Industrial Plugs and Sockets are the Future Driving the Power Connection

1. Industrial Plugs and Sockets are the Future Driving the Power Connection What is Industrial Plug & Socket and Why is it so important to use them instead of traditional Plugs and Sockets? Industrial Plug and Socket are mainly used to provide a secured connection and acts as a link between the main power supply and the end-use of the product. They are generally used in hazardous environments such as oil refineries, gas plants, chemical factories, etc. where the level of safety required is very high. They may be waterproof, fireproof/flameproof as per requirement, and have an interlocking ability to safeguard the connection along with a switch to prevent any accidental disconnection of the live plug. They may be Single Phase or Three Phase in nature depending upon their specification and current taking capacity. After Industrial Plugs & Sockets came into existence, certain regulations and norms were established globally to standardize its specification, nature and follow standard manufacturing practice for easy identification of the products and interchangeability. The standard defined by the IEC for Industrial Plugs & Sockets, Couplers, and Outlet was IEC 60309.

2. There is a range of Categories of Products available under Industrial Plugs and Sockets 1. Industrial Plugs: •Standard Plug •Inlet / Reverse Plug •Low Voltage Plug •Event Plug •Reefer Container Plug •Multi-Function Plug •Heavy Voltage & Current-Carrying Plug 2. Industrial Connectors: •Standard Connector •Low-Voltage Connector •High Voltage Connector •Event Connector •Reefer Container Connector 3. Industrial Sockets: •Panel Mounting Socket •Angular Socket •Reefer Container Socket •Multi Connection Socket CamLock: There is a different type of Industrial Plug and Socket that has limited use and is commonly used in the Entertainment Industry, commonly referred to as Powerlocks or Camlocks. They are Single Pole in nature and so 5 of them are required to make a set and to fulfill all the three phases, neutral and earthing (ground). They have a rating of 250Amp, 400Amp & 660 Amp. They follow a unique standard color code for easy identification as follows: Brown, L1 Black, L2 Grey, L3 Blue, Neutral Green, Earth Industrial Plugs & Sockets have a wide range of applications where it is commonly used: •Entertainment and Event Industry for the heavy lighting •Film Sets and Studios •Tunnels

3. •Construction Sites •Adventure Parks •Industrial Kitchen •Railways •Airports •Reefer Container •Ships and Yachts •Military They have various specifications in terms of their type, which differentiates one from another in terms of its Ampere, Voltage, Earthing Pin (3h or 6h), etc. It is always recommended to buy them in ABS material as it is proven to withstand extreme conditions and is likely to have a longer life whereas PVC material is likely to melt under extreme conditions and could lead to serious accidents. Difference Between Industrial Plug & Socket and household / commonly used Plug & Socket? A lot of them feel that Industrial Plugs & Sockets and household / commercial plugs & sockets are nearly the same and there is not a vast difference between them so I will talk about the few distinct differences that separate the two majorly. 1. Current Rating •Industrial Plugs and Sockets have a higher Ampere Rating starting from 16A which goes up to 660A. •Standard Plugs & Sockets have an Ampere rating of 6A, 10A, and 16A. 2. Material •Industrial Plugs are sockets are generally made of a very high- quality Plastic, preferably PA6 material, often called Nylon 6 is sometimes blended with ABS to provide the best results to enhance its durability, reliability and can withstand high temperature. These are normally found in the protection rating of IP44, IP55, IP67 & IP68 which makes me waterproof, weatherproof, flameproof, etc. •Standard Plugs are made up of lower quality Plastic as it has less current and Ampere to withstand and it does not have extra protection in terms of being waterproof or weatherproof. 3. Color Coding •Industrial Plugs and Sockets have a special color-coding where Single Phase stands for Blue and Three Phase stands for Red as per IEC standards. Also, Camlocks have a unique codification which multiple colors as it is a

4. single pole. •Normal household plugs and sockets are always in white color. 4. Product Life •A high quality and branded Industrial plugs and sockets like POWER N PACK or Marechal can easily work for 5-7 years or even more depending upon its usage and how it's handled. •Standard Plugs and Sockets are having a standard quality and need to be replaced every 6- 12 months for its smooth use. Industrial Plugs and Sockets are actually a very important aspect of Safety and I personally feel that it has to be well taken care of to avoid some serious accidents. I believe few things have to be taken into consideration before buying them. •Material of the product: I prefer ABS / PA6 material without any compromise because we are not just talking about power supply but worker/ staff associated with the machine these are connected to. •Design & its Ergonomic structure: I feel that with continuous advancements and innovation, the latest design should be preferred which is robust and sturdy in nature. •Warranty: I personally feel that if a company believes in its product, it would definitely provide a warranty for the same and thus it makes it easier to opt. •Price: If it is fairly priced and has all the above qualities then I definitely feel, you should go for it. I have researched a lot over this and can say it with a lot of confidence that the manufacture of the best industrial plugs and sockets based on their quality and durability are POWER N PACK, SCAME, MARECHAL, etc.