M12 cable is M12 connector with cable , which also called M12 cable connector , it’s used for waterproof connection between devices . The M12 connector is circular waterproof connector with 12mm thread , the connector is interface for waterproof connection , but the data , signals , power should be transmited by cable .

So we can see , Without the cable, the M12 connector cannot realize his data and power transmission function .

The M12 connector should not only keep the interface waterproof , but also the connector to the cable connection should be waterproof . As the whole tranmission train between two device should be waterproof .

How many different types of M12 cable are there ?

1. Accord to cable assembly way

(1) Cable assembly M12 cable

The metal cable assembly M12 cable can be straight or right angled , male or female accord to different application .

The metal M12 connectors are produced without cables , while customers tell us the cable length , cable material , our company can do the cable assembly service before delivery .

Customers can do the cable assembly themselves after they got the metal M12 connector . The metal assembly M12 cables is very suitable for field installation , maintance and trouble shooting .

The Metal M12 cable have much better anti-corrosion, anti-vibration performance, mechanical performance, very suitable for harsh industrial environment.

The plastic cable assembly M12 cable also have female and male , straight and angled type , compared with cable assembly M12 cable , it’s more cost-effetive , the protection performance is not as good as metal cable assembly M12 cable , but could fullfill most of the automation applications .

(2) Overmolded M12 Cable

The overmolded M12 cable also called moulded M12 cable , the cable is moulded to the M12 connector , so it can have much better waterproof protection .

The moulded M12 cable have male or female type , can be straight or right angled as in the picture .

The cable length , cable meterial should be confirmed before the order placed , normally customer will offer a drawing with the detail requirement .

For some countries , the labor cost can be very expensive , cable assembly will cost a lot of time , and unprofessional workers may wrong connect the pin to the cable , so overmolded M12 cable can save labor cost , and reduce risks of wrong connection .

2. Accord to code type

(1) A code M12 cable

A coded M12 cable is the earliest developed coding type , have 2pin , 3pin , 4 pin , 5pin , 6 pin , 8pin, 12pin , 17 pin for option , M12 3pin ,4pin cable had been widely used for sensors and power supply , 4pin , 8pin M12 cable are used a lot for industrial ethernet and PROFINET , 4pin , 5pin M12 cable used a lot for CANbus , 12pin , 17pin are generally used for industrial automation signal and data transmission.

The A code M12 cable can be overmolded or cable assembly , the moulded M12 cable have all the 2-17pin for option , and the cable assembly type M12 cable may not have all the pin option .

(2) B code M12 cable

B code M12 cable only have one type pinout , it’s 5 pin , also called 5B , it’s mainly used for Profibus .

(3) C code M12 cable

C code M12 cable have 3pin , 4pin , 5pin , 6pin for option , the connector can be straight or right angled , M12 C coded cable is mainly used for AC applications , such as sensors and actuators .

(4) D code M12 cable

D code M12 cable only have 4 pin , no other pin option , the connector can be metal or plastic cable assembly , or straight and right angled moulded male or female , it’s mainly used for industrial ethernet for which 100MB speed would meet the requirement .

(5) X code M12 cable

X code M12 cable only have 8 pin for option , have straight or right angled , male or female , metal assembly or overmolded type , it’s mainly used for GBIT industrial ethernet .

(6) Y code M12 cable

Y code M12 cable integrates ethernet and power signals into one connector, It transmits data at speeds of up to 100 Mbps, like the M12 D-coded connector, while providing a 30-volt, 6-amp power connection, reducing the space and labor cost for wiring.

(7) S code M12 cable

S T K L M code M12 cable have same apperance , have cable assembly type and overmolded type , male or female , straight or right angled type .

S code M12 cable have rated voltage up to 630V , rated current 12A , support 16AWG wires , it’s mainly used for power applications , such as motor drivers ,motor load switches , frequency converters.

(8) T code M12 cable

As we can see , T code M12 cable have same apperance and pin option as S code M12 cable .

T code M12 cable meets EN 61076-2-111 standard , have rated voltage 60V , rated current 12A , mainly used for DC power applications for automation , it can replace M12 A coded 2pin , 3pin , 4pin connector for power connections .

