Laminated flexible connectors
Thin copper foils stacked and welded solid at the ends, flexible in between.
For transformer, switchgear and busbar connections
Custom flexible connectors, made to your drawing.
Laminated copper shunts and copper braids that carry current through movement and vibration. Manufactured in India, joint tested and inspected against your drawing, and delivered to your Incoterm.
- Laminated or braided
- Millivolt drop reported
- Measured records
Laminated connector, 40 × 6 mm, tin plated endsDWG REV. A
- Material
- ETP copper foil C11000
- Contact faces
- Tin plated, ASTM B545
- Critical dimension
- Hole centres 250.00 ±0.30 mm
- Inspection
- Millivolt drop to your limit
What we make
Braided flexible connectors
Fine copper wire braid with solid pressed or welded ends, flexible in every direction.
For connections that move in more than one plane
Flat braids
Flat woven copper braid, plain or tinned, supplied cut to length or terminated.
For earthing links and low-profile connections
Insulated flexible connectors
Laminated or braided connectors in an insulating sleeve, with the contact faces left bare.
For tight enclosures near other live parts
Busbar expansion joints
Flexible sections that let a busbar run expand and contract without stressing its joints.
For long busbar runs and busway
Earthing and bonding braids
Braided links that bond doors, frames and equipment to earth.
For panels, enclosures and transformer tanks
Choosing a flexible connector
Pick the construction for the movement, then the ends for the joint.
Construction for the movement
- Laminated foil
- High current in a compact section, flexible in one plane.Watch for: Bending across the foils, not along them, strains the laminations.
- Braided wire
- Flexes and twists in all directions, and absorbs vibration well.Watch for: Needs a larger section than a laminate for the same current.
- Insulated
- A laminate or braid in a sleeve, for clearance to nearby parts.Watch for: The sleeve temperature rating must suit the current.
Ends for the joint
- Welded solid ends
- Foils or wires fused into a solid contact face, with no filler metal.Watch for: Ask for the weld pull or peel test result.
- Pressed ferrule ends
- A copper ferrule pressed over the braid, then drilled.Watch for: Check the millivolt drop across the ferrule.
- Brazed ends
- Braid or foils brazed into a solid terminal.Watch for: Braze alloy can wick into the braid and stiffen it.
Specifications
- Types
- Laminated, braided, flat braid, insulated, busbar expansion joints, earthing and bonding braids
- Materials
- ETP copper foil and wire (C11000), plain or tinned; aluminium foil on review
- Foil thickness
- 0.1–0.5 mm standard
- Braid wire diameter
- 0.1–0.2 mm standard
- Width
- 10–120 mm standard
- Length
- Cut to drawing; up to 1000 mm standard
- Ends
- Welded, pressed or brazed; drilled or slotted to your drawing
- Plating
- Tin on contact faces or the whole part; silver or nickel
- Tests
- Millivolt drop to your limit; weld pull or peel where specified
- Standards
- IEC where the assembly applies; dimensions to your drawing
- Quantities
- Prototype builds to mass production
Laminated or braided
Both carry current through movement. The difference is how much they move, and in which directions.
Laminated
Thin foils stacked flat. Carries more current in the same width, and flexes in one plane: the bend across the foils.
Choose it for fixed-to-fixed joints that see expansion, misalignment or vibration.
Braided
Fine wires woven together. Flexes and twists in every direction, and takes up more movement for its length.
Choose it for joints that move in more than one plane, or move often.
- Same current
- A laminate is usually more compact than a braid for the same current.
- Movement
- Laminate: one plane. Braid: all directions, including twist.
- Test
- Both are tested for millivolt drop across the joint; weld pull or peel where specified.
Questions buyers ask
What is a flexible connector?+
A flexible connector carries current between two fixed points that move relative to each other, through vibration, thermal expansion or misalignment. It is made from stacked copper foils or copper braid, with solid ends for bolting.
Laminated or braided: which do I need?+
Laminated connectors carry more current in a compact section and flex in one plane. Braided connectors flex and twist in every direction. If the joint moves in more than one plane, or moves often, choose braid.
What is a millivolt drop test?+
A known current is passed through the connector and the voltage across it is measured. A low reading means low resistance through the joints. We test to your limit and report the reading with the batch.
Can you match an existing connector from another supplier?+
Yes. Send the drawing, and a sample if the drawing is incomplete. We tell you what can be held before we quote, then make samples for your approval.
How is the copper price handled?+
The quotation states the metal price and the date it is based on, so you can see exactly how much of the price is metal and how much is the work.
Can you take a small order?+
Yes. Small, engineering-heavy batches are work we take, from prototype quantities upwards.
Send the drawing
Email us your enquiry at contact@qumek.com. We respond within 12 hrs.
Your enquiries are confidential with us and we proceed with manufacturing only after signing a NDA.
Need a DFM review, a prototype or a test plan before production? See the services.
Plan your flexible connector
Busbar weight calculatorWeight, metal cost, resistance and millivolt drop, in copper or aluminium.Open the tool →ISO 2768 tolerance calculatorGeneral tolerances for every dimension on your drawing.Open the tool →
Often on the same drawing