AEROSPACE: ELECTRONICS P
ortsmouth is a city that has an enviable reputation for providing a base for high-technology, innovative companies that serve the IT, aerospace and defence
industries and it was here that electronic connection specialist,Harwin chose to locate its base nearly 60 years ago. The company opened its current facility
in the suburb of Farlington in 1963 but only the façade is recognisable fromthose early days asHarwin has progressed its capabilities over the decades, constantly investing in newmanufacturing technology on a five-year cycle and expanding its facilities tomeet the increasing demands for its products. Its latest expansion was the opening of
3,000sqmof extramanufacturing space last year at a cost of £3million. The result is an increase in floor space of one-third over what was previously available, a commitmentHarwinmade based on the confidence it has in future connectivity and PCB board hardwaremarkets.
AEROSPACE CONNECTORS A significantmarket forHarwin’s high reliability connectors is the aerospace industry, to which the company supplies its 2mmpitchDatamate and 1.25mmpitch Gecko ranges of connectors, which include theDatamateMix-Tek series ofmixed technology connectors that combine both power and signal cables through one housing. The latest in the range is the Gecko
connector, a low-cost, lightweight alternative to the familiarMicro-D connector into whichHarwin has invested considerable resources for the development of the range, something which is a normal part of the culture, according to Ben Green, the company’s head ofmarketing, who showedme round the facility. “Ourmain emphasis is to focus on
product development in order tomeet the requirements of newmarkets through innovation,” he tellsme. It’s clear that a lot of energy has gone into
the design of the Gecko, a low-profile, dual row cable-to-board and board-to-board interconnect which saves on both space and weight in applications where such considerations are important. The connectors feature a single piece
four-finger berylliumcopper female contact, which can withstand high vibration, shock and extremes of temperature in order tomaintain optimum electrical performance and durability under harsh conditions. The Gecko is able to withstand 1,000 mating cycles, can operate at temperatures
40 /// Environmental Engineering /// April 2017
High-flying Jonathan Newell takes a tour of the Harwin factory in Portsmouth
of -65C to +150C and is rated to withstand 20g vibration and Z axis 100g 6m/s shock, with no discontinuity greater than 1µs. Such specifications have been achieved
through an exhaustive process of choosing the correctmaterials for the product throughmanufacturing a female connection interface froma single turned piece which has four points of contact rather than the usual three in order to maintain connectivity through such high shock and vibration loads.
COTS FOR AVIATION The connector products offered byHarwin also reflect the company’s philosophy of offering high-specification items for high reliabilitymarkets at off-the-shelf price rates. The Gecko connector isn’t aMIL- specification product but offers the same level of performance whilst being available
to purchase commercially. Harwin is keen to ensure that its range of
products is available as a generic range, available off-the-shelf and at consistent lead times. It’s now also offering cable attachment
and assembly operations to low-volume customers so that they have no need to purchasemultiple sets of tooling for cable crimping. The generic nature of the connectors enablesHarwin to do this without producing large numbers of “almost similar” tooling for performing the crimping process.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING It was clear as Green was showingme around the factory thatHarwin doesn’t just pay lip-service to investment. The company manufacturers its own tooling, both for the crimping performed at its Salem,USA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60