Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1197000
50 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 Hines: My response to that would be nobody knows everything, nor can they do every- thing; we want our customers to understand that. We focus not only on component design or connector design but also on the complete application. We don't expect our customers or the design engineers to know exactly what solder paste they want to use or what mate- rial they want to use for conformal coating; we want them to know that's our focus. And to add on about the automotive market, Molex has the capability to design the connec- tors that communicate at mega gigahertz speed. We can also provide the completed assembly, which takes one step away from them having a contract manufacturer or somebody else assembling the Molex connector onto their application. If something goes wrong, it's one less person to point the finger at. Rickett: And Jim always tells me that the connectors usually are the hardest things to get through the line successfully. Hines: Unfortunately, that's true, at times. Johnson: There's wisdom to that. That's the part that connects the PCB—the mostly digi- tal, slightly analog, device connection—to the very analog world. There seems to be a strong concern that to meet the changing demands for those categories means new materials, interactions between the components and how you bond them to these new materials, and changes in connectors, etc. Right behind that is a concern that when you start getting to the very high-speed things and low-profile appli- cations, there needs to be innovation in every- thing, from how you attach the active compo- nents in the chips to the board to how you connect the board to the rest of your system. Hines: That makes sense. For us, beyond production PCBA and NPI PCBA, we are devel- oping practices around more of an R&D focus on PCBA-related technologies and challenges. And we have a lot of history in the SI area, so we're leveraging that experience from a connector side and incorporating that more and more into our PCB design. Johnson: At a practical level, one of the things that my readers need to know about work- ing with Molex, and connectors in general, is to get you involved in the conversation very early. Hines: Absolutely. The earlier, the better. And there are multiple ways to engage us, such as face-to-face with any representative at a field-level. And with the digital age that we live in, designers can pretty quickly identify their needs, and we have the ability to facili- tate that request or inquiry to the right people and start that process. That knowledge share is the challenge, such as the timing. Early engagement increases our probability of finding the right solution and helping the customer move along. And with our lab capability in Lisle, we have a PCBA line used for R&D and prototype builds. Early on, if a customer has a concern, such as wanting to try using a certain compo- nent or material, rather than having them try to break into their CM production line to run a test or experiment, we have that capability. We're set up and equipped to do that, and in our lab here in Lisle, we use the same type of platform equipment that we have in our global manufacturing plant. Johnson: This has been quite informative. Thank you. Ruffino: Thank you for the time. SMT007 To add on about the automotive market, Molex has the capability to design the connectors that communicate at mega gigahertz speed.