This article is included in Connector Supplier’s latest e-Book, Braving the Elements, a compilation of expert insights into overcoming the performance obstacles electronics face every day in increasingly challenging environments. Download your free copy here.  Manufacturers use the IP rating system to describe the level of protection that their equipment can deliver. IP ratings haveRead More

The 1.25-meter mirror manufactured from this high-performance product will be evaluated for performance in space environments. The alloy is integral to optimized optical, thermal, structural, and dynamic mirror performance characteristics. One of Materion Corporation’s newer high-performance products, AyontEX alloy, has been selected for use in a NASA-funded telescope mirror prototype. This 1.25-meter mirror will beRead More

Gold plating offers unparalleled durability and corrosion resistance to interconnects. Learn how gold — or a cost-effective alternative — can impact connector selection. Gold plating has a long history of utility in the connector industry due to its highly effective combination of durability, corrosion resistance, ductility, and electrical conductivity. The material offers stability under aRead More

EV charging infrastructure is rapidly improving. With strategic design changes, including materials innovations throughout the charging system, it is becoming possible to deliver a recharge in minutes. Significant developments for EV charging are set to unfold in 2025, bringing millions of high-tech opportunities for design engineers, installation workers, and electronics professionals. In 2024, global salesRead More

Off-road conditions subject electronics to a wide range of stressors. To ensure reliable, seamless integration into off-road vehicles, design engineers should look for special features when specifying housing systems.   Electronic housings designed for the off-road vehicle market face a unique set of environmental factors that most electronic housings are not designed to handle. ToRead More

New processes and products are leading the way as the connector industry looks for solutions to the problem of electronics waste. Electronic waste (e-waste) is the world’s fastest growing solid waste stream and its harms include the introduction of as many as 1,000 different chemical substances into the environment, including microplastics, neurotoxins, and airborne particulateRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights materials for connectors from leading connector manufacturers and suppliers. Materials for connectors RF connectors are available in a variety of materials to suit the usage requirements and the application’s operating environment. Brass is the most common base material but those made with stronger base materials, such as stainless steel, generallyRead More

Meet the Connector: Push-pull Connectors Push-pull connectors are circular connectors that have a spring-action cylindrical sleeve surrounding — or within — the integral connector housing that self-latches during mating. The connection is released through a squeeze-and-pull, rotate-and-pull, or other specific unlocking action that prevents accidental disconnection. Push-pull circular connectors are available in numerous sizes, voltages,Read More

Learn how to specify connectors that deliver industrial performance while keeping food and beverages safe from contamination. The design of safe food and beverage processing systems includes the selection of specialized connectors and cables made from materials that resist bacteria growth, are easy to thoroughly clean and sterilize, operate without risk of introducing contaminants, facilitateRead More

Electronic systems that can stand up to the demands of harsh military, industrial, and transportation environments depend on interconnects that have been tested to the max — in system designs and in the test equipment itself. The common goal of all test equipment is to aid manufacturers in monitoring and enhancing the quality, safety, andRead More

Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are an essential part of the many electronic products we rely on every day. Both in-circuit and functional testing after manufacturing are critical steps to ensuring PCB dependability. Test probes play an important part in this process by providing the flexibility to make the electrical connections between the test system andRead More

For Chief Enterprises’ Bounnak Thammavong, creative design is at the intersection of art and product design.   So often the worlds of science and art are relegated to separate corners despite evidence that the skills, knowledge, and aptitude for one can inform the other to beneficial effect. (Think: Leonardo da Vinci, Samuel Morse, and Beatrix Potter,Read More