When selecting an industrial electrical connector, it’s easy to focus entirely on the plug itself. How many contacts does it have? What’s its amperage? Is it watertight? Will it survive the environment where it’s being installed?
But the connector is only one part of the assembly.
The cable attached to that connector is equally important, and different applications can require dramatically different cable configurations. That’s one reason Duraline’s Multi-Pin Connectors, Plugs and Receptacles cover such a broad range of configurations—from relatively straightforward 2-wire power connections through complex 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-wire assemblies for power and control applications.
One Connector Family, Many Different Electrical Requirements
There is no single cable that makes sense for every industrial connection.
A piece of equipment requiring two conductors has fundamentally different wiring requirements from a control system using 12 or 16 conductors. Current requirements, conductor count, equipment design, operating voltage, flexibility, and the surrounding environment can all influence the cable selected for an assembly.
Duraline’s Multi-Pin family reflects that variety. The current product range includes 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-wire connectors, along with larger 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-wire configurations. Depending on the product, these connector families cover a wide range of amperage capabilities and applications.
That gives customers the ability to begin with the electrical requirements of the equipment rather than trying to force every application into the same connector and cable combination.
SOOW Cable Provides a Versatile Industrial Foundation
One of the most frequently featured cable types throughout Duraline’s Multi-Pin product families is SOOW cable.
SOOW is well suited to portable and industrial electrical equipment because it provides a flexible, heavy-duty cable platform that can be configured with different conductor counts and wire gauges.
For example, Duraline’s 3-wire 30-amp polarized connectors can be molded to three-conductor, 600V SOOW cable in 14, 12, and 10 AWG sizes.
A 5-wire application can require a completely different cable construction, while larger Multi-Pin systems increase conductor count even further.
The cable changes with the application, but the objective remains the same: provide a rugged cable assembly designed around the electrical connection it needs to make.
Cable Gauge Matters Too
Conductor count is only one part of cable selection.
Wire gauge also changes depending on the connector and application.
Within Duraline’s Multi-Pin range, different products are available with different AWG sizes. The 3-wire 30-amp family, for example, supports 14, 12, and 10 AWG SOOW configurations. Duraline’s 2-wire polarized products similarly include options across multiple cable sizes.
This becomes important when specifying an assembly because two cables may look similar externally while being designed for very different electrical requirements.
Rather than choosing a connector first and treating cable as an afterthought, the complete assembly should be selected around conductor count, cable size, load requirements, equipment, and operating environment.
From Two Conductors to Six
As electrical equipment becomes more complex, the number of conductors required by the connection can increase.
Duraline organizes its Multi-Pin products accordingly, with dedicated families for 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-wire applications.
These configurations allow a single connector assembly to bring the conductors required by a piece of equipment together into one quick-disconnect interface. The broader families include products ranging from lower-current applications through configurations rated as high as 110 amps, depending on the specific connector.
For an industrial operation, this can create a much more practical interface than managing several unrelated individual connections.
When the Cable Needs 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 Conductors
Some applications require considerably more conductors.
Duraline’s larger Multi-Pin family includes 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-pin configurations designed for power and/or control applications. These products are molded to heavy-duty 600V SOOW cable in solid rubber.
The 8-wire 10-amp configuration, for example, uses an 8-conductor SOOW cable in 14 AWG. As conductor counts increase, Duraline offers 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-wire variants, with the current 12- and 16-wire products likewise using 14 AWG SOOW cable.
These higher-conductor-count assemblies open the door to applications where multiple electrical pathways need to travel through a single rugged disconnect.
Instead of thinking of Multi-Pin strictly as a power connector, these configurations can support applications involving power, control, or combinations dictated by the connected equipment.
DLO Provides Another Cable Option
SOOW isn’t the only cable represented within the Multi-Pin family.
Some of Duraline’s 2-wire polarized connectors can also be molded to single-conductor DLO cable, providing another option for applications whose electrical requirements call for a different cable construction.
Duraline’s 2-wire rubber-molded receptacle family, for example, can be configured with multi-conductor SOOW or single-conductor DLO cable, with available sizes including 14, 12, and 10 AWG depending on the assembly.
