Connector Insights from iCONN

With the increasing demand for high-performance I/Os and the miniaturization of devices and packaging, flex technology just makes sense. These sophisticated circuitries represent an alternative to traditional wiring, allowing for better current carrying capacity and heat dissipation due to their flat design. Thanks to their pliability, a flex circuit can also be molded around tight areas while reducing the need for bulky wires, thus enabling product teams to work more easily around spatial constraints.

Soldering is a technique used to affix two metal surfaces mechanically and electrically — for example, flex circuits (also referred to as printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electrical connectors. The process involves a metallic material called solder and a heat source to melt the solder, thus creating a joint between the two metal parts.

At iCONN Systems, we combine advanced rapid prototyping technology with a maverick team of design and manufacturing engineers to overcome the most extreme environments on the planet, including applications that involve direct exposure to flames and temperatures as high as 260⁰C (500⁰F). Let’s take a closer look at how we carefully select materials for molded cable assemblies in high-temperature applications (environments that exceed 60⁰C (140⁰F). Bring on the heat!

Society uses electrical connectors every single day to power computers, charge devices, transfer data and more. But rarely do people stop to think about how connectors work or what makes a traditional electrical connector different from those designed for extreme environments, like undersea cables submerged tens of thousands of feet below the surface. While the overall design of such specialized connectors is mission-critical, electrical engineers understand that a connector’s contacts will ultimately make or break a circuit.

Scour the web for a reliable interconnect solutions provider, and you’re sure to turn up dozens of manufacturers, each with a catalog of turnkey solutions to meet your application needs. While many product lines offer the performance and reliability to align with your specifications, there are certain situations that warrant a customized connector and cable assembly solution — especially if standard parts fail to meet the demands of an application.

Customizing a connector and cable assembly gives product teams a variety of options for how to enhance the performance of a solution. However, the benefits go far beyond performance alone.

If an organization is vertically integrated, that means it has taken direct ownership over all or part of the supply chain for its products to increase the quality and efficiency of production. Understandably, becoming a vertically integrated cable manufacturer doesn’t happen overnight. It requires years of strategic investment in technology and infrastructure to gain more control over the value chain.

Cable assemblies are designed to either transmit power, data or signals. To ensure that solutions perform according to the specifications of the intended application, a variety of cable assembly tests are performed during the manufacturing process. Tests can vary depending on the type of cable and the priority level of the application—the more mission-critical the equipment, the more rigorous the testing.

NiobiCon^TM Technology has completely changed the cable and connector game, especially for electronic applications that are underwater or in wet locations.

Certain environments are notoriously harsh on electrical equipment, creating unique challenges for product engineers, particularly when it comes to selecting cable and connector assemblies. Design teams are quick to consider elements such as resistance to extreme temperatures, dust and water ingress, chemicals, and mechanical stress, but one menacing factor often gets overlooked — electromagnetic interference (EMI).

In 2020, the average number of connected devices was 50 per household. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to proliferate, a new challenge has quietly taken hold of the electronics market — The Interference of Things. More specifically, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) of things.