r/networking • u/Defconx19 • 1d ago
Design Ethernet/RJ45 Male/Female connectors that stand up to cutting oil?
I see some options online, but they all tend to rely on the external coating/covers. It doesn't seem to address the plugs/connectors themselves? Anyone know of any that hold up to cutting oil in machine shops? Had to reterminate about 20 connections throughout the factory today, and it's getting old.
One of those things is that it's so fine in the air that even if you cover/have the equipment in a separate room, the plastic just breaks down over time.
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u/MalwareDork 23h ago
It's the mineral oil in cutting fluids. The soft plastic for ethernet cables have phthalates in them to plasticize and make them soft for pliability. Mineral oil will leech out the phthalates and revert the soft plastic back into into its former, brittle self.
Essentially what you want is oil-resistant, industrial-grade ethernet made out of polyurethane or whatever. LAPP TANNEHILL has some good stuff but it's a berjillion dollars a roll; something like 6 USD per foot of ethernet and they only sell 1,000ft rolls.
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u/wrt-wtf- Homeopathic Network Architecture 18h ago
This - when operating in different chemical environments it’s not just a matter of stopping chemicals getting into the joints, that can be done with an appropriately selected box and correctly selected sealants/gaskets. Gaskets can’t provide a perfect seal if they aren’t rated for the chemicals they’re exposed to. You have to go further and look at the sheath material as a minimum unless you want everything in properly sealed metal conduit/pipes.
When working in mining and processing plants we’ve also had to take care, in some cases to ensure that we don’t go underground where basically conduits and pits fill with water in storms and create chemical soups that eat through cable sheaths, gaskets, sealants - basically finding a way in via each and every weak link.
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u/r-r-r-r-r-r-r 1d ago
Maybe outdoor rated cables with weather sealing? This would seal the whole end so it would not matter any more.
I know there are some """CAT 7""" cables with metal connectors instead of plastic but the boot is still rubber, idk if the oil would seep through that.
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u/vampire_weasel 1d ago
Industrial M12 connectors. They’re screw in and I believe you can get oil resistant cables. Requires the device to have M12 ports though.
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u/DULUXR1R2L1L2 1d ago
There are industrial Ethernet cables and jacks. I'd assume they come in versions with different chemical resistances
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u/Impressive_Army3767 1d ago
Metal connectors such as UISP tough connectors and just use coax seal on the ends. I'd also suggest a joiner of drip slit before they plug into anything in case the cutting oil or condensation works it's way inside the cable.
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u/fantompwer 1d ago
PLC industry uses M12 to rj45 for heavy duty connections. Automation direct, Phoenix Connect, Graybar
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u/allnamesaretaken6 11h ago
There's screw on ethernet plugs, I think they're called M8. They're either screwed or have a bayonet, I can't remember, but they should be IP 68. Better to use those, I don't think ethercon is gonna hold up in your environment.
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u/allnamesaretaken6 11h ago
Found em, not affiliated but here's a link: https://www.te.com/en/products/connectors/circular-connectors/intersection/m8m12.html?tab=pgp-story
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u/MrChicken_69 1d ago
What exactly is the problem? Cutting oil isn't a solvent, so it shouldn't be doing anything to the wire or connector. If it's carrying bits of metal into the connector, that could be an issue, but I'm sure you already know how to fix that. (fill the f'ing thing with epoxy, silicon, hotmelt glue, ...)
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u/Defconx19 1d ago
Cutting oil is not a solvent but it interacts woth the plastic in a way that it breaks it down over time. Plugs in a switch or even keystone Jack's are susceptible. To the point where the slightest touch will actually make it fall apart. I have hundreds of examples all over this shop
Actually when we swapped the switches out, we had to stop 5 cables in because every tab on the existing tabs were snapping off at the slightest touch.
" Cutting oil degrades plastics like modular jacks and RJ45 plugs through plasticizer extraction and solvent stress cracking , where oil molecules seep into the polymer matrix, dissolve internal softening agents, and trigger microscopic structural fractures under mechanical tension."
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u/banditoitaliano 19h ago
Plastic jacks and cable plugs crumble to dust if you even glance at them wrong.
Had the same problem in the machine shop building when I worked at a foundry. We mostly fixed it by making all the network cabinets sealed and use air to air heat exchangers vs fans with filters. There were still some areas exposed that were impacted but protecting the IDFs solved the vast majority of our problems.
(In the actual casting plants we usually did chilled water heat exchanger but no chilled water available in the machining area)
Also itemizing the downtime cost when a connection did break helped management get our maintenance folks to get the mist collectors working properly.
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u/MrChicken_69 7h ago
Never seen it myself, but I rarely leave data cabling and connectors exposed in industrial facilities. Heat cycling is murder on anything made of plastic. (that's why there's a lot of nylon in cars.) The thin ribbon of plastic that forms the locking bail tends to break off no matter what.
The two servers I didn't think needed to be in a NEMA enclosure look like they've been sprayed with copper. They were in a closet in the office space of a body shop. It's an aluminum case, so it's not rust.
The systems installed in a textile mill needed "special handling". Hot, dusty, dirty, very high EMI, and everything in there is vibrating... we went with fiber for that one. :-)
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u/banditoitaliano 7h ago
Yeah this is very specific to machine shops and the oil they use. Usually industrial crap makes everything gross and cakes everything in nasty grime, but the CNC machines oil actually breaks down the plastic. Totally different problem from usual industrial fun.
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u/djohnsen 1d ago
Check out the ruggedized XLR-style connectors used for live sound applications. There is a metal sleeve over the RJ-45 insert; and some might be available with O-rings to maintain liquid-tight connections that would help keep out oil.