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Terminal Blocks – What Are They?

Friday 19th January 2024

In electrical or electronic circuitry - a terminal block is a connector that enables the joining together of two cables in a very safe and functional way!  
Within an electrical control panel – multiple terminals will be used to terminate the circuits within the panel and allow connection from the external components, incoming power source etc. 

Terminal blocks come in an infinite range of sizes, colours, and profiles but all types will contain metal parts shrouded or encased in plastic to prevent human contact with the electric current being carried!

Dinrail Terminal blocks 

A DIN rail (PR30-5, PR30-6, PR3-Z2) is a metal rail of a standard type widely used for mounting Terminal Blocks, Circuit Breakers, Switches & Contactors and other industrial control equipment inside equipment racks or control panels.

Din-rails are typically made from cold-rolled steel with a zinc-plated or chromated bright surface finish. They are only used for mechanical support and should not be used to conduct electric current. They may, however, provide a ground or “earth” connection.

What is DIN Rail?

The term DIN-rail derives from the original specifications published by Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) in Germany, (from the 1920s), which have since been adopted as European (EN) and international (IEC) standards. In simple terms Din Rail allows multiple components to be mounted collectively onto a chassis plate rather than individually thus saving time!

In simple terms, “Terminal blocks” are used to neatly terminate wires and facilitate connections to an electrical supply. Terminal blocks are used in a multitude of applications in many sectors such as electronics, automotive, railway automation and process engineering industries ad infinitum!

ENTRELEC Terminal blocks 

For over 50 years, Entrelec has been one of the leading manufacturers of terminal blocks, with products in use all over the world.

Markets and applications include: Process Control, Large and small panel building, Machine Tools, Energy/Utility, Railway/Transport, Chemical/Petrochemical, HVAC (Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning), Marine/Ship Building, Building Automation, Instrumentation, Utilities, Automobile, etc.

All ENTRELEC terminal blocks are manufactured using only the highest quality materials and carry UL, CSA, VDE, IEC and other worldwide approvals. Entrelec products offer space-saving, industry standard DIN rail mountable module terminal blocks with the colours, functions and connection technologies that customers demand. The industry’s most identifiable termination technologies are:

Screw Clamp technology remains the most popular in connection devices.

Spring technology is a fast-growing standard in screwless connection.

IDC (insulation displacement connection) technology is the newest, fastest, and most innovative of screw-less connections.

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