or oil bladders, and copper contacts on the facial side, but ours simplify and improve operations by not necessitating these components. NiobiCONN Connectors are designed to let water in, with no fear of current leakage when contacts are exposed to water.

Before settling on the right waterproof assembly for your implementation, be sure to evaluate the following key criteria.

Why You Should Work with Our Team of Custom Waterproof Cable Connector Engineers

Many traditional underwater cable connectors have a stainless-steel construction and use gold-plated copper contacts. Instead of copper contacts, iCONN utilizes niobium, which delivers the same level of corrosion resistance as titanium, which is considered the premier material for corrosion resistance.

The insulating film around the niobium contacts is 99.79% thinner than a strand of human hair and provides electrical connectivity and scrapes off as the connectors are mated. When the contacts are demated, the insulating film forms again within milliseconds.

Also, niobiCONN™ custom waterproof connectors can be customized to meet the parameters of your project. This includes a reduced lead time by more than half compared to traditional underwater connectors – 18 weeks down to an average of six to eight weeks from order to delivery.

Whether you need a custom solution or a standard replacement, iCONN Systems has you covered. Our team is passionate about developing, prototyping, and manufacturing custom-engineered connectors and overmolded cable assemblies. We also have a wide variety of industry-standard connectors that are available on our product pages.

Additionally, by choosing iCONN for custom IP67 waterproof connectors, you’ll reap benefits such as:

• Products built to operate in any environment
• Waterproof, weatherproof, and heat-resistant solutions
• Products that deliver efficiency and safety
• A team committed to responsiveness, attention to detail, and adaptability when developing solutions
• Unparalleled customer service
• Environmental integrity
• Over 120 years of experience in the connector field with expertise working with over 20 industries

At iCONN, our goal is to make you successful in the marketplace by providing you with custom connectors and custom cable assemblies that do not waver in quality. This prevents cable assembly failures and encourages a long-lasting solution for your application, even in the most unique settings. We strive for continued success and believe in staying on top of technology so we can deliver quality products and services, including our custom wet mate connectors.

To best understand what you are looking for, we conduct a simple interview where we discuss your application and project goals and then recommend cost-effective solutions. Our list of applications and industries is constantly growing, and we would be happy to create a custom waterproof electrical connector or waterproof cable connector solution for your next project!