With new electronic technologies aimed at growing US rail ridership, physical limitations challenge system engineers to adopt greater flexibility in interconnection requirements.      Designers seeking new opportunities for competitive advantages in railway vehicles are constantly imposing greater demands on electrical and electronic system interconnections: Wi-Fi connectivity helps attract and retain ridership; infotainment screens enhance the riderRead More

Infrastructure shapes mobility and influences rolling stock in much the same way that new and better highways impacted automobile design. In this excerpt from a Nexans white paper, the authors explain the latest trends in rail infrastructure and what customers will expect from cable suppliers in the future.     [quote]“Infrastructure shapes mobility. No majorRead More

The application possibilities of wireless technology in the railway industry are seemingly endless. An Industrial Ethernet network is inherently flexible and easily expandable, which makes it ideal for accommodating future trends in the transportation space.   Customer demand for a safe, entertaining, and enjoyable travel experience is dramatically increasing. Rail travelers today, whether riding onRead More

The Specialist, TTI’s secret weapon, sat down with us to chat about connector specification, mil/aero connector trends, and his passion for interconnects.   Q: What drew you to the intrigue of the electronics industry? How did you begin your work with TTI? A: As a child, I grew up working with my father in hisRead More

Military tech advancements for 2016 will sharpen situational awareness and expand capabilities for the warfighter.      Across the Department of Defense, many research and development programs are finding it necessary to change direction in order to adapt to budget cuts. Program managers, expected to advance technology while spending less money, are rising to theRead More

Space technology for electronic systems has evolved to meet the needs of long-range performance in extreme physical and environmental situations. From launch to deep space travel, the demands can be daunting, considering they cannot fail and cannot be repaired.   On August 6, 2015, the world sat still, quietly awaiting word of a Mars landing,Read More

We spoke with Bob Zubrickie of TE Connectivity about the possibilities that lay ahead for 3D printing and additive manufacturing, as well as the role connector technology will play in future developments.     Q: What is additive manufacturing, and where is it in the development stage in general industry? How quickly will it comeRead More

Are craft beer and automation compatible? While the beverage industry long ago automated manufacturing and packaging operations, today’s craft breweries pride themselves on the personal touch. Is there a place for factory automation in small-batch brewing?   Over the past fifteen years or so, the American beer market has seen a rapid expansion of smallRead More

Larger manufacturers have employed manufacturing execution systems for years, but many small-to-medium-sized enterprises have yet to adopt such systems. Schleuniger’s Pete Doyon says that looking forward, even the smallest manufacturing companies will need to use them.   A manufacturing execution system (MES) is a software program that manages and monitors production work in a factory. The MES controlsRead More

When it comes to surviving in a hostile plant environment, few would argue against the superiority of the M12 connector system over the traditional RJ45 connector and socket, according to Dietmar Röring of Phoenix Contact.   Ethernet has become a viable alternative to fieldbus systems in industrial networks. Ethernet can also be combined with existingRead More

The primary purpose of a connector design review is to evaluate if the new product meets customer requirements. Here, Bill Garver of APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants discusses the steps in the process and how to navigate them successfully.   There are usually several design reviews conducted throughout the new product development cycle for electrical connectors. These reviews occurRead More

Now that 100G networking equipment is being deployed in both local and wide area networks, it is time to seriously consider what lies beyond.   There are many research and development projects currently underway to answer the question of how high data rates will go, as well as what they will require of the hardware that makes them possible. TheRead More