MTL

MTL Instruments was founded in Luton, England in 1971 as one of the first companies to commercialise Zener-diode safety barriers for signal isolation in flammable atmospheres. Over fifty years later, MTL barriers remain the reference standard for intrinsically safe (IS) signal transfer in the process industries — installed by the millions in refineries, offshore platforms, and chemical plants worldwide.

Engineering Heritage

MTL's early leadership was built on the MTL700 series analogue barriers, which were the first products to receive ATEX certification for Zone 0 mounting. Through continuous innovation — including the introduction of galvanic isolation with the MTL3000 series and the modern MTL4500 / MTL5500 ranges — the company has remained at the forefront of hazardous-area signal conditioning. The 2010 acquisition by Eaton, and integration with the Crouse-Hinds division, extended MTL's reach into North-American projects while preserving its British engineering tradition.

Core Product Lines

MTL7700 Series Shunt-Diode Barriers: The most widely installed IS barrier in the world. The 7700 family includes the 7706+, 7787+, and the unique 7799 dual-channel variants. All models carry ATEX, IECEx, and FM approvals and are DIN-rail mountable. Backplane-mounted options such as the MTL7798 enable clean wiring in marshalling cabinets.

MTL4500 / MTL5500 Galvanic Isolators: Three-port galvanic isolation with HART transparency, designed for 4–20 mA loops where high accuracy, signal integrity, and superior surge immunity are required. The MTL5544 / 5544D models are the workhorse single-channel isolators for critical control valves and transmitters.

MTL831B / MTL838B HART Multiplexers: Cost-effective way to interface hundreds of HART field devices to a control system through a single RS-485 or Ethernet link. Eliminates the need for dedicated HART input cards in the DCS and provides automatic device-identification and diagnostic streaming.

MTL Fieldbus Surge Protection (FP8 / SWK): Protects FOUNDATION Fieldbus and PROFIBUS-PA segments from induced surges and lightning-induced transients — critical on offshore platforms and in lightning-prone regions.

Where MTL Is Specified

MTL products are the default specification in many EPC contractors' hazardous-area documentation. Typical installations include instrument air compressor skids in refineries, custody-transfer gas metering stations, offshore wellhead platforms (North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa), pharmaceutical API reactors, and turbine auxiliaries on combined-cycle power stations.

Our Supply Capability

Glorient maintains active inventory of MTL barriers and isolators for fast EU and US delivery, including MTL7706+, MTL7787+, MTL5544, MTL4544, MTL831B, and the legacy MTL705/707 series for older installations. Our technical team can assist with barrier-schedule review, cross-reference from older MTL and competitor (Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact MACX) part numbers, and SIL-compliance documentation per IEC 61508.