Author: Heiko Meier, Product Manager Han-Modular®, HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG

The foundation for today’s industrial transformation is formed by basic technologies such as interfaces for the transmission of power, data and signals. HARTING is therefore launching the Han-Modular® Domino modules, which will take the world of modular industrial connectors to the next level. They open up new possibilities for optimisation, including space and weight savings of up to 50%, thus reducing the CO2 footprint.

HARTING has accompanied and supported the industrial transformation for more than 70 years. In the 1940s and 1950s, the first successful products, electrical consumer goods for everyday use, laid an important foundation stone for the new beginning. The young engineer Wilhelm Harting discovered that connectors are an important basic technology for the industry – and developed the HARTING standard connector: the Han®, which is now the standard for rectangular industrial connectors.

Dietmar Harting was highly aware of the potential of this technology and dedicated himself to it after joining the company in 1967. It was his impetus that led to the introduction of the first modular connector Han-Modular® in the 1990s, another milestone in the company’s history. It was the first connector that could transmit power, signals, data and even compressed air side by side in one hood or housing. The series went on to revolutionise the market.

Support for industrial transformation

Almost 30 years later, the world is once again facing the challenges of a major transformation. It is necessary to prepare for the future in order to meet challenges in the areas of energy and digitalisation, as this transformation requires enabling technologies. Connectors represent such a technology by enabling the safe 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.

Thus, HARTING presents the Han-Modular® Domino modules as the next development stage of the modular connector. The new series primarily meets the industry’s requirements for saving installation space and weight. Users of Han-Modular® Domino modules can save up to 50% installation space by integrating different transmission types in one module, for example.

The Domino module contributes to cost reduction and resource conservation. This is true for production because less energy and material are needed to manufacture smaller components. But it also applies to logistics, which benefit from the space and weight savings and also from more flexibility. Modularity is increased by the use of smaller components that can be arranged next to each other in hinged frames. Individual modules can be reused (in the sense of the platform idea); sustainability is improved.

Less work, lower energy costs

Installers also benefit: With shorter assembly times, the overall labour input is reduced. This picks up on the megatrend of demographic change and counteracts the shortage of skilled workers. The lighter and smaller interfaces support decarbonisation. A major rail manufacturer has calculated that a train in operation saves 14,000 EUR in energy costs with every kilo of weight over the 40-year service life. The calculation is based on the energy prices of 2015; today, the value is significantly higher due to the cost increase.

“Cubes” support customisation

Just as dominoes have two separate squares, a domino module is made up of two building blocks or “cubes”. The Han-Modular® mating face is divided in two. The result is an almost square surface in which even larger contacts can be accommodated. The Cubes support the configuration of customized connectors that are precisely tailored to the requirements of a design. 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 becomes smaller and more lightweight, more modules and module types than before fit into one connector.

Figure 1: Single cubes are joined via keyways to form Domino module as required (Source: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG).

Figure 2: Han-Modular® connector equipped with Domino modules (Source: HARTING Stiftung & Co. KG)

Figure 3: Figure 3: A Han® B housing offers space for 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).

Benefits of Han-Modular® Domino modules:

• Smaller light-weight connectors allow up to 50% of space savings
•  Compatible with existing components of the Han-Modular® series, the market standard for modular industrial connectors
• Sustainability due to consistent modularisation
• Reduced installation time, since several types of connections can be combined in one interface
•  Maximum flexibility, scalable to “individual” requirements

Figure 4: Customized Domino module: signal contacts are combined with M12 data transmission (up to 10 Gbit/s) to save space