The variety of connectors for a wide range of applications. © Lapp

Today, Lapp has a flexible system of rectangular, round and solar connectors made of extremely robust housings, cables, inserts and contacts that enable simple and safe connection and disconnection of cables and wires. All common types of connectors are available in the Lapp portfolio. With the Epic housing configurator alone, users can put together a customized industrial connector housing with locking concept and cable entry. A total of 138 million different configurations are possible. With the particularly robust Epic MH rectangular connector system, the connector frame can be fitted with both LAPP connector modules and modules from the market standard, whereby assembly is significantly easier than with the usual hinged and sliding frames. The user has almost unlimited combination options: 2 to 36 poles, currents up to 100 A, voltages up to 1,000 V, data with bandwidths up to Cat.7.

For the transmission of digital data (signal, power + hybrid), Lapp has rectangular and circular connectors in its portfolio. The standard thread sizes are M23, M17 and space-saving M12 connectors. As a quasi-standard in the servo sector, they are extremely robust and have good EMC shielding. Also worth mentioning are weather and UV-resistant solar connectors with secure locking and a long service life, the RJ 45 data connector and connectors for fiber optic cables for building infrastructure with high data rates.

But what are the prospects for the connector? On the one hand, connectivity is continuously increasing due to more and more functions (sensors, condition monitoring, remote access, etc.) and performance in the machines, while on the other hand the installation space in machines is decreasing or at least remaining the same. As mentioned above, this necessarily requires the miniaturization of connectors. But it is not that simple. Physics also shows connectors their limits. This is because in order to achieve maximum current, the contact thickness is crucial - a particular challenge in the course of miniaturization. Maximum voltage is primarily influenced by two factors: the air gap defines the distance between conductor and conductor, the greater the distance, the greater the voltage. Then there is the so-called creepage distance. This is the connection along the insulator, which influences the voltage depending on the contamination.

But what does this mean for the performance of connectors? Lapp's circular connectors (M12 to M58) are currently available for currents of 12 to 150 amperes. The challenge now is to break through the previous limits with design innovations. The new M12L connector not only handles currents of 16 A (instead of the previous 12 A), it is also very small.

In addition to connectivity, increasing individualization is the second important trend. "This is leading to an increasing number of variants and modularity as well as a high level of standardization among our customers," says Georg Stawowy. Batch size 1 is the goal. The connectors used should therefore be as standardized as possible. Production systems must become increasingly flexible. This requires easy reconfigurability of the modules, which can only be achieved with standardized connectors.

The topic of radio and 5G in comparison to the physical connection with cable and plug is also being discussed time and again. It is clear that radio and cable will coexist in factories in the future. However, cables and connectors will remain the first choice where fast and interference-free communication is essential in industrial processes, for example for transmitting sensor data in real time or for supplying energy to drives. Where data reliability and latency are crucial, there is no way around the plug connection. Another advantage: wired connections are less susceptible to attacks by hackers than wireless connections. Wireless connection technology will therefore not replace cable-based systems and connectors, but at most complement them.

But where is the journey heading? The idea of realizing a simple connection of modules with a simple contact interface - for example, by simply placing the module to be connected on the machine - is being discussed more and more frequently. What speaks against this is that industry requires particularly robust connection solutions that can withstand temperature, dirt and vibration. This is impossible without a connector.

Conclusion: Increasing connectivity and growing individualization are the development drivers for connection technology. To ensure that the connector remains the solution of choice in the industrial environment, it must continue to evolve significantly in terms of miniaturization, standardization, power density and robustness.

Georg Stawowy, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Lapp