ix Industrial Cat6A Patch Cord for ix-to-RJ45 and ix-to-ix Links

Overview

An ix Industrial Cat6A patch cord exists because the RJ45 plug is simply too
big for some of the equipment that now needs Ethernet. Collaborative robot joints, servo drives,
compact vision sensors and camera bodies have a faceplate area that an RJ45 does not leave room
for, and the answer in competitor catalogs is a smaller shielded interface holding the same
Category 6A performance. The interface is described in IEC 61076-3-124 Type A. ix Industrial is a
HARTING trademark; these cordsets are compatible parts built to the published interface, not
HARTING products.

Key Specifications

What you actually save: faceplate area, not speed

The quoted space saving against an RJ45 is around 70 percent of the faceplate area, which is
the figure competitor material leads with. It matters in two places: on the device itself, where
the connector competes with a status LED and a lens, and in the cable path, where a smaller plug
means a smaller bend and a smaller gland. What it does not change is performance — this is still
Category 6A, Class EA, carrying 1 or 10 Gbit/s.

The RJ45 plug
is not going away, and it should not. On a switch, in a cabinet, or on anything with room, it is
the cheaper and more serviceable part. ix earns its place only where the space is genuinely not
there.

Why industrial equipment is moving to it

Three things happened at once: devices got smaller, Gigabit became the default, and machine
builders put Ethernet on axes that move. A connector designed for a patch panel does none of those
well. The ix interface answers with a shell that closes the screen, a latch that holds under
vibration, and a footprint that fits where an RJ45 will not go.

• Servo drives and motor-mounted electronics with no spare panel area
• Collaborative robot joints where every gram and every millimeter counts
• Compact vision sensors and camera bodies with the lens taking most of the face
• Dense I/O blocks where four ports have to fit where two used to

Wire and shielding

The quoted construction is four screened pairs at 26 or 28 AWG in S/FTP, with 360 degree
shielding carried through the connector so the shell closes the screen rather than leaving a gap
at the boot. That matters more here than on a larger connector, because the whole reason for
choosing this interface is that it sits next to motor and drive electronics. Choose 26 AWG for
longer or powered runs, 28 AWG for short thin builds.

The latch and the mating cycle question

Retention is where small connectors are usually let down. The ix interface uses a latching hook
inside a metal shell, which gives an audible click on mating and resists the vibration that works
a friction-fit plug loose. The 5000 cycle class figure quoted in competitor data is well above
what a typical RJ45 latch is rated for, and it is worth checking if the port will be mated on a
moving joint.

Ends and lengths

Cords are offered as ix to RJ45, the usual case for connecting a compact device back to a
conventional switch, and as ix to ix for device-to-device runs inside a machine. Jacket options
quoted in competitor data are PUR and PVC for normal industrial use and LSZH or FRNC where smoke
and flame requirements apply. Short lengths are the norm: 0.5 to 5 m.

Installation reality

Support the cord near the plug rather than letting it hang, and keep the bend radius at the exit
generous even though the plug is compact. Listen for the latch engaging on a moving joint, where
vibration will otherwise work a partly seated plug loose.

What we are confirming

Space saving, conductor gauge, data rates, mating cycles, jacket ratings and temperature
figures come from public competitor data. Ask for the datasheet covering the exact construction
before you design the faceplate around it, and confirm the edition of IEC 61076-3-124 that your
machine standard references, because the keying and the latching are what stop a data plug going
into the wrong receptacle.

How to specify your build

1. Ends — ix to RJ45, or ix to ix.
2. Conductor — 26 AWG for longer runs and powered links, 28 AWG for short
   thin builds.
3. Jacket — PUR or PVC, or LSZH / FRNC where smoke and flame apply.
4. Length, and whether the run moves.
5. Keying, and the edition of the interface standard you reference.
6. Quantity, and whether this is a prototype or a production order.

Typical applications for this ix Industrial Cat6A patch

• Collaborative robots and small articulated arms with no room for an RJ45
• Servo drives where the data port shares a faceplate with power and status
• Compact vision sensors and GigE camera bodies
• Machine builds that also use our Cat6A
  M12 X-coded patch cord at the sealed end
• Vision systems running locking hardware, alongside our Cat6A
  RJ45 screw-lock GigE Vision cable

Workmanship and testing

ix Industrial Cat6A builds are made to IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 workmanship inside an ISO 9001 system, over a 32 to 12 AWG range. No ix assembly is boxed before continuity and pinout are confirmed, and seal checking is quoted whenever an ingress rating is on the drawing.

Material declarations against RoHS and REACH are issued per project, alongside the dimensional and electrical reports agreed at quotation; see certifications, compliance and material declarations. Where your drawing names a UL style or another approval, the build follows your drawing and ships with the supporting document rather than a claim of our own. Flex life is a construction decision made before tooling, following the conductor and jacket approach set out under continuous-flex design and testing. The wider context is covered under our industrial automation work. Tooling for this build is cut in our own tool room and belongs to your program, so a repeat run years later starts from the same tool.

Custom builds and ordering

For ix Industrial Cat6A builds, prototypes run from 1 to 50 pcs with a 3 working day turnaround; volume orders begin at 500 pcs and ship 14 working days after approval. Tooling not already held adds around 10 working days. ix builds go out under your part number and labeling, and material certificates plus first-article reports are available.

Related compact and industrial cords

• Cat6A M12 X-Coded Patch
  Cord, 8-Pin M12 to RJ45, PUR
• Cat6A IP67 Industrial
  Pigtail, S/FTP RJ45 with Dust Cap
• Cat6A Railway Patch Cord
  for Rolling Stock
• Cat6A
  High-Flex Drag Chain Patch Cord, S/FTP PUR
• USB3 Vision Camera Cable
  with Locking Screws

Full range: Ethernet
cable and patch cords.

Frequently Asked Questions