Six development trends of connectors

     Traditional connectors need to achieve three major performances, namely mechanical performance, electrical performance and environmental performance. The so-called mechanical performance refers to the performance guarantee for the insertion and removal of the connector; the electrical performance includes the requirements for contact resistance, insulation resistance and electrical strength; and the environmental performance requires the connector to have basic temperature resistance, humidity resistance, vibration resistance and Shocks, etc., for these basic requirements, emerging markets also need to maintain.
       In addition to the above-mentioned basic requirements, the new application market also has new requirements for connectors, that is, the new connector is smaller, more reliable, stronger, and has a certain degree of intelligence. This is the new market demand. As far as enterprises are concerned, only when connectors meet such requirements can they seize new market opportunities. The editor believes that, in general, the development trend of connector technology in the next few years is as follows:
Six development trends of connectors
1. High-frequency and high-speed connector technology
       In many 5G communication applications, connectors carry the important task of converting optical and electrical signals. With the advent of the 5G Internet of Everything era, the high data and high transmission requirements of 5G are destined to require upgrades in the performance of the connector, and high frequency and high speed. Features have become a new requirement.
2. Connector technology for wireless transmission
      In the era of the Internet of Things, wireless technology will also be ubiquitous. In addition to realizing contact-type connection as before, connectors will also be a guarantee for wireless transmission in many occasions such as industry and automobiles in the future. After all, double protection is the safest.
3. Smaller and more convenient connector technology
       Previous connectors were used for many contacts, and they were filled in many expansion card slots. Of course, in the 5G era, there may be dozens of connectors in a fiber optic device, which requires smaller connectors to achieve higher performance connections.
4. Connector technology with higher accuracy and lower cost
       Since automobiles have very high requirements for safety, automobile connectors are originally a very large market. With the development of electric vehicles, connectors will require higher accuracy and cost, and they will be more popular than previous connectors. 
5. Smarter connector technology
      With the advent of the AI era, connectors may not only implement simple transmission functions. In the future, in switching power supplies, in addition to ensuring the data of electrical signals, connectors may be able to perform simple intelligent judgment and protection, output correct data while avoiding power failures. Damage, of course, this requires the support of IC technology.
6. Automated production technology of connectors
       In the traditional connector design and production, manual labor accounts for the main part. With the development of industrial automation, especially the precision processing of connectors, abrasive tools and CAD, these advanced machines will become the main force of the industry.