(9) K code M12 cable

K code M12 cable have same apperance as S and T code M12 cable , have male female , straight angled , cable assembly and moulded type .

meets IEC 61076-2-111 standard , had been used widely for power connector for automation,have rated voltage of 800V and rated current of 16A ,total power 12KW, support high-power electrical connection in M12 interface .

(10) L code M12 cable

L code M12 cable have straight and right angled type for cable assembly and moulded connector , could be male or female .

M12 L code cable can be used in PROFINET applications for high power supply with M12 interface . It has rated voltage of 63V and rated current of 16A , small size with big power for DC application .

(11) M code M12 cable

Similar as S T K L coded M12 cable , M code M12 cable also have straight or right angled , male and female , cable assembly or moulded type , it have very good electrical performance , rated voltage 630V , rated current 8A , up to 5KW power , very good for 3 phase motor and other high power automation applications .

3. Accord to cable material

With different material cables the M12 cable can have different performance , so the cable material is very important . The cable material that had been used mostly are PVC , TPU , PUR .

(1) PVC M12 cable

PVC M12 cable means the jacket material that wraps the outermost layer of the conduct material is made of polyvinyl chloride material.

PVC cable is the most widely used cables , and for ordinary application , it can meets most of the inquirements.

PVC cable has excellent performance, simple structure, tensile strength, wear resistance, waterproof, oil resistance, flame retardant, corrosion resistance, high tensile strength, tear resistance, and can be used in various indoor conventional environments and automation harsh environments , but its stability to temperature changes is not particularly good, and low temperatures may cause cracks, so it is not suitable for outdoor environments. Some low-quality PVC materials contain substances that are harmful to the environment and may cause environmental pollution.

• It has been used earliest,the processing and manufacturing process is simple, and the cost is low.
• Has very good flame retardant properties
• Widely used in household appliances, instrumentation, lighting, network communications, air conditioners, refrigerators and other industries.
• Because it contains a large amount of chlorine, it will release substances that are very harmful to the environment and human body when burned.
• The resistance to some chemical agents is relatively poor, and it will be broken and damaged under certain circumstances .

(2) PUR M12 cable

PUR M12 cable have jacket made of polyurethane material, which has good anti-friction, oil resistance and stable performance in low temperature environment, it’s also very flexible , widely used for towline in automaiton .

• Strong resistance to mineral oil, water, alcohol, some chemicals
• High tensile strength
• Tear resistance
• Anti-notch
• Wear resistance
• Resistant to repeated bending
• Shock proof
• flexible at low temperature

(3) TPU M12 cable

TPU M12 cable have jacket made of thermoplastic polyurethane. TPU not only has excellent properties of high tension, high tensile force, toughness and aging resistance, but also is a mature environmental protection material, which has the following advantages:

• High tensile strength
• High tear strength
• Hydrolysis resistance
• Weather resistance and corrosion resistance
• Oil and chemical resistant
• How temperature flexibility
• Low temperature resistance
• Wear-resistant surface
• Anti-aging
• Service life, used in harsh environments for more than 25 years
• Easy to process and produce

In addition to being used in general environments, it is especially suitable for use as dynamic cables, or use in harsh environments when there are high-strength requirements,needs to be wound, twisted or dragged in rocks, ground, desert, ice and snow, or immersed in water with a great temperature difference between day and night, etc.

4. Accord to shielding type

(1) Shielded M12 cable

The shielded M12 cable has a metal shielding layer on the connector and cable, which can prevent external electronic interference from being introduced into other electronic devices. It is generally used for signal and data transmission, such as image, audio, video, data, etc., to ensure accurately data transmition and prevent damage to components and even equipment caused by electronic interference.

Some demanding applications, or applications in more complex electronic environments, will use multi-layer shielding.

(2)Unshielded M12 cable

Unshielded M12 cable is used for ordinary applications , such as power connection , don’t need metal layer for shielding .

If sorted with other methods, they can be other type M12 cables , like by pin number , then can be 17 pin M12 cable , 12 pin M12 cable , 4 pin M12 cable , 5 pin M12 cable , by application then can be ethernet M12 cable , sensor M12 cable , fieldbus M12 cable , by brands can be CAZN M12 cable , Phoenix M12 cable , then the article couldn’t come to end . So, if you want to know more about M12 cables , welcome to contact us.