Author:
Lee Thomas, Industry Marketing Manager - Home Appliance, Molex
Date
04/01/2010
PDF
As the appliance industry becomes more global, manufacturers are placing a higher priority on their cabling and connector decisions when developing new designs produced on one continent and shipped into another. Now more emphasis is being placed on standardisation across all borders, whether it is for components listed on the bill of materials of the same washing machine built in Malaysia and the US or harmonising appliance design to meet the most stringent safety and environmental standards for shipment to Europe, India and China.
After successfully addressing the issues created by the RoHS and WEEE Directives, the connector industry is migrating it's products to conform to the requirements of IEC 60335-1 for Glow Wire. The International Safety Standard IEC/EN 60335-1 4th Edition, issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission is a mandatory requirement for certain home appliances sold in Europe, although the signs are that this legislation will expand to other regions. Connectors are involved in the section "Resistance to Heat and Fire" since they are "parts of insulating material supporting live parts". The Glow Wire test measures ignition resistance of the connector's plastic material. This is different from the UL94 testing. Glow Wire is designed to identify the tendency of a plastic material to resist ignition when wires are overloaded. A connector that is V-0 or V-2 rated does not necessarily meet Glow Wire requirements. All connectors in unattended appliances carrying a current greater than 0.20A must pass the Glow Wire test at 750°C. A connector passes the test if, during 30 seconds of applying a glowing wire, there is no ignition or any flames self-extinguish within two seconds. Molex has released Glow Wire compliant versions of its most popular connector ranges used by the home appliance manufacturers and is continuing to do so. In addition to its on-going work, providing customers with connectors that meet the latest safety requirements, Molex is also looking to the future. As a leader in connector technology innovation, Molex can mould its connectors using environmentally-friendly, halogen-free compounds which are also Glow Wire compliant. This provides products that are not only safe but also eliminate the use of toxic flame-retardant materials that use bromine, antimony and phosphorus. Working closely with the world's leading resin manufacturers and renowned outside test houses, Molex goes a long way to help designers achieve the approvals they need.
RAST has become the industry standard in home appliance wiring harnesses; originally introduced as a European standard, it is being adopted world-wide. At the same time, apart from crimping technology, insulation displacement technology (IDT) has become established as an alternative connection technique between the connector and cable. In the appliance industry, because of the significantly reduced applied costs, insulation displacement connections are now state of the art technology used not only in Europe but also the US.
Molex is at the forefront of the design and manufacture of IDT connectors, with all RAST IDT and crimp products being Glow Wire compliant, as well as UL, CSA and VDE approved. The Molex line-up includes RAST 5 for indirect mating in either 10A or 16A versions. RAST 2.5 for direct and indirect mating and RAST Power for direct and indirect mating in both 6A and 10A versions. Utilising our experience in innovative connector design and state of the art manufacturing techniques, Molex has developed a new generation of RAST IDT connectors. The R5 connector uses a high conductivity alloy terminal that is designed to achieve the same mechanical and environmental specifications as existing RAST 5 designs. The RAST Signal product is designed specifically to optimise the connector performance when mated with single-sided PCBs. This achieves a greater ‘normal force' but with lower insertion force figures than the standard RAST 2.5 designs.
Along with the comprehensive range of RAST IDT and Crimp connectors, Molex offers a full range of mating headers. They are available in vertical and right-angle versions for RAST 5, vertical for RAST 2.5 and RAST 2.5 5.00mm pitch products, with standard or custom polarisation and keying options available on request. Along with the RAST IDT products, Molex offers a complete range of application tooling, from manual presses through to fully-automatic machines. These machines have a proven track record in the industry and are the tool of choice for major harness makers world-wide. As a global industry leader in interconnection systems, Molex has a team of knowledgeable and experienced tooling engineers in every region to support these products very cost-effectively.
Committed to continuous investment in research and development of new products, Molex maintains its position as a technology leader in interconnection systems. For home appliance designers faced with a specific challenge that cannot be met through standard connectors and integrated products, Molex engineers have successfully worked together to develop a tailored solution. Ranging from 'Foam In Connectors', designed to meet the demands of the refrigeration industry, through connectors designed to mate with industry standard components such as motors and compressors, to custom made ribbon cable board-to-board jumpers and complete electro mechanical sub assembly re-design and manufacture - Molex has risen to the challenge.
As with the consumer electronics market, home appliance manufacturers are continually looking for ways to set their products apart from their competitors. The latest trends include wireless remote control, appliances with built in video / audio streaming, small stackable appliances, RFID scanners, hand-held personal care and of course ultra-efficient appliances. It appears that the next generation of Home Appliances will also be designed and manufactured to be Smart Grid-enabled or at least have demand response capabilities. Such appliances will interact with the Smart Grid and will have the ability to temporarily reduce power or delay some normal operations. As consumers will still be able to override appliance actions, disruption in the home will be minimised. These initiatives will help to reduce overall energy consumption by delaying certain operations such as a refrigerator's defrost cycle until the energy load is lower, or reducing the wattage needed for a tumble dryer's heating elements. All of these exciting developments require more electronics and hence more connectivity such as IO, docking station, board-to-board, RF and wire-to-board products. As an industry leading manufacturer, Molex is able to offer standard and custom solutions to help designers bring the future into today!
As well as a global leader in interconnect solutions, Molex has been at the forefront in providing custom user interfaces, membrane switches and flex circuits to the appliance market for over a decade. With manufacturing facilities placed strategically in the US, Mexico and China, Molex has invested in automated processes for screen-printing, surface-mount component bonding, die cutting and tactile element (dome) placement. Secondary processes include final assembly, 100% electrical inspection and testing and packaging. Furthermore, full-service prototype labs at each location can produce designs and qualify products prior to final tooling. Molex engineers understand the demands and requirements of the home appliance industry and are experienced in finding the right solution for a particular application. Here capacitive touch switches, which are at the leading edge of design, are proving an attractive alternative to the conventional user interface technologies as they are resistant to harsh chemical exposures, contaminants and EMI. When a finger or conductive object enters the field, the product recognises a change in the capacitance functioning similar to a switch or touch pad. There are no moving parts that can wear out or detract from the reliability of the product. In addition to being more robust and durable, the integration of unique backlighting elements and wide variety of overlay options, enable home appliance manufacturers to achieve an elegant and distinctive user interface design.
Since 1945, when Molex entered the home appliance market with its moulded terminal block for range cookers, the company has remained at the forefront of connector design. Manufacturing some of the most innovative and reliable interconnect products in the world, Molex offers a broad portfolio of products and, combined with comprehensive expertise, provides unlimited possibilities for applications in the home appliance market. Committed to following lean management and Six Sigma principles, Molex has developed state of the art manufacturing processes that lead to improved quality, whilst response times for customer specific requirements are greatly reduced. As a result, many of the company's home appliance connectivity products have become the industry standard for the latest technology-led designs. Molex provides a seamless global service, including design, manufacture and sales. With a broad range of capabilities and strong customer focus, Molex believes it is uniquely positioned to fulfil the needs of the home appliance manufacturer. Whether based on the other side of the globe or just around the corner, Molex can assist home appliance engineers in reaching all of their design goals - with exceptional quality and efficiency. www.molex.com
