Review 2018
Connectors User Congress - REVIEW
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Review: 12th Connectors User Congress
From 2 to 4 July 2018, the industry got together in Würzburg for the 12th Connectors User Congress. 330 attendees and 42 exhibitors exchanged their experience and discussed current developments and best practice solutions. As always, there was plenty of room for networking and making contact in a pleasant atmosphere.Data is the new oil. A connected car generates 25 GB of data per hour. By 2020, 90% of all cars are expected to be connected. Today, connected machines generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. 80 million wearables will produce 2.314 exabytes of data in 2020.
Extracting information from this data is the actual challenge. This is where augmented intelligence comes in – enhanced human intelligence. By using a combination of machine learning and deep learning, those learning systems interpret even unstructured data, for example, as generated in industrial environments.
Keynote: The Era of Augmented Intelligence

3D Printing for Connector Manufacturing

The presentation by Johannes Lohn (Protiq), titled “3D Printing Manufacturing Process for Connectors“, gave an overview of processes and printable materials. Processes range from fused deposition modeling of plastics (FDM), laser sintering of plastics and polymers (SLS), laser melting (metal), stereo-lithography (SLA) to vacuum casting and polyjet/multijet 3D printing. Suitable materials are PA6X and PP, highly conductive copper, zinc as an addition to zinc alloy die casting, brass and, in future, PBT, PPS, PEEK and flame-resistant PA6 as well as native copper and high-tensile tool steels (H13, H11).
One Cable and One Connector for Any Application

Rainer Schmidt (Harting) presented innovations that came along with ISO/IEC 11801 edition 3 published in November. He focused on future developments and their effects on connector technology. Connectors are defined for symmetrical and coax copper wiring as well as optical fiber wiring (not POF). In addition to RJ45, M12 designs (100 Ω), coax connectors (50 and 75 Ω), LC connectors (duplex/simplex) and MPO connectors (12/24 fibers) are defined. Symmetrical copper cables are easy to install and transfer supply voltage to devices - this is a major advantage over optical fiber cables. Moreover, SPE (single pair Ethernet) will have an impact on data cabling across all areas of application, including IIoT and automotive. The new application will initially be implemented in the industrial and building automation area. Channel descriptions cover SPE from 10 MB to 1 GB.
Reliability Comparison - RJ45 and Mini I/O

Mini I/O performed best on several key performance criteria for usage in industrial applications.
Short discontinuities during vibration are low due to a stable mechanical interface and double spring/double contact point layout. There was a very stable flat resistance line during cable motion after environmental stress tests. The screening attenuation of the Mini I/O is better by a factor of 10 compared to all other connectors. This connector design is moreover 25% smaller and has high stress relief (98 N). Therefore, it is perfectly suited for use as cable-board connection in harsh IP20 environments.
DC Connectors with Breaking Capacity

Sacrificial areas made of specific materials serve to cool the electric arc by channeling it into narrow gaps; the electric arc remains within the casing. Springs can be used to increase the separation speed. In collaboration with Ingun, Phoenix Contact implemented the concept of using spring force to accelerate pins. This facilitates separation speeds of 3m/s, dispersing the electric arc in a very short time – an interesting approach particularly for building installation. E-T-A developed a hybrid system that switches the load off electronically. To this end, power is temporarily channeled through an electronic system and switched off there before the load contacts cut the connection. The electronic system can be installed in the power socket or on the header.
Standardization of Product Descriptions – Useful or not?

Distributors are free to implement standardization and harmonization. Standardization can be achieved by means of suitable programs but only relate to in-house terminology, not to customer-specific search terms. As an alternative, harmonization can be achieved by translating product data and creating synonyms. This way, a database would deliver enhanced search results. According to Notté, this process could be related to as harmonization of product descriptions also comprising standardization.
Connector Type Examination Certificate According to IEC 61984

Testing covers mechanical properties (such as strength, bending load resp. distances, creep distance), temperature behavior, dielectric strength, resistance between metallic components and PE contacts as well as corrosion properties. Connectors that are not suitable for backplanes are tested as well.
Manufacturing Process for Connectors

Manufacturing platforms range from single contact part assembly to series assembly and comprise semi-automatic machines with one or several placement heads as well as fully automatic assembly machines. The design of a connector can have an impact on the assembly complexity and the quality of a connector. The casing of an angular connector should be designed such that the contacts are bent only after insertion. Contacts should basically have distinct shoulders so that they can be easily inserted into the casing.
3-Directional Spring Loaded BtB Connectors

To accommodate the continuing trend of miniaturization and modularization, available space has to be utilized in full, to the entire height and width. However, stacking causes issues like tilting or excessive force when mating the connector. For this reason, conducts and centering aids as well as floating 1- or 2-directional connectors are used. The first variant is suitable to a limited extent and entails higher costs and effort; the second is not resistant against vibration and shock.
In a three-directional spring system, the spring can move along three axes. This enhances shock and vibration resistance, virtually eliminates wear and offers constant long-term resistance and impedance levels. Applications include electric motors with possible load alternations and imbalance in operation as well as devices subject to high acceleration, e.g. robotic arms or linear control systems.
Connectivity Systems for Autonomous Vehicles

