Smart assembly delivers hi-rel at speed

Expanded connector assembly facilities and a new kitting capability deliver increased value for European customers, explains corporate product development manager, TTI Europe, Florian Adams.

While defence budgets are under scrutiny like never before, the electronic systems carried by defence forces’ land, air and sea vehicles continue to increase in complexity. Soldiers are expected to carry sophisticated equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are in continuous operation, and with the need for security, encryption systems are proliferating.

Outside of the defence arena, other high-reliability markets are also thriving. There is enormous growth in in-flight communications and entertainment systems on commercial aircraft; UAVs are used for applications from crop-spraying to traffic monitoring; and geo-stationary and low orbit ‘cube-sats’ are being used for applications such as personalised communication and location systems.

Then there are industrial applications such as ‘smart factory’ that also need robust solutions. The smart factory concept provides end-to-end process optimisation by merging the office/administrative environment with the reliability needed for use in harsh factory environments.

Fast turn-around

To meet these varied requirements, particularly the need for fast turn-around assembly of connectors targeting defence and industrial applications, TTI has expanded its value-added connector assembly and kitting facilities near Munich, Germany. The service now includes Amphenol’s VG series 96912, 95328 and 95234 circular connectors as well as Souriau connectors to the EN 3645 qualification. All products from both manufacturers are QPL-certified and can be produced, on request, within 48 hours.

The company also offers AS7928 terminals and splices from TE Connectivity; BACC63 styles from Souriau; MIL-DTL-38999 Series I and III as well as HE 308 products from Amphenol and Souriau; MIL-PRF 29504, VG95234 VG95328, VG96912 and HE 301 from Amphenol; plus nine different commercial series connectors and a selection of wires, cables and cable accessories.

The latest addition to TTI’s connector assembly service is Amphenol’s 97 solder series industrial circular connector family which suits robotics, industrial automation, toll collect systems and test and measurement applications.

Kitting service

Interestingly, TTI‘s expanded Munich facility now also undertakes connector kitting work. One popular line at present is TE’s EN 4165 modular rectangular connector devices, as used in Airbus A350 in-flight entertainment systems. TTI’s labelled kits of connector housings and inserts with contacts to exact specification are designed to save time and money and improve quality.

Custom kits are also supplied, where connectors and accessories such as backshells or cable glands can be matched. TTI initially builds samples of a customer-specified combination, which will be provided to the customer for evaluation after internal testing. Naturally, all kitting and assembly work is performed under TTI’s ISO 9001 quality assurance certification.

www.ttieurope.com