Easy locking connector is resilient and safe in medical devices

binder's Easy Locking Connector supplies medical equipment with a robust and reliable interface. The Medical Design Briefs journal honoured the safe and biocompatible circular connector with its POY award.

Reliable function, safety in use, biocompatibility, and patient protection are the main criteria in medical device engineering. Technical malfunctions, unstable parameters, and incorrect use by medical staff or patients can cause serious complications. In this environment, connectors are subject to the toughest demands regarding contact reliability and signal integrity, the resilience of connection, and simple and intuitive usability. Also, biocompatibility and a protection degree relevant to medical devices, incorporating protection against contact and resistance to cleaning agents or disinfectants, are mandatory.

The connector from the 570 series has proven its suitability in clinical applications and for use in-home care. Thanks to 5000 and more mating cycles, the cable connector with snap-in locking is extremely durable and also safe to operate. It offers an asymmetrical hexagonal shape in the mating area, which prevents mismating by medical personnel or patients. Once the connection has been completed, it is locked by a snap hook, making proper locking directly audible to the operator. The two-piece design of the connector, whose assemblies are straightforward to join together but can only be separated using a special tool, also contributes to operating safety.

The connector is protected to IP54 when mated. Also, the design of the female panel mount connector stops the ingress of splash water or liquids even when disconnected, and it protects against accidental electrical contact. The connector is s to clean and resistant to disinfectants.

Biocompatibility of the series has been tested in accordance with the DIN EN ISO 10993-5 standard. Also, except for the contact body, the connectors are free from DEHP and, therefore, well tolerated by the skin.

Markus Binder, general manager of the binder Group, comments on the award: "With our customer-specific products and smart innovations as well as our international focus, we as specialists for circular connectors want to shape the future. With the ELC, we have succeeded in designing a product that is perfectly suited to the high demands of medical technology. The POY award encourages us to consistently continue on our chosen path."