Category Hermetic Connectors

The difference lies in the permanence and level of isolation of the seal. Environmentally sealed connectors use elastomeric seals — O-rings and gaskets — to protect against dust and moisture, typically rated on the IP scale. Hermetron's hermetic connectors provide a permanent, gas-tight barrier using glass-to-metal or GlassTomer™ sealing technology, capable of maintaining a vacuum or resisting extreme pressure differentials of 32 psi and above that would cause standard elastomeric seals to permeate or fail entirely.

Hermetron recommends Compression Seals for circular connectors deployed in high-pressure or high-shock environments. Compression seals use a housing with a higher Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) than the glass, physically squeezing the seal as it cools to create a robust mechanical bond. Matched Seals are the better choice for rectangular or complex geometries where a stress-free bond is required — using materials like Kovar and borosilicate glass that expand and contract in near-perfect unison, eliminating interfacial stress that could compromise the seal under thermal cycling.

The mounting style directly determines the long-term reliability of the hermetic barrier. Hermetron's Jam-Nut Receptacles offer straightforward installation through a single panel hole with an O-ring, making them well-suited for systems that require field maintenance or periodic disassembly. Weld or Solder-Mount Receptacles eliminate elastomeric seals entirely by permanently bonding the connector to the housing — removing the aging and permeability risks inherent in any rubber seal and providing the highest level of long-term hermetic assurance available.

Yes. Traditional glass-sealed hermetic connectors require heavy steel or Kovar shells due to CTE compatibility requirements. Hermetron's GlassTomer™ technology breaks this constraint by enabling lightweight aluminum shells paired with high-conductivity beryllium-copper contacts, while maintaining hermeticity levels of 1×10⁻⁸ cc He/sec — the same standard as glass-to-metal seals. The result is hermetic connectors with up to 50% weight savings compared to traditional steel-shell designs, which is critical for aerospace and defense applications where mass budgets are tightly controlled.

Traditional glass-to-metal hermetic seals require pins made from Kovar or Inconel due to their CTE compatibility with borosilicate glass — but these alloys have significantly lower electrical conductivity than copper. This creates a performance trade-off that limits suitability for high-power or high-speed signal applications. Hermetron addresses this constraint through GlassTomer™ and encapsulant-based sealing technologies, which allow the use of gold-plated copper contacts without sacrificing hermeticity — delivering both electrical performance and seal integrity in a single connector package.

Residual stress (RS) is a mechanical stress state that develops within the glass body of a hermetic seal during the manufacturing cooling process. Research shows that this stress transitions from compressive to tensile states as the glass approaches its transition temperature (Tg) under repeated thermal cycling. An oxide layer also forms at the glass-to-metal interface — this layer dissolves into the glass and can locally increase the CTE, creating a stress concentration point that may initiate micro-cracks over time. Engineers specifying Hermetron's hermetic connectors for high-thermal-cycle environments should confirm that the seal design accounts for residual stress management from the outset.

For space-grade applications, hermetic connectors must meet NASA's EEE-INST-02 screening levels to prevent polymer outgassing from contaminating sensitive optical instruments, detectors, and spacecraft electronics. Polymer-based or elastomeric-sealed connectors are generally unsuitable for these environments due to inherent outgassing properties. Hermetron's glass-sealed connectors and GlassTomer™ hermetic connectors meet these requirements through their extremely low outgassing characteristics, making them the appropriate choice for satellite, deep space, and vacuum chamber deployments.

Installation torque discipline is critical for Jam-Nut hermetic connectors. Over-torqueing applies non-radial forces that can crack the internal glass seal — a failure that is often invisible externally but immediately catastrophic for hermeticity. Under-torqueing leads to incomplete O-ring compression and a direct leak path. Hermetron recommends using precision blind-tapped holes to minimize secondary leak paths, following the specified torque value for each connector series without deviation, and always using a calibrated torque tool rather than hand-tight estimates on any hermetic installation.