A circular connector is a coupling tool built with a circular interface and cylindrical contact housing which comes with a large variety of materials, sizes, contact layouts & types, and coupling designs. These circular connectors are frequently utilized for data, signal and power connections in the automation, manufacturing, military, aerospace and transit industries thanks to their robust mechanical performance and ease of connectivity. They are also very versatile & flexible because of a wide range of contacts, voltages, and currents that can be easily featured based on the specifications of the applications.
 
Mencom is the leading manufacturer of circular connectors and their rugged solutions are engineered for trustworthy performance under the most intense use in harsh environments. Mencom provides a complete line of circular connectors, including but not limited to, M8, M12, 1/2”-20 and M23 threads and MINI-Change connectors (MIN) with 7/8″, 1”, 1 1/8” threads. For the higher voltage (600V) applications, Power Distribution PMIN series with 1” 3/8 thread is also available. According to their recent product announcement, the coupling nuts and housings of the cord-sets for 1” and 1 1/8” threads have recently been remodeled to deliver the better connectivity and stability. In extension to the power and signal connectors, Mencom offers M12 and 7/8” threads circular connectors for the industrial Network solutions such as DeviceNet, Ethernet, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, and Profinet.
 
Due to the many advantages of the circular connectors, it comes as no surprise that the military has manufactured the MIL-Spec 5015 series to meet the most stringent requirements to withstand the worst environments. Although the MIL-Spec 5015 circular connectors were actually designed for aeronautical and tactical service applications, they are becoming more commonplace in industrial applications that need the ruggedness of the MIL-Spec type, but do not need the military specifications. In order to meet the strong requirements from various industries, Mencom has designed and offers a MIL-Spec 5015 Equivalent connector series with size 10SL (0.625”-24NEF), 14S (0.875”-20UNEF), 16S (1”-20UNEF) and 18(1.125”-18UNEF).
 
Mencom circular connectors are UL listed and IP67 rated to offer the utmost protection and quality for harsh environments. Multiple pole configurations and cable jacket materials including PVC, PUR and TPR are available for over-molded connectors along with a full line of accessories such as field wire-able plugs, T-connectors, closure caps and plugs to name a few. Mencom has the greatest variety of mounting styles for the mating circular receptacles.  Also, all the circular connectors are customizable upon order with fast turnaround at low-cost costs. The range of the customization is from small changes to custom terminations and assemblies. Rugged armor options for extreme manufacturing environments are available for 7/8”, M12 and M8 circular connectors.

This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com