A guide available from Interconnection World looks at the increasing number of interconnect applications for which spring contacts are being used, and also includes best-practice design considerations for the technology.
Entitled "New Applications for Spring-Loaded Connectors," the 10-page guide first looks at areas that represent new uses for spring contacts. For example, they "are now being used in UL-rated charging station connectors designed specifically for rapidly emerging electric vehicle charging applications," the guide notes. It adds later that, "Industrial lighting is another hot vertical segment where spring contact technology is being leveraged." Additionally, "Canted-coil spring contact technology has more recently been employed as a high current density contact in connector and generator components for wind and solar power."
The guide also includes an article that compares the use of spring-loaded connectors and flex PCBs for handheld electronic designs. The article explains, "Mobile devices, with their inherent complexity and real estate limitations, represent a substantial drain on the bandwidth of design engineers who seek to understand the trade-offs between manufacturability and field performance over time." It also explains how and when spring-loaded connectors can be a more-efficient alternative to flex PCBs for these devices.
A third article in the guide stresses the importance of simplicity in spring-loaded connectors. It reads in part, "A focus on contact technology with fewer moving parts, but enough movement to make a reliable connection, is an important means of achieving the goal of cost reduction in the overall system."
The guide is available for free. You can download the guide here.
