Conax develops a leak-proof compression seal fitting (sealing gland) for feedthroughs exiting Highly Accelerated Stress Test (HAST) chambers.

Challenge: A Conax customer needed a solution that would allow large numbers of wires to pass from a pressurized, steam-filled environment into an electronic data logging/controller environment without causing damage to the electronics and potentially causing shutdowns and electronics failure.

The customer was using epoxy wire feedthroughs to seal bias and thermocouple wires exiting their HAST chambers. These non-compressive seal fittings were allowing steam and moisture to leak between the wires and the wire insulation of a terminal board in a PLC. This was acting as a pipe, allowing the moisture to travel to the other end of the wire.

Solution: Conax provided compression seal fittings that seal on each individual wire by compressing it. This seals both on the environment on the outside of the wire insulation and on the leak path under a pressurized zone between the insulation and the wire.

Impact: The customer now has a leak-proof solution, and the fittings are rebuildable. When the wires eventually need to be replaced, the compression seal fitting can be rebuilt with new wires, saving on the cost of a new fitting.