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Industry 4.0 is coming How does the connector break through the harsh environment?

All along, the development of connectors in the field of consumer electronics is like a duck, but as the number of connector companies entering the consumer electronics industry continues to increase, there has been a lot of situation in the market, so connector manufacturers continue to increase in industry, automotive, medical, etc. The proportion of business in emerging areas guarantees higher returns.

Cao Peihao, head of HRS China's marketing department, said that the arrival of Industry 4.0 and industrial automation means that more intelligent equipment and robots will be widely used in various production fields, and their demand shows a steady and rapid growth trend. Among them, the core intelligent equipment and robots have high requirements for connectors, and more "high-precision, high-performance" connectors will be more and more applied to these intelligent equipment and robots.

From the current sales performance of the original connector manufacturers and distributors, Industry 4.0 has a great pulling effect on the connector. Yang Siyuan, regional manager of Helian Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., admitted that the current industry 4.0 has a significant pull on the connector. Compared to 2015, Helian's overall sales in 2016 and 2017 have nearly double-digit growth, and industrial connectors account for 10%-15% of the company's total connector revenue.

Industrial connectors have many different characteristics compared to consumer, military, automotive, and medical connectors, such as dust, water, shock, high and low temperatures, which do not cause connector design or production. Small challenge. Yang Siyuan also told reporters that industrial connectors have strict requirements for "reliability, IP rating, operating temperature and shock resistance", and even many indicators require automotive and even military standards. As a result, the original factory needs a longer cycle in the development of new products, more considerations and more stringent tests, and high R&D costs, which test the comprehensive strength of the manufacturers.

Linda Shan, Business Development Manager, Industrial Solutions, Molex, emphasizes that industrial interconnect systems must be designed to withstand harsh environments, including extreme temperatures, pressure, vibration, dust, and aggressive corrosive chemicals. Ratings such as IP67 NEMA specify the criteria under which the connector can operate.

"In the era of Industry 4.0, data-centric electronics do require interconnect systems that are flexible enough to accommodate space-constrained environments while still being able to withstand harsh industrial conditions." Linda Shan, for example, Molex's new The Squba 1.80 mm pitch sealed wire-to-wire connector system is designed for use in tight spaces while protecting against liquids, dust and dust. The connector can carry up to 6.0 amps of current and the seals meet the IP67 NEMA rating. The seals are held in place by end caps, providing manufacturers of sensors, lighting and vending machines with a highly durable barrier against moisture and dust, with operating temperature limits ranging from -40 to +105 °C.

“In response to the high demands from customers, manufacturers need to meet customer requirements in super harsh and demanding environments, such as hot swapping under uninterrupted power conditions, extreme temperature tests brought by aerospace, and high vibration caused by rail transit. , explosion accidents that may occur in oil and gas environments, and high requirements for deep sea pressure. Some industrial connectors are also required to meet the industry standard high waterproof rating (IP67 or higher)." PEI-Genesis Asia General Manager Xu Mengyu said that if the environmental requirements of the application side are differentiated, the general consumer electronic circuit board connectors have the lowest environmental requirements, followed by industry and medical, and finally high-end industrial applications such as bulldozers and electric vehicles. The company has a strong technical research and development team.

According to the reporter's understanding, the solutions and technologies for "Industry 4.0" and "Intelligent Production", the interconnection and cooperation between the various module areas such as stamping, injection molding, assembly and crimping are also proposed for the connector device. The new requirements, such as heavy-duty connectors, are increasingly demanding applications that require the superior performance of traditional heavy-duty connectors, while offering a wider range of applications and fast and comprehensive service capabilities. In industrial production, especially in harsh and complex environments, it meets the diverse needs of intelligent control equipment for customers in China and global markets.

It can be seen that the special application environment of industrial connectors brings challenges to the technology research and development of enterprises. The high threshold is destined to be in the hands of a few large enterprises. In addition to the demanding requirements of the environment, moving toward "wireless" technology and "highly customized" are also a major feature of industrial links that differ from other types of connectors.