New lightweight terminations for aerospace reduce weight up to 60 percent

TE Connectivity, a world leader in connectivity, announces its new COPALUM Lite sealed terminals and splices that provide up to 60 percent in weight savings versus copper terminal alternatives, and up to 53 percent weight savings versus drop-forged aluminum terminals. The new terminals feature the time-tested dry crimp technology that has provided three decades of reliable connectivity to the commercial aerospace industry. 
“Saving weight is always critical when designing interconnect solutions for aerospace applications,” said Steve McIntire, product manager, Global Aerospace, Defense & Marine, TE. “We've taken the time-tested COPALUM design and developed a family of terminals and splices that offer even greater weight savings than previous designs.” The new terminals' weight savings originate from aluminum base metal, an optimized wall thickness and a shorter wire barrel. 
The grease-free COPALUM dry crimp technology provides an efficient, reliable and clean crimp process using a single-step crimp for conductor termination and wire sealing. The terminal's screened crimp barrel cuts through aluminum oxides to form a long-lasting, oxide-free termination. The single-crimp process reduces applied cost by eliminating the need for a second crimp for wire sealing. Additional efficiency gains can be expected by an enhanced wire barrel design, making wire insertion easy with ample room for conductors.
TE's COPALUM Lite terminals also offer flexible design options. Single- or dual-hole terminals can be customized with straight or angled tongues, enabling a good fit in almost any customer application.
The new, sealed terminals provide watertight wire sealing that withstands 500 hours of salt spray exposure. Combined with an operating temperature rating of 175 degrees Celsius, the terminals are ideal for aerospace applications including commercial aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, primary power feeders and grounding systems.