Feature 40 years of electrical & electronics
The changing state of industry F
Rob Laughton, managing director of Aerco, takes a look at some of the changes in the electronics manufacturing industry over the past 40 years
orty years ago, Intel launched its first microprocessor, Texas Instruments introduced its first hand-held calculator and Scott and Irvine drove a buggy on the moon. Meanwhile, my life as a science undergraduate was in full swing and if I have slowed down a bit since then, the industry that we work in certainly hasn’t! It seems more vibrant and faster moving than ever, and that can only be good for all involved. The electronics industry has cer- tainly moved on: products have improved beyond recognition, manu- facturing techniques have advanced
Miniaturisation is a key technology driver in today’s connector market. Parsonage observed that connector density has increased tenfold, in terms of pitch, over the past 20 years. This has only been made possible by using the latest manufacturing technology with much tighter tolerances. Nowadays, both companies make con- nectors that combine power, signal and impedance matched transmission lines into a single integrated connec- tor. Just a few years ago these would have required multiple connectors. Another important technology driver is electronic actuation or ‘fly by
‘Take the relationship between designers and buyers today
compared with a similar role in 1971. Back then, the buyer and designer tended to work closely together. They would probably share the same place of work and regularly meet and discuss matters over a corned beef sandwich in the works canteen!’
and new methods of communication have revolutionised the way people work and communicate.
Aerco distributes products such as Hypertac’s HBB connectors
Keeping track of technology Aerco was formed in 1956 and, like most companies, it has had to adapt to remain successful. I was reminded of this recently when speaking to Ben Green, technical and marketing com- munications manager at Harwin, and Chris Parsonage, industry director defence at Hypertac. Important sup- pliers and partners of Aerco, both organisations started as engineering companies about 50 years ago and have flourished in specialised areas of the connector industry.
wire’ technology. Automotive, indus- trial and aerospace manufacturers are replacing hydraulic controls with electronic computer controlled actua- tion systems. Hypertac now produces connectors that carry currents up to 1000A at 2000V. Basic physics dic- tates that these connectors are signifi- cantly larger, however the company's Hyperboloid contact
system saves
designers valuable space by carrying 30% more current than traditional contact designs, and incorporates high-voltage protection caps that offer IP2X protection.
Aerco deals primarily with electro- mechanical components. While these have not seen the same rate of devel- opment as solid-state products, where density has doubled every two years for the past 40, the company has been subject to similar pressures to improve performance and reduce size and cost of components.
Heavy investment in the latest robotic machinery has allowed both Harwin and Hypertac not only to retain but develop their UK manufac- turing operations, with much of Harwin’s production remaining in Portsmouth – made possible because all the production equipment has been modernised and is less than five years old. This strategy, and the increasing energy costs for transportation, are
Design Solutions 1971-2011 - 40TH ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT -
beginning to eliminate the advantages of low labour-rates of the Far East.
Changing working practices Leading-edge connector design and manufacture in the UK give signifi- cant benefits to UK-based application designers. The Internet may be able to place a vision of the whole world on a desktop but, as Green pointed out, there is still a real advantage if component and application engi- neers can sit together to work on new design problems.
A clear example of how the struc- ture of the electronics manufacturing industry has changed is evident with a look at the relationship and the working practices of people within the industry. Take, for example, the relationship between designers and buyers com- pared with a similar role in 1971. Back then, the buyer and designer tended to work closely together. They would probably share the same place of work and regularly meet and discuss mat- ters over a corned beef sandwich in the works canteen! Although relationships between the two disciplines would have varied from individual to indi- vidual and company to company, generally there would have been much closer communication than there is in many companies today. In today’s world it is very likely that a major proportion of sub-assemblies and even finished product would be outsourced, and buyers and designers are likely to be geographically sepa- rated – possibly by the odd continent or two. Working practices and rela- tionships will be influenced and possibly complicated by the input from commodity managers who will dictate purchasing policies such as vendor reduction programmes that affect both design and purchasing decisions. And, of course, the Internet has changed the way we all work and shop.
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