Using a low-quality or faulty cable connector for your product is like sawing off the leg of a table: it may still look like a table, but it surely won’t function as one. Despite how crucial the electrical connection is to your electronic device or equipment, most product developers don’t know much about them. Consider today your lucky day! Here’s a quick rundown of six important details you should keep in mind when choosing an interconnect solution for your next project.
From radios and cell phones to kitchen appliances and televisions, electromagnetic (EM) energy is all around us. Below is a diagram of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, which illustrates the full range of radiant energy. The shorter the wavelength becomes, the higher the frequency and the more dangerous the radiant energy. Despite claims, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that exposure to low-frequency EM radiation is dangerous to humans. However, even radio waves can have a menacing impact on electrical equipment.
Did you know that rapid prototyping shortens production time by an average of 63 percent? With that kind of time-to-market acceleration, it’s no wonder the future of product development depends on this technology. If your competitor incorporates rapid prototyping into their production process and you don’t, it’ll be nearly impossible to keep up with their speed and quality output.
UL is short for Underwriters Laboratories, a nationally recognized, independent nonprofit organization dedicated to product safety testing. Over the decades, this organization has become the global go-to for independent product safety certification and tests millions of products and product components every year.
When a product is “UL Listed”, that means UL has rigorously tested and confirmed that the product meets all of their stringent requirements. Upon certification, products are added to the organization’s Online Certification Directory and are privy to numerous other advantages.
Here’s why getting your product UL Listed is highly recommended.
Product development teams are tasked with two sets of goals: those that relate to product quality and performance, and those that relate to the business of product development. These goal lists may vary depending on the type of product, but every team ultimately strives for the same things — low cost, high quality, and fast to-market times. Unfortunately, speed doesn’t always lead to a quality product. That is, unless you have the right technologies and tools in place. Below are five new product development tools that will bring greater agility and efficiency to your new product development strategy process. By learning to harness the power of new technology, your team can better balance cost and speed without compromising quality.
Using standard electrical systems in extreme applications is like driving a race car over 200 mph in the dead of summer without a roll cage, seat belt, cool suit or helmet. All this safety equipment is designed to keep the precious cargo inside (i.e., the driver) protected from internal and external dangers. Likewise, electrical components that operate in extreme environments need extra layers of protection, such as overmolding.
Your product development strategy is critical to your success. Why? When designing and engineering a new product, the devil is in the details.
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:
