Category Hermetic Headers

Hermetic headers are sealed electrical terminals that allow power or signals to pass into and out of a hermetically sealed device. Hermetron's hermetic headers serve as the critical interface that prevents moisture, gas, and contaminants from entering the device, maintaining airtight integrity even under extreme operating conditions.

Hermetron selects materials based on corrosion resistance and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) compatibility with the surrounding device housing. Common housing and pin materials include Kovar, stainless steel, Alloy 52, titanium, and aluminum. Sealing is achieved using glass-to-metal, ceramic-to-metal, or Hermetron's proprietary GlassTomer™ technology — selected based on application requirements.

GlassTomer™ is a proprietary hermetic sealing technology developed and manufactured exclusively by Hermetron, used as an alternative to glass-to-metal seals in hermetic headers where weight, material compatibility, or mechanical stress are limiting factors. It achieves glass-level hermeticity — better than 1×10⁻⁸ cc He/sec — in lightweight aluminum or stainless-steel packages, making it ideal when traditional glass-sealed headers are too rigid or incompatible with the housing material. With over 100,000 units delivered across aerospace and defense applications and zero reported field failures, GlassTomer™ is a proven option for mission-critical assemblies. Learn more about GlassTomer™ technology →

A hermetic header is a single, pre-integrated component that eliminates the need for multiple soldering or welding operations on the device housing. By consolidating 2 to 50+ pins into one sealed unit manufactured under controlled conditions, Hermetron's headers significantly reduce the number of potential leak paths and assembly failure points. Because they are manufactured as a unified block, headers also withstand much higher mechanical shocks, vibration loads, and temperature fluctuations than individually installed feedthroughs.

Hermetron's integrated hermetic headers act as a reinforced structural block, distributing mechanical loads across a larger surface area than individual feedthroughs. This design delivers superior resistance to vibration, pressure spikes, and bending moments — making them the preferred choice for aerospace, defense, and energy storage applications where structural reliability is non-negotiable.

Yes. For applications involving heat-sensitive electronics, Hermetron offers threaded hermetic headers with O-ring sealing that provide a cold installation method. This eliminates the risks of thermal shock to the glass insulator and avoids contamination from soldering fluxes, without compromising hermeticity.

Every additional penetration in a hermetic housing is a potential failure point. By consolidating multiple pins into a single header, Hermetron minimizes the number of holes in the device housing and reduces the total linear inches of seal required — statistically lowering the probability of a gross leak. Individual feedthroughs are often the weakest link in a pressure or vacuum system; a header eliminates this vulnerability by design.

Hermetron's hermetic headers are used in high-reliability applications where failure is not an option: aerospace, defense, implantable medical devices, semiconductor manufacturing, and energy storage. These are markets where a seal failure cannot be corrected in the field.

Hermetron's hermetic headers are engineered for high-vibration, thermally dynamic, and pressure-differential environments — including aircraft avionics bays, defense electronics enclosures, downhole energy instruments, and implantable medical device housings. Their ability to maintain hermetic integrity under simultaneous mechanical and thermal stress makes them the preferred solution for mission-critical systems.