Robots and customizable PCB materials help Onanon streamline production of medical connectors The connector industry has evolved around a group of fundamental manufacturing processes: Stamping reel-to-reel Electroplating processes (either reel-to-reel or batch-plating in tanks) Molded housings Automated high speed machines that singulate contacts and insert them into the housings The advantages of manufacturing connectors thisRead More

Technological advancements throughout the medical market are dramatically enhancing the quality and accessibility of diagnostic information, improving patient treatment, and reducing infection rates. To support this rapidly evolving market, suppliers are being challenged to develop smaller, lighter, higher-speed, and higher-density medical connectors capable of handling big data, meeting demanding cost targets, and delivering additional capabilities,Read More

FCI took the next step in the development of high-speed backplanes when it developed a cost-efficient way to deliver higher speed and density. While Teradyne and its partner Molex were increasing speed with successive generations of large, expensive, heavily shielded waferized connectors, FCI was listening to its large base of telecom, storage, and low-end computingRead More

When you specify a connector type, you also choose a supplier. Beyond the connector’s design and functionality, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing a connector manufacturer for medical systems.   Many connector companies are very successful, generating continuous growth in revenue and earnings over many years, but it takes even more toRead More

Teradyne Connector Systems’ innovative VHDM connectors combined ground-plane and lead-frame wafers. You may remember that AMP’s patent associated with the Z-pack 2mm HM (hard metric) with ground planes between wafers was not tooled for the 2mm HM connector, primarily because it was difficult to justify the additional cost and complexity with just two pairs per chicklet.Read More

With the first half of 2016 behind us, Bishop & Associates’ Dave Brearley takes a look at the hot products and technologies that are dominating the year so far.   The Hottest Connector Technology of 2016 (So Far!) Writing about connector innovations is always fun; recent developments are no exception. Innovative connector solutions have beenRead More

Backplane connectors with large molded housings existed in the late 1980s but were expensive and very difficult to make. True position for all of the pins had to be accurate or the connector could not be placed easily on the boards and mated. Teradyne Connector Systems found a solution. Teradyne Connector Systems (TCS) was a divisionRead More

Chicklets revolutionized automation by increasing the overall speed and efficiency of designing in backplane connectors. The Germans are renowned for developing and enforcing mechanical standards that are used worldwide. German companies developed the DIN 41612 connector family and the Eurocard chassis standards, which remain the basis for many other standards, such as VME architectures usedRead More

The development of the 2mm Metral connector changed the telecom industry forever.   The connector industry is very interesting, in part, because of exciting inventions developed by engineers – some of which have such an impact that the direction of the industry is changed. In the late ‘80s, telecom OEMs were outgrowing the capabilities ofRead More

Compliant press-fit pins are a key achievement in the development of backplane connector technology. Here’s how they work. Compliant pins, waferized connector designs, modular connectors, egg-crate shielding, air-dielectric designs – we can now look back on inventions like these and put them in perspective. It is interesting to see how a real understanding of the technologyRead More

Is it for the sake of technology advancement, broader customer appeal, or just a good business opportunity? Bishop & Associates’ David Brearley looks at why connector giants expand into sensors.    You may have noticed there have been several acquisitions of sensor companies by connector companies in recent years. TE Connectivity, for example, acquired MeasurementRead More