This is a good example of why the cable needs to be considered alongside the connector.
The objective isn’t simply to ask, “Which plug do I need?”
It’s to determine which complete connector-and-cable assembly fits the electrical system.
The Advantage of Molding the Connector Directly to Cable
Cable selection becomes even more important because Duraline’s Multi-Pin connectors aren’t simply loose devices attached to the end of a cord.
Duraline permanently bonds its Multi-Pin connectors to heavy-duty cable through solid-rubber molding. The connector design isolates the contacts and creates a watertight seal when properly capped or mated, with applicable products available with IP68 watertight/submersible protection. Duraline states that mated pairs can be immersed in up to six feet of water.
That molded construction makes the cable and connector a single integrated assembly.
Instead of selecting a plug and later deciding what cord to attach to it in the field, the cable type, conductor count, length, connector, and molding can be considered together during manufacturing.
For demanding industrial applications, that distinction can be extremely valuable.
Different Industries Need Different Cable Assemblies
The diversity of the Multi-Pin range reflects the diversity of industries using these connections.
Duraline identifies applications across shipbuilding, manufacturing, oil and gas, construction, water treatment, agriculture, entertainment, food processing, mining, shipyards, petrochemical operations, utilities, marine environments, automotive operations, and roadway lighting, among others.
Those environments don’t all require the same thing from a cable.
A washdown environment may prioritize watertight connections. A portable industrial machine may prioritize flexibility and durability. A control application may need many conductors within a single cable. A higher-current power application may require a different conductor size altogether.
The breadth of available cable and connector combinations allows the assembly to be selected around those requirements.
Cable Length Is Part of the Equation
The configuration doesn’t necessarily end with cable type and conductor count.
Length matters too.
A short pigtail used to integrate a receptacle into a machine has different requirements from a long extension carrying the connection across a work area.
This is where specifying the assembly as a complete system becomes particularly useful.
A customer can start with the equipment and determine the connector family, conductor count, appropriate cable, cable size, and required length rather than building the final connection from a collection of unrelated components.
That can also reduce unnecessary extensions and adapters throughout an installation.
Custom Configurations Expand the Possibilities
Standard products cover a large range of applications, but industrial equipment doesn’t always follow a standard configuration.
Duraline specifically offers custom design capabilities when an existing Multi-Pin product doesn’t satisfy the requirement. The company’s custom process supports both short and long production runs.
This becomes especially valuable when an OEM or industrial facility has an established piece of equipment requiring a particular electrical interface.
Instead of modifying the equipment around an available cable assembly, Duraline can evaluate the connection requirements and determine whether an assembly can be produced around the application.
That might involve the connector configuration, cable, length, receptacle arrangement, adapter, or other aspects of the finished system.
Start With the Cable and the Application
When specifying a Multi-Pin connection, the number of pins printed in a catalog should only be the beginning of the conversation.
Ask what the cable needs to accomplish.
How many conductors are required? What conductor size does the application call for? Is the cable carrying power, control signals, or serving another appropriate electrical function? How long does the assembly need to be? Will it be repeatedly moved? Will the connection operate outdoors, around water, or in an industrial washdown environment?
Those answers help determine what the finished assembly should look like.
With options spanning 2 through 16 conductors, multiple wire gauges, SOOW and selected DLO configurations, extensions, pigtails, receptacles, adapters, and custom assemblies, Duraline’s Multi-Pin family can support a much broader range of electrical requirements than the connector housing alone might suggest.
Build the Connector Around the Cable You Actually Need
The right industrial connection isn’t just about matching a male plug to a female receptacle.
It’s about creating an electrical path appropriate for the equipment on both sides.
Duraline’s Multi-Pin products combine heavy-duty cable, solid-rubber molded construction, a wide range of conductor configurations, and industrial quick-disconnect connectors into complete assemblies designed for demanding environments.
Explore Duraline Multi-Pin Connectors, Plugs and Receptacles
If a standard configuration doesn’t match your equipment, contact the Duraline sales team at 386-873-2990. We can help identify the appropriate connector, cable type, conductor count, cable size, length, and configuration—or discuss a custom assembly built around your application’s requirements.