Combicon, the world’s largest portfolio of PCB connection technology from Phoenix Contact, is celebrating its 50th anniversary

Under the slogan “The Spirit of Connecting”, the Combicon product portfolio from Phoenix Contact is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since 1972, Combicon PCB terminal blocks and PCB connectors have been providing the ideal connection technology for transmitting signals, data, or power in a wide range of applications.

“Back in 1972, it became ever more apparent that developments in the control cabinet, in machine building, or in electricity were increasingly shifting towards industrial electronics. With the KDS terminal block for printed circuits, we developed the original terminal block that marked our entry into the world of electronics,” recalls Klaus Eisert, Phoenix Contact shareholder and the creative mind behind the first PCB terminal block. “And so began the era of the industrial PCB terminal block for Phoenix Contact. From the outset, the green terminal blocks radiated quality and do so to this day.”

In the decades that followed, the product portfolio evolved from its humble beginnings into an ever-growing and varied product portfolio that now boasts around 100 different product families. Users all around the world use these products in inverters, complex controllers, or modern smart home applications, for example. Phoenix Contact has produced in the region of several billion Combicon PCB terminal blocks and PCB connectors in total since 1972.

“We have always been passionate about making the best technology even better. Through our continuous development efforts, we have succeeded time and again over the decades in setting new standards in the field of PCB connection technology on a global scale with Combicon. Thus, year after year, new innovations are created that make the PCB connection more compact, more powerful, or easier to use,” explains Volker Koppert, Head of the Business Unit PCB Connectors in the Business Area Device Connectors. The innovations that originated in Blomberg and have become generally accepted internationally include, for example, the first PCB terminal block with Push-in spring connection, the invention of single-row connectors with variable numbers of positions and with screw connection for individual field wiring, and the first lever-type terminal block with additional Push-in function. Through the company’s continuous development efforts, Phoenix Contact has succeeded time and again in setting new standards in the field of PCB connection technology on a global scale with Combicon. In the decades that followed, the product family evolved from its humble beginnings into an ever-growing and differentiated product family. The portfolio is constantly adapting to the requirements of customers. The company always responds to trends, such as miniaturization and increased performance and efficiency in PCB assembly, by providing the corresponding connection technology for the job.

So what is it that defines this remarkable success? It is the ability to keep challenging the technology that is used and to constantly strive for solutions that keep pace with developments.

This is also demonstrated by the modular configurable PCB terminal blocks of the SPT modular series launched in 2021, which enable different individual elements to be combined to create a tailor-made connection block. In order to provide an almost unlimited variety of PCB terminal blocks that are easy to manage and available quickly, Phoenix Contact implemented its first end-to-end digital process chain from the configurator through to production.

“We are naturally very proud of the 50-year success story of our Combicon product portfolio,” states Torsten Janwlecke, COO of Phoenix Contact and President of the Business Area Device Connectors. “The Combicon connectors and PCB terminal blocks represent our largest portfolio of device and PCB connection technology worldwide, enabling us, as the market leader, to constantly set new global trends and standards. However, as reflected in our anniversary slogan, ‘The Spirit of Connecting’, we are always looking to the future. Newly emerging fields of application relating to the growing electrification of mobility infrastructure, or the increasing degree of automation of buildings and industrial systems, or the smartification of our power grids are all driving markets that are a source of new applications for our Combicon portfolio, breathing new life into the portfolio. Combicon is thus also at the heart of Phoenix Contact’s vision of an All Electric Society. And with countless product versions and solutions, we are empowering our customers to tackle the tasks they will face in the context of the comprehensive electrification, networking, and automation of all relevant areas of life and work. And of course, Combicon as a ‘connector’ naturally plays an important role in this.”

To celebrate with us or to take a look behind the scenes of 50 years of Combicon PCB connection technology, visit phoenixcontact.com/combicon50years