The changing face of the connector industry

摘要

Subsea connectors, like many continually emerging technologies, had fairly humble beginnings. In the early 1950s, manufacturers began developing simple connectivity solutions with a handful of electrical pins and simple rubber mating halves - with depth ratings of only a few dozen metres. Today, however, connector systems can be rated to six kilometres and deeper, and are developed with titanium, stainless steel and a wide range of different metals. Connectors include combinations of high and low voltage, optical fibres and coax contacts, often in the same high-density configuration. Modern underwater connectors are a key component of a diverse suite of marine systems from oil and gas, subsea science and military applications to communications, security and manned and unmanned vehicles. These increasingly sophisticated connector and cable assemblies are relied upon to perform in some of the most demanding environments on the planet, while delivering levels of data and power that would have been unthinkable even a few decades ago.