Featured Articles
  • Three Companies, One Mission: Reduce Plastics in Electronic Connectors

    The search for a regenerative bioplastic is on! Connector companies partner with a biomaterial specialist to find a viable alternative to petroleum-based plastics for the electronics industry and beyond. Connector manufacturers Harwin and Nicomatic have teamed up with biomaterial innovation specialist The New Materialist to develop bio-based alternatives to petrochemical plastics. Their mission, the NivoraRead More

  • XPO, Addressing the I/O Panel Bottleneck

    Introduced at OFC 2026, the new XPO pluggable modules provide a solution to the challenges of signal density, thermal management, field serviceability, and power efficiency. Continuing advances in artificial intelligence face multiple constraints including power consumption, access to memory, thermal management, and limitations of copper connectivity. Solving these challenges could still result in hobbled systemsRead More

Technology

A Booming Market for Construction Equipment Includes Smarter Machines

Heavy-duty machinery is essential for a range of energy, infrastructure, and development projects. Today, construction equipment is including more smart technologies and the interconnect solutions in these powerful machines need to facilitate high-level connectivity under rugged conditions. A period of massive construction and redevelopment is about to transform the global built environment. New roads, bridges,Read More

Heavy-Duty Connectors for Off-Highway Applications

Off-highway vehicles require heavy-duty connectors that can handle demanding power requirements, withstand the elements, and stay connected through the jostling and vibrations that this rugged category of vehicles experiences in the field. Off-highway vehicles used for construction, agriculture, mining, or other demanding applications require connectors that differ significantly from those used in consumer vehicles. JustRead More

M12 and M8 Connectors: The Perfect Choice for Industry’s Harsh Environments

M12s and M8s deliver even in the most disruptive conditions. These workhorse connectors are available with extensive options that serve many different industrial environments.  Challenging Conditions  Today, electronic connections and communications are needed in harsh environments at sea, in space, and in various conditions on Earth. These activities include manufacturing, robotics, agriculture, food and beverageRead More

When is a Custom Connector the Best Option?

With millions of connector products ready for order from trusted suppliers and distributors, designers should be able to find a suitable solution for their project. But sometimes, they can’t. That’s when customization comes in. A quick search of any major distributor’s inventory turns up millions of connector products. Every size, shape, configuration, and capability imaginableRead More

Modular Connector Solutions Enable Designers to Create Affordable Custom Connectors

Connector suppliers are delivering flexible and modular solutions that enable customers to meet their connector needs without the expense of a truly custom connector product. The connector market is made up of astounding complexity. From rugged power connectors used on ships at sea to the high-speed connectors used in data centers, the range of connectorsRead More

Top 12 Technology Trends: The Evolution of Proprietary to Open Source Connectors

Sometimes a custom connector design will remain a limited-use product. Other times, it may become a popular proprietary connector. In some instances, the evolution continues and the connector experiences widespread use as a commercial or open-source product. This is the eighth installment in the Technology Trends series by Bob Hult, a collection of articles thatRead More

The Industrial Market for Connectors in a Changing World

The pandemic, supply chain restructuring, changing energy sources, and industrial automation are among the factors that are shaping the outlook for the industrial market for connectors and the technologies that will drive it in the years to come. During 2020, making accurate predictions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy turnedRead More

Designing Connectors for the Harshest Environments

Applications that routinely experience harsh-environment conditions require connector solutions with the appropriate materials, shells, contacts, ingress protection rating, standards compliance, and assembly features. By Steve Smashey, President, SOS Engineering, Inc.; Mike Conte, General Manager, SOS Engineering, Inc.; and Randy Cameron, Director, Technical Services, Inova Geophysical Designing connector solutions for the harshest environment conditions is noRead More

Continued Growth Expected in the World Connector Market

As the electronics industry continues to adjust to changes brought by the global pandemic, it’s clear that technological innovation will play a key role in the future of every market. A new report examines the impacts of 2020 and anticipates growth ahead. In the past 40 years, the world connector market has experienced only nineRead More

Top Trends in the Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Market

Imaging equipment is evolving rapidly based on technological advancements, miniaturization, and portability. Connectivity solutions are scaling down in size and up in capability to enable these advanced designs. Diagnostic imaging equipment enables physicians to obtain digital images of structures inside the body in a non-invasive procedure. These images can identify potential abnormalities behind skin, tissue,Read More

Cable Connectors for Ultrasound Probe Assemblies

Ultrasound equipment requires components that can deliver reliable connectivity under extremely demanding conditions, including rough use environments, harsh sterilization techniques, and repeated mating cycles. Medical connectors and cables are essential components in digital medical technologies such as ultrasound equipment. Ultrasound probe cable assemblies typically use fine-gauge micro-coaxial cable ranging from 42–36AWG to reduce equipment weightRead More

Striking the Right Balance Between Regulatory Compliance and Fluctuating Medical Market Trends

Connectors that have demonstrated reliable performance in the tough medical market help designers achieve first-pass regulatory approvals. These selections can be invaluable when it comes to successfully balancing stringent regulatory compliance with fluctuating market trends. Design engineers, sales reps, and connector manufacturers all understand the complexity of medical designs and the need for long-term, high-reliabilityRead More

2026 World Connector Market Handbook 2025-2031F
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