What Is Mil Spec
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What Is Mil Spec

First, what is a mil-spec anyway? A mil-spec has to do with the military. It is what the military uses as it’s standard. In the military, everything is standardized to allow for reliability, compatibility, and commonality between systems. This allows the military to swap out components at a moments notice in the most awkward places. Mil-Spec is the specifications that the military has set for that particular component. Most times the component’s design rights are owned by the government. These designs are then made by various companies to the specs needed to sell to the Department of Defense and it’s contractors. The benefit that general consumers get is the price point, as they are much less costly than most other components. In addition to mil-spec, you may see other component terms used such as:
MIL-SPEC (Defense Specification)
MIL-PRF (Defense performance Specification)
MIL-DTL (Defense Detail Specification)
MIL-STD (Defense Standard)

By using the word mil-spec you are stating that the component will meet the military standards of that component. There are two great examples of how our industry uses mil-spec standards. This is in Mil-Std-810G and mil-std-461F. The 810G is a standard for a board range of environmental conditions. And, 461F is a standard of testing electromagnetic compatibility. These are the standards that the military uses when selecting components and hardware for their vessels, vehicles, and aircraft as well as other specialty units. There is a cost to test at 461F which is about $25k and it takes about 2 weeks to complete.

Mil-spec connectors
Mil-spec connectors are the connectors that pass the Military Standard. They were created in the 1930s for the Army and Navy. However, they have since spread throughout the entire military, as well as automotive, marine and commercial applications. They typically consist of a male and female end or a plug and receptacle. The electrical contacts are made up for Beryllium copper and typically plated with gold or some other highly conductive and non-corrosive material. These contacts are then housed in a dielectric insulator which is then put into an enclosure. And, it will be sealed between the connectors and the enclosure with a moisture-resistant and hermetic seal. Often times the connectors are made so that there is only one way they will connect with each other. This is an added feature of protection for the electrical components. Many times the mating halves have some sort of locking mechanism that allows them to lock together to prevent them from coming apart by mistake.

In recent times the automotive industry has started using mil-spec as a term to market their aftermarket components. You will see this term used in wiring harnesses, sensors, and electrical components. There is a lot that goes into the entire understanding of mil-spec but here, we were simply trying to get a basic understanding of what it means. Every mil-spec is a standard and offers a tool for testing, building and executing component manufacturing. There are a lot of different mil-specs out there but in essence, they all lead back to being a military standard.

CMI Meets Mil-Spec Standards
CMI has been delivering Mil-Spec standards for decades. We can handle your needs today and tomorrow. Contact us for more information and consultation for our engineering expertise.

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What Is Mil Spec
What Is Mil Spec
What Is Mil Spec
What Is Mil Spec
What Is Mil Spec