Douglas Electrical Components Radial O-ring Feedthroughs

Overview A radial O-ring seal can be used to create an hermetic seal around the electrical wires or cables that pass through the housing. The O-ring or O-rings are installed in a groove around the outside of the housing and are compressed between the housing and the mating mechanical interface when the housing is closed. This creates a seal that prevents the escape of air or other gases from the housing. Installation of an O-ring feedthrough is relatively simple, avoiding the need for specialty tools. Douglas Electrical offers various customized configurations to make this type of electrical seal suitable for a range of applications and industries. One common customization is redundancy. Multiple O-rings can be placed on multiple feedthrough housing grooves to hermetically seal the design. The housing and O-ring material can be customized to ensure suitable liquid or gas compatibility and higher-pressure ratings. The overall profile of the feedthrough can be minimized to create a high-density feedthrough, minimizing the total number of feedthroughs within a system or equipment. Locate a Technical Sales Engineer Features Features Hermetically seal your high pressure feedthrough over a broad range of environmental conditions Save time and effort over threaded connections Use any of our electrical connection types Advantages Suitable for vacuum and high pressure Simple installation Install from inside or outside the bulkhead Built-in redundancy when multiple O-rings utilized Allows for small profile housing with less cross-sectional wall thickness Lower cost package than traditional threaded feedthroughs. Suitable for OEM applications Lightweight Performance CapabilitiesPressure 15,000 PSI. Certification to your specifications available. High Pot Test >30kV DC or >15kVAC Materials Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel standard with other metals, specialty alloys, and plastics possible. Contact factory. Standard Operating Temperature -40°F to 300°F (-40°C to 149°C) with ability to go lower/higher. Contact factory. Conductor Length Unlimited lengths for low and high pressure. Leak Testing < 1×10-9 cc He/sec. Contact factory for more options. Typical Outside Diameters 0.25” to 2.50”; custom diameters available upon request. Minimum Feedthrough Length 3/8” (0.375”) +Viton is a trademark of The Chemours Company FAQ Are there different types of radial O-ring feedthroughs? Yes. Douglas can manufacture feedthroughs with customized housings. There are two common approaches: top-hat design and simple counterbore. Download the PDF datasheet to learn more on the differences between the installation of each. Are there advantages to using a radial O-ring versus a threaded connection? Radial O-rings can save installation time over threaded connections by simply being pressed into place and retained/secured with a snap ring or retention nut. Additionally, servicing a press-fit radial seal is simpler than traditional threaded connections when maintenance is required. Is there a minimum size limitation? The housing and bulkhead size, length, and material will dictate the maximum pressure performance. Douglas Electrical Components manufactures radial O-ring feedthroughs with a minimum length of 3/8” (0.375”). Common diameters range from 0.25” to 2.50” sizes with custom configurations available upon request. Are there different housing material options? Depending on customer requirements, Douglas will employ different housing materials. Requirements include pressure, temperature, liquid compatibility, and price. Material options include stainless steel, specialty alloys, plastic, and others. What are the conductor options for radial O-ring feedthroughs? Virtually any metallic conductor material is possible including stranded and shielded cables, ribbon cables, thermocouple alloys, fiber optic harnesses, and even PCB’s. Using an epoxy design also allows for a high-density interface into the electronics. Radial O-ring feedthroughs can be designed for power applications as well. Douglas’ StudSeal hermetic power feedthroughs offer custom designs with a radial O-ring.