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The Hybrid Connector from Colder Products Co., St. Paul (www.colder.com), connects lines carrying liquids, gases, and electrical signals using a single connector, combining the functions of several connectors into one. It could, for example, be used to send power, data signals, and compressed air to a variety of medical or dental tools. It can handle up to four 3-A dc signals using 20-gage wire. Fluid connections are 1/8 in. in diameter, and dry-break connections mean no fluid spills when connections are made or broken. There’s also a 1/16-in. line that serves as an air vent when filling and draining bottles. Customers can add more or larger fluid lines, longer or shorter hoses, and choose from an array of colors for the connector housing.
The fluid couplers, along with all external parts and the housing, are made of glass-filled polypropylene with stainless-steel valve springs, and the O-rings are EPDM. The external umbilical tubing is reinforced PVC.
Edited by Stephen J. Mraz
