Souriau Unveils Overmolded Connector for Field Application

The Souriau 8XE range is designed for geophysical, oceanographic and military applications necessitating cable deployment in outdoor environments (shelters, operating theatres, geophones, mobile laboratories, etc.). With an IP68 protection rating, the 8XE range is compatible with Mil-C-26482 connectors from SOURIAU or other brands. The 8XE range benefits from the experience accumulated by Souriau with Mil-C-26482 bayonet connectors for severe environments. The contacts are bonded in a neoprene insulator, which is then inserted in a metal shell made of aluminium or stainless steel. The locking ring, also metal, is overmolded with a high-strength glass-fibre-reinforced polymer, and the same material is used for the backshell. The result is a connector with particularly high impact resistance, which can even be run over by a heavy vehicle without sustaining damage.



The 8XE connectors have an IP68 protection rating. They ensure stable performance when immersed at a depth of 15 m for 120 hours. Sealing is accomplished first by a coupling seal compressed with the receptacle, then by O-rings at the rear of the backshell, and finally by the compression exerted on the cable by the elastomer sleeve. They also have 500 h resistance to salt spray and a working temperature range from –55 °C to +125 °C. There are some thirty models in the 8XE range, with 7 shell sizes from 10 to 22, and can have up to 55 contacts. They are all compatible and intermatable with Mil-C-26482 connectors. They are guaranteed for 500 mating/unmating cycles, and can be used for transmission of signals or power up to 13 A DC.