Cable entry & interconnect
Subsea cable penetrators and waterproof connectors
Gland penetrators, bulkhead fittings and waterproof connectors for taking cable through a pressure housing wall without taking water in with it. Depth ratings to 1,000 m in aluminium and stainless steel.
What these are for
Where subsea housings actually leak.
Pressure housings rarely fail across the tube wall. They fail at the holes deliberately put through it. Every cable entry is a potential leak path, and the failure is almost always a sizing mismatch against the cable rather than a defect in the fitting.
A compression gland closes on the cable's actual jacket outer diameter. Closed on an undersized cable it leaks at the jacket interface; forced over an oversized one it overstresses the elastomer and shortens its working life well before the next scheduled service. Measure the jacket OD with calipers before ordering — not the conductor size, not the figure from a previous harness.
How to choose
Gland size, body material and seal compound.
Depth rating follows body material. An aluminium gland body is the general-purpose choice to a few hundred metres; stainless steel takes the same thread pattern deeper. Brass and copper bodies are for shallow, benign freshwater work where cost and weight matter more than depth margin.
Thread size sets bulkhead density. M10 covers a wide cable range and is the default for most builds. M8 gives a slimmer profile where bulkhead spacing is tight on a compact payload box — worth choosing deliberately when you are counting how many entries fit on one end cap.
Seal compound matters more than it looks. Nitrile (NBR) is a serviceable, low-cost general-purpose compound for freshwater and moderate temperatures, but it swells and degrades faster than fluoroelastomer (FKM) under sustained saltwater immersion, surface UV between deployments, and contact with biofouling-removal solvents. Bulkhead seals see more handling than any other seal on the housing, which is why they are commonly specified in FKM.
Removable or permanent. An epoxy-sealed penetrator is a permanent commitment. A mechanical compression gland can be opened, re-terminated and re-used, which is what a research platform that changes payloads between deployments actually needs.
Compare the range
What we supply.
| Product | Depth Rating | Material | Operating Temperature | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep-Sea Cable Connectors - Dummy Sealing Cap | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | Black anodized aluminum | -25C to 70C | 11-16 g (varies by type) |
| Deep-Sea Cable Connectors - Female Socket & Male Plug | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | Black anodized aluminum, gold-plated copper contacts | -25C to 70C | 20-23 g (depending on configuration) |
| Deep-Sea Cable Connectors - M10 Bulkhead | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | Black anodized aluminum | -25C to 70C | 34-37 g |
| Deep-Sea Cable Penetrator | Up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | 6061 aluminum, black anodized | — | — |
| Deep-Sea M10 Gland Cable Penetrator | Aluminum: 300 m (984 ft); Stainless Steel: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | — | — | ~15 g (aluminum); ~50 g (stainless steel) |
| Deep-Sea Shielded Data & Power Cable | Up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | — | -20C to 80C | — |
| Deep-Sea Underwater Cable | Up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) with proper waterproofing | — | -20C to 80C (long-term) | — |
| Low-Depth M10 Gland Cable Penetrator | 100 m (328 ft) | Copper body, nickel-plated brass construction | — | ~46 g |
| Subsea M10 Coupling Tube | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | Aluminum, black anodized | — | 29 g |
| Metric Sealing Plug (Blank) | Up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | 6061 aluminum, black anodized | — | — |
| Mid-Depth M8 Gland Cable Penetrator | 300 m (984 ft) | Black anodized aluminum | — | ~8 g |
| UNF Sealing Plug (Blank) | 1,000 m (3,280 ft) | — | — | — |
Applications
Where this is used.
- Cable entry through ROV and AUV pressure housings
- Sensor and instrument cable termination
- Power and signal runs through bulkheads
- Fibre-optic and multi-conductor subsea harnesses
- Re-terminable entries on reconfigurable research payloads
Further reading
Engineering guides on this subject.
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