Featured Articles
  • A Five-Layer Clad Solution for High-Performance Battery Interconnects

    Battery connector design gets super-charged in a case study that demonstrates the power of materials science to solve new connectivity challenges. Article Contributed by Alyssa Koch, Materion Corporation Battery interconnect materials must satisfy a demanding combination of electrical, mechanical, joining, and environmental requirements, properties that are difficult to achieve with a single metal. When nickelRead More

  • USB-C Serves Industrial Design with Rugged Variants 

    The USB-C connector has quickly moved from consumer applications into harsh environments. With 20 Gb/s data rates and IP-rated sealed variants, this connector can handle industrial conditions and serve in controllers, robotics, and peripherals for the factory floor. A new class of rugged USB-Cs and cables elevates this ubiquitous interface. It’s been nearly two years sinceRead More

Technology

Northwire’s Fierce Flex Extreme Heat TC-ER STOOW MTW Delivers Harmonized Standards

Northwire’s Fierce Flex Extreme Heat TC-ER Cable engineering company Northwire Inc. (NWI) rapidly meets valued customers’ demands for an international UL-listed and CSA-certified highly flexible custom cable solution that is proven to perform in extreme 105°C heat and -40°C cold bend temperatures. World markets and a diverse range of applications are easily accessible with theRead More

Vibration: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

October 2013 – In a follow-up to Dr. Bob’s article on connector wear in the last issue, his colleague Max Peel discusses the challenges of vibration in both connector and end-system designs. In the case of vibration testing, EIA requirements generally include a visual for structural integrity and monitoring for a 1.0 microsecond interruption. Occasionally low-level contact resistance or contact resistance at rated current measurements are included. This is the area for review, and change is necessary but somewhat complex.

Test and Burn-In Sockets: The iNEMI Roadmap

 

October 2013 –  In September, John MacWilliams took us through the process of researching, compiling, and writing the iNEMI Roadmap for the electronics industry and gave us a closer look at the findings in the connector section. In this issue, MacWilliams digs deeper into the forecasts for the test & burn-in socket market, highlighting the issues critical to the evolution of these products.


 

High-Flex Versus High-Flex-Life Cable

September 2013 – Once you’ve established that high-flex-life cable is appropriate for your application, you face the dilemma of choosing a supplier. Is high-flex-life cable a commodity, or does it really matter which supplier you choose?

Preventing Failure in Medical Cable Assemblies

September 2013 – Many device manufacturers utilize a strain relief for cable assemblies in medical devices to improve electrical and mechanical integrity and performance by providing a transition from a flexible cable to a rigid connector or connection point.

PCB Connector Termination Evolution Continues

September 2013 – Manufacturers have slowly adopted new methods of connector termination only after years of process verification providing designerswith multiple options that feature cost-effective manufacturabilty as well as a high degree of long-term reliability.

What’s Next in Factory Automation?

August 2013 – The Internet of Things (IoT) will allow every thing with a unique identifier to communicate over the Internet or a similar network. Microprocessors will be embedded in everyday objects and the factory floor will be no exception. How far along are these developments? And what will they mean for the connectors of the future?

MEMS and FPC: Good Things in Small Packages

MEMS and FPC: Good Things in Small Packages Connector miniaturization has enabled device manufacturers to give consumers robust devices that aggregate processing power, space, and weight savings to operate all day from packages small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Users have come to expect thinner cell phones, lighter laptops, and tablets that canRead More

2013 iNEMI Electronics Roadmap Speeds Up

August 2013 – The 2013 iNEMI connector roadmap includes a look at technology, trends, roadblocks, infrastructure issues by region, the impact of globalization, and individual product roadmaps.

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
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