Company Announcement - Innovative 2-shot moulding technique permanently bonds seal to plug housing, increasing sealing reliability and retention during mating and unmating. Molex Incorporated introduces the rugged ML-XT™ sealed connection system that employs an innovative 2-shot moulding seal technique to achieve IP68 rating - with SAE J2030 and IP69k product validations underway.  Drop-in replacements for industry-standard connector systems used in critical vehicle wiring applications in harsh environments, the cost-competitive ML-XT accommodates a vast range of sensor technologies and low circuit count functions.

“Rated to IP68, the ML-XT sealed connection system is the most reliably sealed system in the market,” says Denis O’Sullivan, global product manager, Molex. “The advanced one-piece, two-shot LSR (liquid silicone rubber) moulded integrated seals prevent ingress of fluids even under extreme conditions. By providing definitive and repeatable retention of the seals during mating and unmating, this moulding technology can guarantee correct seal positioning to ensure seal integrity - the risk of lost or forgotten seals during installation and maintenance is also eliminated.”

The ML-XT system is initially released in a 2-circuit version with 9 colour-coded housings and 2 cable gauge options. It utilises Molex proven XRC™ terminals with current ratings up to 13.0A which supports tooling widely used at harness makers. With fewer component parts than existing versions in the market, the ML-XT system helps reduce inventory levels for harness manufacturers, simplifies assembly and lowers final assembly costs.

“Growing application complexity in commercial vehicles is driving the requirement for intelligent sensing applications and increasing the connector content in wiring-harnesses”, adds O’Sullivan. “By preventing electrical failures and machinery downtime, the ML-XT sealed connection system achieves superior reliability over de-facto, industry-standard systems and is cost-competitive.”