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Interconnect system saves weight, space, cost

Pre-loaded connector modules allow automated assembly of flex cable harnesses

By David Bak, Editor-in-Chief, Global Design News -- Design News, March 26, 2001

Paris, France —Flex cable consists of copper tracks sandwiched between two layers of flexible insulation, typically 0.25 mm thick. Though used in consumer products for a long time, flex cable has not yet been adopted for volume car manufacture due to high applied costs. There is no point in reducing cost on parts, say automotive OEMs, and then losing the savings on a more expensive assembly process.

An interconnect technology called ModuPack™supplements its new connector design with a complete support system, letting harness manufacturers assimilate flex cable into their production lines for weight/space savings as well as low-cost assembly. Specifically developed for the auto industry by FCI Automotive, ModuPack encompasses three automation-enabling designs:

pre-loaded connector modules,

reel-based packaging, and

termination without cable preparation.

Each connector module is supplied pre-loaded with customer-specified terminals, removing one step from the traditional assembly process. Conductors, furthermore, can be scaled to match specific electrical requirements of each route. For example, both 0.64- and 2.80-mm terminals can be mixed in single-row and multi-row modules for a combination of signal and power terminals. Such design flexibility, FCI notes, makes the replacement of most wires within the passenger compartment practical.

Reel-based packaging on Mylar tape permits automated delivery of the connector modules. This, in turn, allows mass termination of the flex circuitry. Most termination systems for flex cable require preparation of the cable and individual conductor termination: the harness maker first crimps the terminal to the cable, and then manually inserts the terminal into the connector. Because the process is difficult to automate, it is comparatively expensive.

FCI's StarCrimp™termination technology, applied to ModuPack, requires no flex cable preparation since it pierces the insulation as the connection is made. The entire termination process takes less than four seconds, while the four point star pattern provides strength and integrity. In addition, ModuPack interconnect technology incorporates an integral strain relief mechanism that clamps the flex cable at the same time as the terminations are made.

Other ModuPack benefits include consistent termination due to punch and die tooling, and easy integration into existing press tools. A complementary range of products and technologies for producing more advanced harness structures such as splicing, shunting, and grounding are available.

Additional Details

Contact Framatome Connectors International, Tour Framatome, La Defense 6, Paris la Defense Cedex, France 92084; Tel: +33 1 47 96 08 09; Fax: +33 1 47 96 08 22; E-mail: jcoito@fciconnect.com

New system design opportunities

FCI flex interconnects also enable product design engineers to do more with flex technology than simply replace traditional wires. Consider the LED. It offers low power, high reliability, and low cost. Unfortunately, it does not like 12V. Adding a resistor becomes a problem for a conventional wiring harness, but flex pcb technology provides a proven route to introduce not just resistors, but a whole range of intelligent electronics. Because flex interconnects offer complete freedom to mix and match between flex cable, flex pcbs, and wires, designers can replace a heavy wire harness with a simple flex cable, which in turn can be replaced by a flex interconnect sub-system for extra functionality. The same flex interconnects are used, and there is no extra box to mount. ModuPack can even support sections of the harness moving from wire to flex cable to flex pcb at different times, since the system permits all formats to be mixed and interconnected.

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