Connector Insights from iCONN

When designing and engineering a new product, the devil is in the details. Every step of the development process is as important as the next. The further along your team gets, the higher the stakes—especially when it comes to electrical equipment. Even a small miscalculation or oversight at the beginning of a project can result in major issues down the road. Below is a brief overview of the product development strategy and process along with key elements to consider in each phase. These considerations may be the difference between a successful product launch or a failed attempt. 

Given the hundreds of details product development teams are tasked with sorting throughout a project, it can be easy to adopt certain “truths” to lighten the decision-making load. But beware; skimming over certain details may prevent your product from reaching its full potential. The design of your connectors and cable assemblies represents a sizable opportunity for your team to increase the value of a product. At the same time, if treated as an afterthought, the wrong electrical setup can quickly become your product’s downfall. Today, we’re clearing up some common misconceptions about customized connectors and proving once and for all just how beneficial and obtainable this seemingly small detail can be.

The journey from new product development to market is anything but straightforward. The more parts involved, the more complicated the process and the greater the risks. This is especially true when it comes to your product’s electrical wiring system. Here’s how working with a cable manufacturer that offers customized engineering will improve your product with an efficient development process tailored to your needs.

Benjamin Franklin coined the proverb; time is money. As one of America’s greatest product developers—he would know. The journey from concept to market is long and arduous, and the closer a product gets to the finish line, the more costly mistakes and “surprises” become. There are dozens of pitfalls at every turn, but none are as detrimental as finding out that one seemingly small detail is enough cause for a recall. Just ask Ford, who recalled 550,000 vehicles in July of this year because of a poorly designed shifter cable bushing (a tiny piece that connects a car’s shift cable to the shift linkage). A month later, they recalled another 50,000 car charging cables over fire risk. It makes no difference whether you develop electrical products for transportation, medical, industrial or any other type of industry—these four truths apply to every product team:

Applications are considered “high heat” if the environment exceeds 60⁰C (140⁰F). At this temperature, regular cables and connectors begin to melt and will either fail or create a serious hazard. High heat cables, on the other hand, are specially engineered from the inside out using heat- and flame-resistant materials that won’t deteriorate under such extreme conditions.

As the outermost layer of a cable assembly (and the first layer that will come into contact with extreme temperatures, overmolding plays an important part in protecting internal components. The materials we typically use for high heat overmolding are Glass-Filled PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) and Glass-Filled PA (Nylon or Polyamide). PBT and PA are thermoplastic compounds reinforced with glass fiber to provide high-temperature deflection, low shrinkage rate, high rigidity, and good mechanical strength. Beyond protecting the cable exterior and maintaining a safe internal temperature, high-heat overmolding offers numerous benefits:

Overmolding doesn’t just have a future in product manufacturing; it is the future. With the injection-molding market value expected to reach $496.22 billion by 2025, this industry might as well be on a rocket ship headed to Mars; the next several years are nothing short of Sci-Fi-level extraordinary. Autonomous cars, bacteria-resistant medical equipment, printed micro-electrical components—they all require specialized cable assemblies that are as sophisticated as the end product. To raise the bar, manufacturers will need to rethink how technology supports their operations. Check out these three mind-blowing trends that will completely transform the future of product development and manufacturing. Will you be ready?

In a globalized market where speed and affordability take precedence over almost everything else, your ability to simultaneously design and develop products will make or break your success. Prototyping is your ticket to the top, especially if your product involves overmolded parts—and this article will explain why. Here are 5 things you should know:

When technicians work in hard-to-reach places, dangerous environments, or in the absence of all their tools, they sometimes need a fast and effective way to install or terminate cabling. Field-installable connectors have been adapted for just this purpose. These specially designed connectors do away with unnecessary processes like epoxy curing to reduce the amount of tools, time and effort needed by a technician to complete installations or terminations. But before you assume that the many benefits of field installables are right for your application, here are four things you might not know about these clever connectors.

New tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have U.S. manufacturers at full attention. The first new tariff went into effect on June 1st, and places a 25% tax on steel imports and a 10% tax on aluminum imports from America’s largest trading partners—Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. The second new tariff went into effect on July 6th and enforces a 25% tax on 818 Chinese goods, including automotive and aviation parts, various industrial machinery, electricity transformers, radar and radio devices, electrical equipment and many more.

If you're in the market for overmolded cable assemblies but don’t quite know where to begin—you’ve come to the right place. Below is a handy checklist that will help set you on the fast track to the best possible solution for your application. As you work through this checklist, be as detailed as possible. The more information you can provide to your cable assembly design and engineering team, the more cost and time effective the development process will be.