Through a process of constant evolution, the CombiTac modular connector system from Stäubli Electrical Connectors has been a consistent success story for over 20 years. Today, with CombiTac uniq and CombiTac direqt, the CombiTac world includes two product lines to meet our customers’ full range of requirements. In addition, an award-winning service of the CombiTac world, the intuitive CombiTac Online Configurator, offers customers the ability to create and customize any configuration on their own. Mariana Maglione, Global Head of Business Modular at Stäubli, talks about the origins of the CombiTac world and the latest innovations emerging from it.
For over 20 years, the flexible, customizable CombiTac system from Stäubli Electrical Connectors has proven itself worldwide as a modular and freely configurable connector system. Its compact, space-saving design stands out for its extreme reliability in even the harshest environments. The key to CombiTac’s success lies in Stäubli’s long years of market experience with its proven MULTILAM contact technology. As part of Stäubli’s strong commitment to innovation, its product solutions are constantly evolving to adapt to users’ needs in terms of simplicity, efficiency, and more. Whatever model range and configuration the customer chooses, CombiTac connector systems are delivered with pre-assembled modules. Another very popular service lets customers order a complete CombiTac solution: for example, their desired configuration including cable assembly can be fully equipped, tested for their specific application, and delivered.
Innovative portfolio development
Mariana Maglione, Global Head of Business Modular at Stäubli Electrical Connectors, has been involved in the development of the CombiTac portfolio for eleven years. A trained mechanical engineer with a diploma in Executive Business Administration, she’s now responsible for all aspects of portfolio development and worldwide sales and marketing of the CombiTac world. She enthusiastically explains how the CombiTac world got started: “Through our close interactions with our customers, we gain really deep insights into the future needs of their different areas of application. For example, many years ago we had a customer in Japan whose application imposed very specific requirements on the choice of connection technology. Those highly technically demanding conditions were the initial impetus for our idea of designing a modular connector with different contact types. So it’s fair to say that those customer needs were the foundation for the success of our CombiTac world.”
Conversations with customers have always been a key aspect of the innovation cycle at Stäubli Electrical Connectors. “Constructive collaboration with our customers, and their trust in us, are what motivate us to always find the best and most appropriate solutions in our product development process. That’s why, with CombiTac direqt, we’ve brought a connector to the market in the past year that’s very quick to assemble, so that we can continue to optimize the cost-efficiency of our customers’ processes. The innovative, user-friendly and tool-free Click and Connect system from the latest CombiTac generation lets our customers quickly, easily and safely click their modules and contacts into place, to install or replace modules extremely quickly during installation and maintenance work and reduce their maintenance costs to an absolute minimum. With power, signal and data transmission, plus pneumatic connections and up to 10,000 mating cycles, the CombiTac direqt is the perfect choice for a high-quality and cost-efficient connector solution – in solutions with a high number of interfaces, for example,” Maglione explains.
Safety and longevity
Power modules with contacts for high currents up to 350 A are touch-protected on both the socket and plug sides. For signal transmission, a wide range of modules are available, all with protective barriers to prevent damage to the contacts. Constant low contact resistance guarantees stable signal values over the entire lifespan.
A typical application combining signals and power would be the battery monitoring and battery charging systems for automotive and railway applications. For these and other demanding areas of use, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), the CombiTac system provides efficient, reliable and durable solutions, especially for the battery-charging process. Thanks to its innovative technical design, resulting in an exceptionally compact profile, the modular CombiTac system is also the perfect solution for applications with limited installation space. The CombiTac modular connection system was recently recognized with the “China Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR) Quality Supply Chain Award”, offering further proof of its quality, functionality and efficiency.
Leak-free pneumatics
The high-quality Stäubli compressed-air couplings in CombiTac modules are leak-free and designed for up to 15 bar operating pressures. An ideal complement to the Stäubli component portfolio, they combine with our electrical contacts to produce extremely compact hybrid connectors. Among other uses, they are suitable for rigorous mechanical engineering test applications that require a combination of signal transmission, high current and pneumatics, and for which touch protection is important. Other applications for hybrid connector systems are found in the medical technology, food, and packaging industries. These sectors include a vast range of applications requiring secure connectors that can nevertheless be quickly and easily connected by hand. “The ability to create flexible configurations of different modules and contacts with data, signals, pneumatics and high current is a key advantage of the CombiTac system,” notes Mariana Maglione. “We also offer custom pre-assembly of the necessary cables to provide our customers with a safe and efficient all-in-one package.”
Flexibility in use and application
Whether it’s for panel installation or applications with housings, the CombiTac direqt product line has the right answer for every customer. For general industry, railway and health care applications up to 10,000 mating cycles, our aluminum DIN housings with IP65/67 degree-of-protection ratings are an excellent pick. They even come in different colors to meet the requirements of different applications. An optional protective barrier offers increased user protection when plugging connectors together manually, especially in high-current applications. CombiTac direqt can also be used in outdoor and harsh environments with IP68/69K-rated housings.
For automated connector mating processes in panel installation, the contact carriers are held by a frame that uses float mounting to absorb radial and angular misalignments. For example, such applications are found in production lines for automated test sequences within the manufacturing process, or for automated guided vehicles in the logistics industry.
