Card Edge Connector Manufacturing Process and Material Selection
The Card Edge Connector is a common electronic connector whose design and manufacture directly affects the quality of signal transmission, durability, and application performance. The following is an in-depth discussion of their manufacturing process, material selection, and their impact on performance.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
Core Structure of Card Edge Connector
The Card Edge Connector typically consists of the following components:
-Substrate material (Housing): Provides mechanical strength and electrical insulation.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Contacts: Used to transmit electrical signals.
– Plating: Protects the contact surfaces and enhances performance.
The choice of material and process for each part affects the final performance of the connector.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
Manufacturing material selection
(1) Base material
The matrix material mainly provides mechanical support and insulation function, and the following plastics or composite materials are usually used:
– Thermoplastics (e.g. PBT, LCP):
– Advantages: High heat resistance, high mechanical strength, suitable for high temperature reflow soldering process.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Applications: Suitable for high-speed signal transmission and applications in harsh environments.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Epoxy Resin (Epoxy):
– Advantages: Easy to process and less expensive.
– Limitations: May perform poorly at high temperatures.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
(2) Contact terminal materials
The material of the contact terminal determines the conductivity and durability, common materials include:
– Copper alloys (e.g. phosphor bronze, beryllium copper):
– Advantages: Excellent conductivity and flexibility.
– Applications: Suitable for scenarios requiring high reliability.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Stainless steel:
– Advantages: corrosion resistant and inexpensive.
– Limitations: less conductive than copper alloys.
Plating options
Plating is used to protect contact surfaces and improve electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and abrasion resistance. Common plating materials include:
(1) Gold Plating (Gold Plating)
– Features:
– Excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance.
– Provides consistent low contact resistance.
– Plating thickness:
– Typically 1-50 micro inches. Higher thicknesses increase durability but increase cost.
– Applications: For high-speed, high-reliability scenarios (e.g., servers and communications equipment).
(2) Nickel Plating (Nickel Plating)
– Features:
– Provides mechanical support and prevents metal diffusion.
– Usually used as a base layer for gold or tin plating.
– Applications: Used as a substrate in all high-performance plating processes.
(3) Tin Plating
– Characteristics:
– Low cost, easy to solder.
– Poor corrosion resistance, prone to oxidized layer formation.
– Applications: Used for cost sensitive, low frequency or non-critical applications.
Manufacturing Process
Manufacturing processes are critical to connector quality and consistency. Key processes include:PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
(1) Mold Molding
– Substrate molding: Plastic substrate is manufactured through injection molding process to ensure dimensional accuracy and mechanical strength.
– Precision Stamping: Used to create metal contacts to ensure shape and electrical conductivity.
(2) Plating process
– Plating method: Plating (gold or tin) to protect metal surfaces.
– Key parameters include plating thickness and uniformity.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Control techniques: Strict control of plating thickness and quality is required to avoid poor contact or excessive wear.
(3) Assembly and Testing
– Automated assembly: Plastic substrate and metal terminals are assembled by high-precision equipment.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
– Quality testing: including dimension, insertion and extraction force, contact resistance and environmental aging test.
Influence of material and process on performance
|
Attributes |
Influencing Factors |
Optimization Direction |
|
Conductivity |
Contact Terminal Materials (Copper, Metal Plating) |
Selection of Highly Conductive Copper Alloys with Gold Plating |
|
Durability |
Plating Thickness and Type |
Increase gold plating thickness and avoid tin plating |
|
Mechanical Strength |
Plating Materials (e.g. gold, nickel) |
Prefer gold plating, nickel as under layer protection |
|
Mechanical Strength |
Substrate Material (Plastic Type) |
Select high strength thermoplastics |
|
Signal Integrity |
Contact Terminal Accuracy, Material Consistency |
Precision Machining, Strict Dimensional Tolerance Control |
Summary
The materials and processes used to manufacture Card Edge Connectors have a direct impact on their performance. Material selection balances cost and performance, while the precision of the manufacturing process determines the reliability of the final product. In high-performance applications, such as high-speed communications or industrial automation, copper alloy terminals with gold plating are preferred, while in cost-sensitive scenarios, tin plating and basic plastics may be a better choice.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
Through advanced manufacturing processes and optimized material selection, Card Edge Connectors provide long-lasting, consistent performance in demanding environments.PCIExpress Explore high-speed connectivity solutions, including PCIe 5.0 slots, card edge connectors, PCIe sockets, and PCI Express 7.0 components, at dghoyato.com.
contact me :sales09@dghoyato.com
