Delicate connector pins can be a point of failure. New contactless designs for industrial applications resist wear, damage, and ingress and transmit power and data across open air. A new wave of contactless connectors is delivering power and signal without pins or contacts. While this concept seems to defy the traditional definition of connectors, whichRead More
A new generation of rail connectors has been designed to handle the hazards of this heavy-duty transport mode. Simple and quick installation and easy maintenance are just as important to keeping things rolling. Rail connectors are undergoing an upgrade as rail networks around the world are expanding quickly to match the growing human population. WithRead More
The industrial trade fair showcased new energy and manufacturing solutions with an emphasis on AI and connected technologies as the industrial market urgently tries to put the brakes on carbon emissions. Since 1947, the Hannover Messe trade fair has been one of the world’s biggest and most significant gatherings of industrial expertise and innovation. FromRead More
Bob Hult shares the phenomenal advances in high-speed optical communications showcased at OFC 2024, including interconnects for 200G per lane optical transmission, liquid cooling, co-packaged optics, PAM6, and other technologies that take us far beyond the reach of copper. The 2024 Optical Networking and Communication Conference and Exposition March 24-April 3 in San Diego nearlyRead More
3D printing technology is reaching new levels of quality, giving electronics engineers a powerful prototyping and design tool. But is 3D printing ready for component manufacturing? Can you 3D print a connector? Certainly. But is it any good—can you actually use it in a circuit? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Recent improvements in industrial gradeRead More
Automation technologies are transforming the warehouse, logistics, and manufacturing worlds. Learn how one company integrated sensors, robots, and artificial intelligence into its manufacturing line to meet new production goals. The pressure is on: Connector suppliers are being asked to increase production, reduce prices, shift operations out of China, increase component functionality, shrink form factors, maintainRead More
Motion control systems harvest data to help create faster, more precise, and more resilient manufacturing processes. A host of sensors help unlock deep insights into factory operations. Motion control is the process by which the elements in a manufacturing process are set into a precise and controlled system of motion. These systems must meet theRead More
Connector suppliers shared new high-speed solutions for IoT, signal processing, electric vehicles, energy storage, machine learning and AI, photonics, 5G, and other technologies at DesignCon 2024. Cloudy skies and drenching rain failed to dampen attendance and enthusiasm at this year’s edition of DesignCon, held in Santa Clara, California, January 28 to February 1. Broad topicsRead More
The technical challenges of designing and building devices that pack tremendous computing power into tiny packages are considerable. But new high density semiconductor technologies offer a path to keeping Moore’s Law alive. For nearly 60 years, Moore’s Law has set the pace of advancements in semiconductor chip density, but a combination of physics and economicsRead More
The OPC has grown into a collaborative community in which interconnect suppliers work with technology innovators to drive innovation and efficiency in data center infrastructure through open-source hardware. The Open Compute Project (OCP) is an initiative that aims to design and share open-source hardware technologies, including interconnects, to help create more efficient data centers.Read More
Lessons learned in the high-stakes performance racing market transfer to the evolution of automotive and autonomous technologies. High-speed interconnects are key to these designs. In the rapidly changing landscape of motorsports, Formula E has redefined the boundaries of racing by combining adrenaline-fueled competition with a commitment to sustainable innovation. Formula E also serves asRead More
In the years to come, it is projected that consumers worldwide will pivot from owning private cars, that they only use a fraction of the time to instead accessing mobility as a service (MaaS). With the breathless coverage of electric vehicles (EVs), it would be easy to believe that they represent a significant disruption toRead More
