The basis for today's industrial transformation is basic technologies such as interfaces for the transmission of power, data and signals. HARTING is therefore launching the Han-Modular® Domino modules, which take the world of modular industrial connectors to the next level. They open up new opportunities for optimization, including space and weight savings up to 50%, reducing the carbon footprint.
HARTING has been accompanying and supporting industrial transformation for more than 70 years. In the 1940s and 1950s, the first successful products, electrical consumer goods for daily use, laid an important foundation for the new beginning. The young engineer Wilhelm Harting discovered that connectors are an important basic technology for industry – and developed the HARTING standard connector: the Han®, which is now the standard for rectangular industrial connectors.
Dietmar Harting was very aware of the potential of this technology and devoted himself to it after joining the company in 1967. It was his impulse that led to the introduction of the first modular connector Han-Modular® in the 1990s, a new milestone in history. It was the first connector that could transmit power, signals, data and even compressed air side by side in one cover or housing. The series revolutionized the market.
Support for industrial transformation
Nearly 30 years later, the world is once again facing the challenges of a major transformation. To meet the energy and digitalization challenges, preparing for the future is necessary, as this transformation requires supporting technologies. Connectors represent such technology by enabling the secure and error-free transmission of power, data and signals. Connector technology must also follow global megatrends and offer customers additional added value, such as sustainability.
That is why HARTING presents the Han-Modular® Domino modules as the next development phase of the modular connector. The new series primarily meets industry requirements to save installation space and weight. Users of Han-Modular® Domino modules can save up to 50% installation space by, for example, integrating different transmission types into one module.
The Domino module contributes to cost reduction and resource conservation. This applies to production because less energy and material is needed to manufacture smaller components. But it also applies to logistics, which benefits from space and weight savings as well as more flexibility. Modularity is increased through the use of smaller components that can be placed next to each other in hinged frames. Individual modules can be reused (in the sense of platform thinking); sustainability is improved.
Less work, lower energy costs
Installers also benefit: with shorter installation times, the total labor input is reduced. This responds to the megatrend of demographic change and combats the shortage of skilled workers. The lighter and smaller interfaces support decarbonization. A major rail manufacturer has calculated that a moving train saves 14,000 euros in energy costs for every kilo of weight over its 40-year lifespan. The calculation is based on 2015 energy prices; today the value is significantly higher due to the increase in costs.
“Cubes” support for customization
Just as dominoes have two separate squares, a domino module consists of two building blocks or “cubes”. It Han-Modular® fitting surface is divided in two. The result is an almost square surface that can accommodate even larger contacts. The Cubes support the configuration of custom connectors that are precisely tailored to a design's requirements. Power, signal, data or compressed air as well as male and female contacts can be combined in one module. Overall, the number of required interfaces per unit is reduced. The connection technology is becoming smaller and lighter, more modules and module types fit in one connector than before.
Single cubes are connected together as needed via keyways to form a Domino module (source: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG).
Han-Modular® connector equipped with Domino modules
(Source: HARTING Stiftung & Co. KG)
A Han® B housing can accommodate 8 Domino cubes, replacing four standard modules. Special feature: male and female contacts can be combined in one module (Source: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG).
Advantages of Han-Modular® Domino modules:
- Smaller lightweight connectors provide space savings up to 50%
- Compatible with existing components of the Han-Modular® series, the market standard for modular industrial connectors
- Sustainability through consistent modularization
- Shorter installation time, because different types of connections can be combined in one interface
- Maximum flexibility, scalable to “individual” requirements
Custom Domino module: signal contacts are combined with M12 data transmission (up to 10 Gbit/s) to save space
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