Radiation-Resistant Connectors Product Roundup  

This week’s Product Roundup highlights radiation-resistant connectors from leading connector manufacturers and suppliers.

Radiation-Resistant Connectors
Smiths Interconnect’s LightCONEX VITA 66.5 Style C Hybrid plug-in module with integrated optical transceiver and RF cables meets the stringent SWaP requirements of today’s defense applications in which fiber optics are replacing high bandwidth copper interconnects. It offers flexibility, light weight, very high bandwidth, and forward compatibility. This revolutionary solution for OpenVPX systems includes a fixed, plug-in module connector and a floating backplane connector, and aligns with the SOSA Technical Standard.

When designing low Earth orbit (LEO) applications, engineers face the dual challenge of radiation exposure and strict payload weight limits. Nicomatic’s Microflex series offers a high-reliability flexible interconnect solution specifically engineered to overcome these hurdles. Available with a robust polyimide film or white PVF insulation, this technology provides excellent inherent resistance to radiation, atomic oxygen, and high heat while maintaining an exceptionally compact profile. Built according to strict AS9100 processes and 100% tested for reliability, the Microflex series serves as a smart alternative to traditional bulky round wires, allowing aerospace engineers to reduce interconnect weight by approximately 40%. Capable of being manufactured in extremely long lengths, these custom flexible harnesses are fully compatible with Nicomatic’s high-reliability CMM connectors, delivering a complete, space-ready solution that optimizes SWaP without compromising signal integrity.

Axorad radiation-resistant cables from Axon’ Cable have been designed to meet the harshest challenges: radiation resistance combined with high or low temperatures, extreme mechanical stress, and miniaturization, in standard or inert atmosphere. Axorad radiation-resistant cables can function as power cables, instrumentation cables, control cables, and sensor cables. They can be used in particle detectors, accelerators, or scientific devices in nuclear plants, as well as in satellites and defense systems, including submarines.

The suppression of noise arising from electromagnetic (EM) radiation has become increasingly critical in applications that depend on wireless communication systems. The most effective approach to reducing both EM radiation and susceptibility is to fully enclose the signal path(s) with appropriate shielding. I-PEX’s proprietary shielding technology, ZenShield, was engineered to address this limitation. The ZenShield technology provides 360° shielding around both receptacles and plugs to significantly reduce EM radiation. I-PEX’s CABLINE-UM, widely deployed in wireless applications, features ZenShield technology, small form-factor/pitch, low mating height, versatile pin count, and high retention force (mechanical lock). It transmits up to 40 Gb/s/lane PAM3 and is applicable for use with various types of cables (micro-coaxial, twinaxial, and discrete).

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