[Partner Content] We are in a rapidly paced world designing new products and instruments with new high-speed circuit chips that run faster, last longer and go places we could not imagine just a few years ago.
We are in a rapidly paced world designing new products and instruments with new high-speed circuit chips that run faster, last longer and go places we could not imagine just a few years ago.
Modern technology has brought about the use of new sensors, detectors, monitors, and communicators that dominate both our businesses and daily lives. While standard connectors are a great source for quick prototypes and reference, they are not always suitable for meeting the newer application-specific needs of today's modules. Newer modules require miniaturization, less current flow, and must meet form and fit, as well as function. Designers are faced with the challenge of reducing space and weight while increasing portability and ruggedness.
Interconnect systems must bear much of the wear and tear as components are interchanged and cables are draped about the equipment or a person, or are routed throughout other parts of the total electronics system. Standard connectors don't always meet design needs and can cause compromises to what is required. However, custom design of micro and nano connectors has become faster and more efficient with the use of fast-turn solid modeling, 3-D fabrication equipment, and direct-linked CNC machinery. Metal or polymer shells and insulators can be made within a day or two after agreeing on the format.
Much of the electrical performance of the interconnection is also focused on the cable and wiring methods used. Large wire analog circuitry is becoming less common, with smaller diameter cables and more flexible cabling materials booming on the market. Connectors and cables are now being designed specifically for particular applications, such as wires from an ECG type connector that can now be routed to operate a complete arm replacement on a human.
Connector designers can specify parameters such as size, weight, and shape before deciding on a product format. The electrical parameters typically pre-determine the size and type of the connector pin-and-socket system and cable design needed. For high reliability applications, pin/socket sets can be chosen from those used in military specification connectors that have been accepted as QPL products and have field-proven performance. The newer versions of liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are the most rugged and temperature-resistant in the industry for miniature and nano-miniature connectors.
This process for optimizing new designs is helping to reduce the size, weight, and improve the functions of portable electronics in the industry. A new solid model drawing can be sent to the customer within two to three days to confirm what product will be built. After approval, it takes less than 3-4 weeks to completely assemble the new connector and cable harness. This process offers significantly lower cost and faster delivery than the redesign methods of the past. With the solid-model drawings in the designer’s hands at the beginning and the ability to review and approve the design quickly, there is a very high acceptance rate of the new first-article connector system. After testing in the actual application, the move to production of higher volumes can begin.
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