Redesigning Connector Components for Competitiveness

摘要

As competitive economic conditions persist, it will become increasingly important to consider all avenues for offering connectors which give customers more value. A connector supplier can offer more value to his customers by a combination of increased performance and reduced cost. We shall focus on the latter option.Historically, most connector body designs have lent themselves to screw machining or investment casting with secondary machining. Setup costs for these manufacturing methods are relatively low and design changes are made quite easily, quickly, and inexpensively. All of these features are very attractive, especially for both the low volumes involved and the tweaking required in most new product offerings. The opportunity to increase, or even maintain, profit margins is lost however, when the manufacturer allows the product to mature without continuing to look to reduce cost.