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Home > Blog & News > Catching Up with Markets &…

Catching Up with Markets & Applications

It’s true that Harwin has a reputation for quality that has proved popular in the Aviation and Space sectors. We have a strong customer base, with many years of proven performance with our connectors and hardware. These industries are exciting and innovative. For over 40 years, we’ve been supplying high-reliability product into challenging environments.

But that’s not the whole story – our experience and high-quality product offerings also relate well into many other markets. We hold the EN 9100 / AS9100D quality management standard, which was written for Aerospace suppliers. This requires a culture of quality, innovation and continuous improvement that is welcome in all other applications. Here are a few examples of how we can help, no matter in which market you work.

 

Medical

Some of the reasons our high-reliability connectors are chosen for aerospace also makes them suitable for the medical industry. Quality is paramount – a person’s life may well depend on it. Outdoor equipment needs to be durable and robust in all conditions. For equipment used in hospitals like bedside monitoring systems, compact design may be more important. If the PCB is smaller, you can fit in more functions, or make it handheld.

Almost every product from Harwin has potential use in medical equipment design. The recent demands for ventilators and other hospital apparatus revealed we had a strong customer base in this sector. We saw appeals for diverse products, from Hi-Rel to fine pitch PCB connectors, EMC shielding and even basic spacers and sockets. For more information, take a look at our blog post on the Demands of the Medical Market.

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Industrial

Robotics, drives & controls, handheld remote systems, even wireless IOT equipment – all have multiple internal connections. Industrial components are subject to the balancing act of performance versus cost. Failures mean downtime at the expense of the customer; a situation we all want to avoid. Many designers would love to go all-out with high-reliability connections bringing total vibration resistance and durability to the design. But the reality of commercial budgets for B2B means engineers must specify the best fit within the allowed spend.

Archer Kontrol is designed for the industrial market, bringing endurance and ruggedness to the connection. It also brings cost-sensitivity. The shrouded design performs under machinery vibration. Great for repeated mating from ongoing maintenance, tolerating mis-mating or twist and lateral forces.

Other Durable Industrial connectors from Harwin draw on our high-reliability experience – design elements from Datamate are reworked into more cost-sensitive options in the M225 series and PCB sockets.

 

Metering & Measurement

Many metering systems are remote, unattended and potentially difficult to access, like flow meters on pipelines. Smart meters are making their way into every home; but energy companies can’t keep a huge network of on-call technicians in case of failure. Ideally, equipment is installed and that’s it – maintenance is hopefully a rare requirement. Monitoring cameras, track & roadside systems are all ‘fit-and-forget’ installations that just need to work.

Measurements may also be very precise or sensitive – heat and gas sensors need to work when required. Failures in connections could mean false alarms or worse, missing vital alerts.

The right choice of connection depends on the budget and circumstances. As an example, surface mount PCB sockets are durable enough for internal fire safety systems. For external metering, durable industrial connectors would be a better choice. Harwin’s Experts can help you – talk to them about your environmental and performance requirements, and they’ll brief you on the best solutions.

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Electric Vehicles & Alternative Energy

The internal electronics of these newer applications still have a lot of functional requirements in common with more established markets. Signal and power of varying current still need to be passed from one PCB to another. Vibration and temperature, quality and durability still need to be considered in the choice of connection.

Whether it’s in the battery management system of an EV, or in the telemetry system of a wind turbine, those connections must perform. Maintenance cycles can be long, and environmental demands high. In addition, the increased volume of communications signals makes shielding critical components a real necessity.

If you’ve read this far, you’ll have noticed a pattern. Your connector (and PCB hardware) choice will often be determined by a few key factors. Vibration, cost, size, weight, temperature – once you understand what you need, it’s just a process of matching specifications to requirements.

 

How can Harwin Help?

Our Experts have a wide range of experience across many industries. Although the applications can be varied and widespread, a lot of the questions relating to the connectors and hardware are similar. For more advice on what information you need to specify connectors, read our whitepaper “Get Connected”.

We’re happy to review your design criteria, and make sure you are thinking about the different aspects of your environment that can affect product choice. We want you to find the right solution, no matter whether you’re on land, sea or air, indoors or out.

Not sure of the right product?

Our Experts are happy and willing to advise how to choose Harwin products in your challenging environment and application.

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