“At Stäubli, I see every day how experience and expertise, combined with quality and technological know-how, form the basis for the exceptional characteristics of the modular CombiTac world. Our customers’ ideas first become 3D models, and are then transformed into durable and cost-efficient connection solutions in their applications,” says Mariana Maglione.
For over 20 years, the flexible, customizable CombiTac system from Stäubli Electrical Connectors has proven itself worldwide as a modular and freely configurable connector system. Its compact, space-saving design stands out for its extreme reliability in even the harshest environments. The key to CombiTac’s success lies in Stäubli’s long years of market experience with its proven MULTILAM contact technology. As part of Stäubli’s strong commitment to innovation, its product solutions are constantly evolving to adapt to users’ needs in terms of simplicity, efficiency, and more. Whatever model range and configuration the customer chooses, CombiTac connector systems are delivered with pre-assembled modules. Another very popular service lets customers order a complete CombiTac solution: for example, their desired configuration including cable assembly can be fully equipped, tested for their specific application, and delivered.
Innovative portfolio development
Mariana Maglione, Global Head of Business Modular at Stäubli Electrical Connectors, has been involved in the development of the CombiTac portfolio for eleven years. A trained mechanical engineer with a diploma in Executive Business Administration, she’s now responsible for all aspects of portfolio development and worldwide sales and marketing of the CombiTac world. She enthusiastically explains how the CombiTac world got started: “Through our close interactions with our customers, we gain really deep insights into the future needs of their different areas of application. For example, many years ago we had a customer in Japan whose application imposed very specific requirements on the choice of connection technology. Those highly technically demanding conditions were the initial impetus for our idea of designing a modular connector with different contact types. So it’s fair to say that those customer needs were the foundation for the success of our CombiTac world.”
Conversations with customers have always been a key aspect of the innovation cycle at Stäubli Electrical Connectors. “Constructive collaboration with our customers, and their trust in us, are what motivate us to always find the best and most appropriate solutions in our product development process. That’s why, with CombiTac direqt, we’ve brought a connector to the market in the past year that’s very quick to assemble, so that we can continue to optimize the cost-efficiency of our customers’ processes. The innovative, user-friendly and tool-free Click and Connect system from the latest CombiTac generation lets our customers quickly, easily and safely click their modules and contacts into place, to install or replace modules extremely quickly during installation and maintenance work and reduce their maintenance costs to an absolute minimum. With power, signal and data transmission, plus pneumatic connections and up to 10,000 mating cycles, the CombiTac direqt is the perfect choice for a high-quality and cost-efficient connector solution – in solutions with a high number of interfaces, for example,” Maglione explains.
Safety and longevity
Power modules with contacts for high currents up to 350 A are touch-protected on both the socket and plug sides. For signal transmission, a wide range of modules are available, all with protective barriers to prevent damage to the contacts. Constant low contact resistance guarantees stable signal values over the entire lifespan.
A typical application combining signals and power would be the battery monitoring and battery charging systems for automotive and railway applications. For these and other demanding areas of use, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), the CombiTac system provides efficient, reliable and durable solutions, especially for the battery-charging process. Thanks to its innovative technical design, resulting in an exceptionally compact profile, the modular CombiTac system is also the perfect solution for applications with limited installation space. The CombiTac modular connection system was recently recognized with the “China Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR) Quality Supply Chain Award”, offering further proof of its quality, functionality and efficiency.
Leak-free pneumatics
The high-quality Stäubli compressed-air couplings in CombiTac modules are leak-free and designed for up to 15 bar operating pressures. An ideal complement to the Stäubli component portfolio, they combine with our electrical contacts to produce extremely compact hybrid connectors. Among other uses, they are suitable for rigorous mechanical engineering test applications that require a combination of signal transmission, high current and pneumatics, and for which touch protection is important. Other applications for hybrid connector systems are found in the medical technology, food, and packaging industries. These sectors include a vast range of applications requiring secure connectors that can nevertheless be quickly and easily connected by hand. “The ability to create flexible configurations of different modules and contacts with data, signals, pneumatics and high current is a key advantage of the CombiTac system,” notes Mariana Maglione. “We also offer custom pre-assembly of the necessary cables to provide our customers with a safe and efficient all-in-one package.”
Flexibility in use and application
Whether it’s for panel installation or applications with housings, the CombiTac direqt product line has the right answer for every customer. For general industry, railway and health care applications up to 10,000 mating cycles, our aluminum DIN housings with IP65/67 degree-of-protection ratings are an excellent pick. They even come in different colors to meet the requirements of different applications. An optional protective barrier offers increased user protection when plugging connectors together manually, especially in high-current applications. CombiTac direqt can also be used in outdoor and harsh environments with IP68/69K-rated housings.
For automated connector mating processes in panel installation, the contact carriers are held by a frame that uses float mounting to absorb radial and angular misalignments. For example, such applications are found in production lines for automated test sequences within the manufacturing process, or for automated guided vehicles in the logistics industry.
“At Stäubli, I see every day how experience and expertise, combined with quality and technological know-how, form the basis for the exceptional characteristics of the modular CombiTac world. Our customers’ ideas first become 3D models, and are then transformed into durable and cost-efficient connection solutions in their applications,” says Mariana Maglione.
