Custom Designed
Circular Connectors

Compatible circular connectors aren’t always found in catalogs. Sometimes, it’s a matter of building a solution from the ground up to meet quality and strength needs, which is where custom circular connectors and custom designs come into play.

We offer various custom options, including special shell geometries, PCB contacts, and high-speed contacts.

When custom connector design is the answer, Amerline’s experienced product team leverages a proven, cost-effective strategy to turn circular connector concepts into reality. From first meeting with your engineering team, to a solution review, to a first article approval, we ensure your customized solution is tailored to your application and budget requirements. And we’re proud to have real-world stories that highlight the successful results of our efforts.

Creepage & Clearance

PROBLEM

A leading welding equipment OEM was unable to complete a new product launch because their selected connectors failed to meet mil spec creepage and clearance standards.

SOLUTION

Amerline tooled up and — in just two weeks — delivered a custom reverse bayonet connector in the same series as the original supplier, but in a previously unavailable larger shell size that enabled requirements to be met. The OEM was able to get UL approval and the new Sub-Arc product launch was successful.

Seeing this success, the engineer decided to spec AEC® 95234 for all the reverse bayonet connectors used in the project. Meanwhile, our team developed a stocking program to ensure all deadlines were met.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amerline assists designers requiring UL and CE 61800-5-1 specs by customizing AEC connectors
Material grade, working voltage and pollution degree are taken into account as part of your creepage and clearance solution
Rapid turnaround times ensure your deadlines are met

AEC 02A24-28S MODBZ

Custom printed circuit board contacts

Solving complex interconnect challenges

PC Board (PCB) Contacts

PROBLEM

A leading industrial equipment manufacturer created filter boards to match their current reverse bayonet connector supplier’s layout. As the product launch approached, the incumbent supplier missed critical product validation dates.

SOLUTION

Amerline was called in to produce connectors with custom dimension PC tail contacts. An exact equivalent was required, which meant the OEM did not need to make any changes to their product design.

We ensured exact flange hole spacing and matched critical dimensions to ensure the PC contact arrangement in relation to the center of the connectors. This established perfect alignment with the product’s filter board layout. Further, the PC contact extension off the back surface of the shell was customized to work with the customer’s PC board.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amerline can customize connectors to perfectly fit into your PCB layout — no need to work within the limitations of a standard connector
Assistance is available at every step of the connector design phase
Expertise is available in manufacturing a wide variety of electrical contacts

Soldered PC tails on circuit boards

AEC 3114A 16-26P MOD jam nut receptacle

AEC 02A 18-12S MODBZ

Special Insert Arrangement with Rectangular Mounting Flange for Custom Connector Design

PROBLEM

A leading company in the design and manufacturing of heavy-duty brushless alternators required a connector with a custom mounting flange. The regulator extension harness application was such that a standard square mounting flange of an inline receptacle would not fit the existing enclosure configuration.

SOLUTION

Amerline machined a custom rectangular flange to the customer’s specifications. In addition, we removed a chamfer and moved the lip to the exact required position to prevent the shrink sleeving used in the application from slipping off.

The end result was a new connector family that gives the company’s engineers the freedom to design without those prior limitations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amerline can quickly design, customize or adapt a product to meet a customer’s specific requirements
Whether it requires tooling up a new design or machining a custom mounting flange, we can provide you with the perfect solution when you need it — regardless of volume

Custom rectangular connector flange

Amerline’s AEC 5015 Series receptacles

Cost-effective connector customization

Exceptional Compression Requirements

PROBLEM

A project for an international construction equipment manufacturer called for extreme compression requirements due to the failure of existing connector designs in submersion testing.

SOLUTION

Amerline started by creating dimensional drawings of the required ferrule shoulder/backshell dimension. Rather than just change the grommet hole size, our team proposed an entire backshell solution. Testing of the new design was performed in incremental stages (from mild to severe conditions) to determine the specific point that the connectors would leak.

Ultimately, the addition of an extended ferrule and a small step at the end of the backshell established a solution that attained maximum sealing compression. All the while, the ferrule's outside diameter at this section does not bottom out or touch this small shoulder when the backshell is torqued down.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amerline’s product development strategy follows a detail-oriented approach that focuses on all the variables that impact your objective
When you have a unique application or special requirement, we will be your partner in developing a tested solution
With an emphasis on extreme compression, connectors will exceed your submersion requirements

Connector insert sealing grommet

Modified straight plugs

Configuration for maximum compression

Specialty Machined Adapters

PROBLEM

A Midwest-based company specializing in the contract manufacturing of heavy-duty assemblies for off-highway truck and construction equipment market finally received production orders from a large new customer. However, the lead time and availability of some specialized reverse bayonet connectors and accessories they quoted for the job made it impossible to meet the customer’s critical due dates. The end customer encouraged the company to source high-quality reverse bayonet equivalents and with that, Amerline was on the job.

SOLUTION

Amerline’s product development team started work right away, allowing us to quote and sample equivalent customized gold contact connectors and machined adapters with NPT threads designed to seamlessly work with readily available, off-the-shelf nylon sealing glands to meet design requirements. Once we received first article approval, we expedited manufacturing the required quantity of connectors and adapters, delivering ahead of schedule for a successful product launch.

Our customer preferred the new parts our team developed and also realized the added benefit of overall cost savings. Further, working together, an inventory management system was put in place so we can maintain these critical reverse bayonet parts on the shelf to ship per production schedules, with a built-in safety stock to cover any spikes in demand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Amerline adapters provide mechanical strain relief and environmental protection for connector-to-cable terminations
With in-house machining capabilities that allow us to go from raw stock to finished product, we can reduce critical lead times and are multifaceted enough to work with numerous industries
Customized solutions often reduce overall costs by combining or adding functionality that expedites time-to-market

AEC Adapter-88821-05 BR

Accessory rear interface requirements

Backshell adapters for added protection

Custom Designed Circular Connectors

Creepage & Clearance

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

KEY TAKEAWAYS

PC Board (PCB) Contacts

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Special Insert Arrangement with Rectangular Mounting Flange for Custom Connector Design

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Exceptional Compression Requirements

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Specialty Machined Adapters

PROBLEM

SOLUTION

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Custom Designed
Circular Connectors