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

New Technologies

Connector Technology Highlights from DesignCon

Bob Hult reports on the connector technology highlights from DesignCon, especially the race to 100+Gb/s. The DesignCon 2014 conference and expo once again demonstrated the event’s value as the premier showcase for high-speed chip, connector, and PCB board technology. Featuring a full schedule of well-attended technical sessions over four days, a sense of excitement andRead More

Condition-Based Maintenance Secures the Flow of Goods

High availability and the reliability of rolling stock comprise the basic requirements for modern rail freight. HARTING is researching solutions for condition-based maintenance strategies. The long history of sustained, strong growth in global trade correlates to a continued increase in the flow of goods in the future. Despite political advocacy and a broad range ofRead More

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?

Implantable Medical Devices: Smart Devices, Healthy Patients

August 2013 – Implantable devices serve a variety of functions, from vascular stents that preserve blood flow, to electrostimulation devices that regulate heart rhythms, to orthopedic devices that reinforce the spine or restore hips and knees. These tiny devices are the future for many medical procedures and connector designs are responding to the highly sophisticated requirements of such precise technology.

2012 Annual Product Review

Adjusting to the challenging global economy of 2012, many connector manufacturers focused more on filling out existing product offerings to better match immediate system packaging needs and emerging trends rather than introducing groundbreaking new products. Offering connector product lines that feature good, better, and best options provides the ability to deliver the needed performance atRead More

Modernizing Military Vehicles: Vetronics

October 2012 – As defense spending moves away from research and development, vetronics offers a minimalist approach by reducing and consolidating vehicle electronic systems. Bishop’s Jenny Bieksha examines the market opportunities in this sector.

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
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