Greene Tweed’s Seal-Connect® Components: The Advantages of Plastic Versus Glass to Metal
Greene Tweed’s patented Seal-Connect® electrical components have been developed specifically for use in severe environments with designs rated to 450°F (232°C) and up to 35,000 psid, with specialized designs for 500°F (260°C) and 45,000 psid.
Greene Tweed provides robust designs that are more resilient to vibration and shock than glass to metal and other lower grade polymer connectors. The use of Arlon®, Greene Tweed’s PEEK compound, allows for greater pin density, enabling smaller connector sizes in tools where space is at a premium.
Our Arlon® connectors leverage bonding and mechanical sealing between pin and the plastic body, where traditional glass to metal connectors depend on the strength of non-mechanical bond between an oxide layer and glass. Glass sealing may require additional steps to “clean up” non-bonding surfaces and may contaminate as well as introduce damage to the glass.
Because the Arlon® body seals against the pin, it is the only potential leak path; with glass-to-metal connectors, the glass must seal against both the pin and the body, doubling potential leak paths. Moreover, as opposed to a conductive metal body, Seal-Connect®’s all-plastic body is the insulator.
A variety of available pin materials (e.g., standard beryllium copper pins, corrosion-resistant Inconel or high-conductivity, oxygen-free copper) allows customers to choose the material that will provide the highest possible conductivity and reliability for their applications where traditional glass-to-metal connectors are limited to pin material that can match the thermal expansion of the glass seal.
Thermal expansion may be an issue for glass to metal. But with Seal-Connect®, it may result in enhanced sealing within a seal bore. The Arlon® body acts as a ”built-in” back-up ring, eliminating any additional components and their potential failure mode.
From the drawing board to the rig floor and into the deep, Greene Tweed’s Seal-Connect®, corrosion-resistant, hermetically sealed, electrical connectors, are engineered for hostile environments and highly dynamic applications.
For more information on Greene Tweed’s portfolio of Seal-Connect® products, including electrical and fiber optic connectors, click here.