High Power Demands High Reliability
By Tobias Dietel, nationally certified electrical engineer, Product Marketing Industrial Field Connectivity, Phoenix Contact GmbH
& Co. KG, Blomberg Dean W. Smith, Product Marketing Specialist—Industrial Field Connectivity, Phoenix Contact USA, Harrisburg, PA
M12 success story—Connectors
are being used for signal and data
transmission and increasingly for
power transmission, too
Signals, data, and power—any industrial facility relies on these essential
electrical transmission methods. The compact yet powerful M12-size connectors
are well suited for the industrial environment. During the 1990s, M12 connectors
became recognized as the industry standard for signal and data applications,
and today, more companies also rely on them to transmit power.
M12 connectors' reliability and international standardization has made them
synonymous with industrial field cabling all over the world. International
standards have evolved steadily, resulting in the successful development and
spread of the M12 standard in the market. Initially, the IEC 61076-2-101 design
standard applied to sensor and actuator connectors. As intensive development
led to new pin assignment and designs, the international standards continue
to expand.
Originally, the IEC 61076-2-101 comprised all M8, M12 and M12 data
technology connectors. As parts became more comprehensive, this standard
was subdivided into individual standards:
• IEC 61076-2-101 M12 connector
• IEC 61076-2-104 M8 connector
• IEC 61076-2-105 M5 connector
• IEC 61076-2-109 M12 connector for data transfer
In 2011, the IEC 61076-2-111 was created for power transmission.
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