Molex avoiding reliability risks: Tips to consider in electronic design

Survey data reinforces the fact that product cost and manufacturability often intertwine, with 50% of survey respondents citing cost and 46% citing manufacturability as the most likely design tradeoffs to be prioritized over product reliability. But are these tradeoffs actually necessary?

It appears that technological advancements in predictive engineering (sometimes called predictive modeling) and digital twin creation, largely driven by the transportation industry, are set to change the game. These sophisticated technologies proactively assess anticipated product performance in real-world scenarios before full-scale prototypes are created. This early awareness can help engineers strike an effective balance between cost, manufacturability and reliability. Early insights like these are especially advantageous for two key areas:

Material Selection: The materials used in design can significantly influence a product’s cost, manufacturing method, assembly. and long-term reliability. Predictive engineering can help indicate how materials would perform, gauging their ability to endure regular daily use and more challenging environmental conditions.

Component Selection: Predictive modeling can help design engineers determine whether an off-the-shelf or custom component is needed to satisfy key performance criteria. This critical choice can influence overall cost and reliability across the product lifecycle.

What’s next for predictive engineering and digital twins? The integration of these technologies with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices is already happening. This integration facilitates direct engineer interaction with the virtual use-case environment, helping to inform key cost and manufacturability insights early on. As these consolidated technologies become more prevalent, they will enable engineers to visualize the reliability characteristics of systems, subsystems and components before an actual product is ever produced.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that 25% of survey respondents place power consumption near the top of their priority list when it comes to reliability. With users demanding faster, more feature-rich systems and devices, power consumption is on the rise. This dynamic has created an interesting dual-sided relationship with reliability. It poses challenges from a product design standpoint, especially around thermal management. Yet conversely, it also strains the reliability of the power grid itself as these higher usage patterns are accommodated.

How can engineers design for today’s increasing power demands without putting reliability at risk?

Selecting high-quality connectors is always important for safeguarding reliability, but it’s even more critical in high-power applications where compromised connections can harm the system or impact surroundings. For example, inferior battery charging within electric vehicles can result in reduced lifespans, shorter driving distances and even dangerous thermal runaway. Similar risks may apply in home energy storage systems, where poor power transfer could inhibit the battery backup system when it's needed most.

In terms of thermal management, selecting high-quality connectors for high-power applications can also help avoid the production of detrimental heat. Current-carrying capacity, of course, remains a key requirement in high-power applications. Yet engineers should also look for specialized design characteristics like large contact surface and low contact resistance to help minimize heat generation.

For instance, COEUR socket technology from Molex helps ensure low contact resistance at the mating interface—minimizing heat generation while enabling high current-carrying capacity. Product examples that employ this innovative technology include the Sentrality pin and socket interconnect system, PowerWize high-voltage, high-current wire-to-board/wire-to-busbar connectors and SW1 wire-to-board/wire-to-busbar interconnects. Molex offers an extensive high-power portfolio engineered to help optimize reliability.

The increasing prevalence of internet of things (IoT) devices and sophisticated systems in every industry can expose electronics to a broad spectrum of environmental conditions and use cases. This was acknowledged by survey respondents, 23% of whom consider a product’s ability to withstand environmental and use conditions one of their primary design criteria.

Beyond predictive engineering, how can real-world durability be addressed without compromising other aspects of reliability?

When it comes to harsh environments, transportation applications typically top the list. Connectors used within vehicles need to withstand water, dust, frequent vibration, extreme heat and more. Further, they’re often designed to prioritize dependable performance when space is at a premium. This is why vehicles are often considered the ultimate real-world test of component reliability. Applications such as industrial robotics, agricultural machinery and outdoor lighting can all benefit from the ruggedized, road-tested connectors used in the transportation sector.

With that in mind, here are some key characteristics design engineers should seek when selecting reliable components for challenging conditions and real-world use:

• Rugged housings with high ingress protection (IP) ratings such as IP67, IP68 and IP69k to help seal out fluid and debris
• Locking and alignment mechanisms such as connector position assurance (CPA), terminal position assurance (TPA), primary lock reinforcement (PLR), independent secondary lock (ISL) and inertia lock to help minimize accidental disconnection
• Wide operating temperature ranges to help guard against freezing and high heat conditions

Molex product examples include the compact, wire-to-wire MXP120 1.20mm automotive sealed connection system, designed for harsh environments and space-constrained applications; DuraClik connectors, with terminal retainer options that provide extreme electrical contact reliability, mating retention and space savings for high-vibration and high-temperature applications; and Squba sealed wire-to-wire connector systems, which offer a UL approved, IP68-seal rating and can carry up to 14.0A of current for reliable power delivery in a wide range of applications.