Conclusion: On-board networks of the future require customized connectivity solutions for in-vehicle networks, infotainment and safety. Automotive solutions call for a holistic system approach that accommodates performance, reliability and process requirements. For sure, the amount of connectors will increase, signals will be bundled and new connector concepts with integrated security features will be required. However, it will probably take 10 or 15 years until such systems are available.
High-Current Connectors in Integrated Electrical Vehicle Drives

Connecting Flexible Cables for Automotive Engineering Applications

Flex foil can be soldered to a circuit board or glass plate. For contacting, the foil is inserted in a ZIF connector, or the contacts are crimped onto the circuit board. The quality of crimped foils is high because the foils can be precisely positioned. Image capture can determine the position accurately, and the crimp machine positions the contacts with high precision. The CpK value is better than 2. In contrast to conventional cabling, however, flex cables are less stable and have limited cross-sections. On the other hand, they require less space and simplify the integration of components. They are more expensive than conventional cables.
The Effect of Micromotion on Connectors


Electrical connector systems are the interface between assemblies/modules of mechatronic or electrical systems. When selecting such a system, many users only rely on the electrical properties given on the datasheet without considering any potential subsequent environmental impact. This is a complex task that is difficult to master for SMBs. But even automotive manufacturers are concerned with unexpected consequences from connector system related issues. In 2013, for example, a product recall took place in the United States, because cables and power distributors had to be replaced due to unanticipated corrosion caused by vibration.
Dr. Ralf Hasler (Lacon Electronic) and Karl Ring (Fraunhofer EMFT) presented a joint project of Fraunhofer EMFT, the OWL university of applied sciences and the research association for drive engineering (Forschungsvereinigung Antriebstechnik). The research project analyzes the effects of micromotion on connectors and robust connector design. The aim is to develop guidelines for damage patterns, design/construction and the selection and test of connectors.
The effects of micromotion on connectors depend on design features, casing, line properties and motion mechanisms. The project describes different failure models, creates a matrix between electrical behavior and surface changes and compares damage patterns from vibration, wear and friction oxidation testing. First results are expected in two years.
Avoiding Whiskers in the Press-Fitting Process

Press-fitting is a standard process in the automotive industry. Lead-free tin plating is an explicit goal in the scope of EU ELV and RoHS regulations. The shift from tin-lead to lead-free tin has a particular effect on the press-fitting behavior and involves a higher risk of tin whiskers. In his presentation, Dr. Amir Sadeghi (Doduco) discussed the prevention of whiskers in tin deposition by means of electrochemically passivated tin layers. A special test set-up was developed to evaluate whisker growth in tin layers as a function of deformation. After the whisker growth test, whisker density and size were determined by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further analysis covered the performance of passivated pins including mating/holding force and the transfer resistance between mated pins and circuit board.
Surface passivation of tin layers lowers the risk of whisker formation significantly, with the oxidic top layer providing a strong physical barrier. Moreover, the ratio of SnO/SnO2 layers seems to have an effect on the inhibition of whiskers in the tin layer. The oxide layer does not obstruct the formation of the intermetallic phase. There is no impact on the electrical transfer resistance and the mating/holding force in commercial press-fit connectors.
New Surfaces for Lower Connector Mating Forces

In her presentation, Dr. Svenja Kunz (TE Connectivity) explained that the Hertzian contact is a limiting factor when implementing high pin-count automotive connectors without higher mating force. An alternative approach is a spring-loaded socket contact with waveform contact geometry. To reduce the normal contact force, the length of the contact limbs was extended and the contact points were positioned in a staggered array.
The wave-shaped contact design named LITEFORCE reduces the mating force by up to 52% compared to conventional “semicircular-on-plain” contact geometries. At the same time, the design significantly increases vibration strength, enhancing the current capacity by up to 26%. Thus, the contact exceeds the mechanical and electrical properties of Hertzian contacts.
Protective Coating for Connectors?

All in all, fluoropolymer coating is a simple method of providing complete electronic assemblies with protective coating against contaminants at the site of operation. The method is applied across the entire electronics sector.
Basic Seminars and Workshops
Half-day basic seminars took place on Monday:- Seminar 1: Connectors – Key Characteristics and Terminology (Dr. Helmut Katzier, Ingenieurbüro Katzier)
- Seminar 2: Fundamentals of Contact Physics (Dr. Helge Schmidt, TE Connectivity)
- Seminar 3: Connector Fundamentals – “Steckverbindarium” (Herbert Endres, Connector Consultants)
- Seminar 4: Surface Coating of Contact Materials (Thomas Frey, IMO).
130 attendees took the chance to benefit from top-quality expert knowledge providing the perfect basis for the presentations on the two congress days. Apart from that, the knowledge will also help them master their everyday tasks.
Further workshops covered Simulation with Encrypted 3D Components (Dr. Christian Römelsberger, CADFEM) as well as Leak Tests (Dr. Joachim Lapsien, CETA Testsysteme).
Download of the Conference Proceedings 2018
Attendees of the 12th Connectors User Congress 2018 can download the proceedings with their individual password. Papers not released for publication are not available.Download Conference Proceedings 2018
Order the Conference Proceedings 2018
The presentation documents (slides released for publication by the presenters as well as the conference proceedings (unless out of print) can be ordered at a price of 150 EUR plus VAT: isabell.weisensee@vogel.de.Event Highlights
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