Press-Fit solderless interconnects have been used in the automotive industry for several decades, emerging as a widely used go-to solution to meet the growing demand for robust and reliable electronic connections in vehicles. Press-Fit usage accelerated when the automotive industry experienced a significant shift in the 1980s and 1990s, as the complexity of vehicle electronics increased with the adoption of advanced systems such as ABS (anti-lock braking systems), airbags, and engine control units (ECUs). These systems require reliable and high-performance interconnect solutions to ensure safety and functionality.
Press-Fit technology was first introduced as an alternative to traditional soldered connections. Its key innovation was the ability to establish an electrical connection by mechanically inserting a pin or terminal into a plated through-hole (PTH) on a printed circuit board (PCB) without the need for soldering.
Over the years, Press-Fit technology has evolved, incorporating new materials, improved designs, and tighter tolerances to address the unique challenges of automotive applications.
Benefits of Press-Fit Solderless Interconnects in Automotive Applications
Key benefits of Press-Fit solderless technology include:
Reliability and Durability:
- Press-Fit connections are highly reliable, even under harsh environmental conditions such as vibration, temperature fluctuations, and exposure to moisture or chemicals, which are common in automotive environments.
- The mechanical design of Press-Fit pins ensures consistent contact pressure and stable electrical connections over the vehicle’s lifetime.
- In comparison to soldering or IDC (Insulation Displacement Contact) connections, solderless Press-Fit connectors are rated highly for reliability. They provide consistent contact force, reducing the risk of cold joints or poor connections that can occur with soldering. The IEC61709 standard rates Press-Fit with up to 10 times greater reliability.
Solder-Free Assembly
- Eliminates the need for soldering, reducing potential issues such as cold solder joints, voids or flux contamination.
- Improves process consistency and reduces assembly defects, which is critical for safety-related automotive electronics.
Cost-Effective Manufacturing
- Reduces manufacturing time and cost by simplifying the assembly process.
- Eliminates the need for soldering equipment and related consumables, lowering overall production costs.
Environmental Benefits
- Eliminates the use of solder, which often contains lead, thereby reducing environmental impact and complying with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and other regulatory requirements.
High Performance in Complex Systems
- Ideal for high-density PCBs in modern automotive systems, such as infotainment, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and electric vehicle (EV) power electronics.
- Capable of handling high currents and signal integrity requirements, making them suitable for diverse automotive applications.
Scalability and Customization
- Adaptable to a wide range of designs and specifications, allowing manufacturers to tailor solutions to specific automotive needs.
Compatible with automated assembly processes, enabling scalability for mass production.
Trends Driving Greater Emphasis on Press-Fit Solderless Solutions
Press-Fit solderless interconnects play a crucial role in enabling new automotive applications like assisted driving and autonomous driving by addressing the unique challenges these systems face. These technologies rely on advanced electronics and sensors, requiring highly reliable, efficient, and robust connections.
In addition, as these new automotive technologies shift responsibility away from human drivers and on to sophisticated electronic systems, it is the automakers that are having to assume increased liability for system failures or errors that lead to accidents and/or injuries. Most automakers are discovering that the inherent reliability of Press-Fit technologies can be a key mitigating factor to help avoid or minimize these liability risks.
Here are five ways that Press-Fit interconnects enable new advanced automotive functionality:
Reliability for Safety-Critical Systems
- Assisted driving and autonomous driving systems, such as ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), rely heavily on sensors (e.g., LiDAR, radar, cameras) and ECUs for real-time decision-making.
- Press-Fit connectors provide reliable and durable electrical connections that can withstand the harsh automotive environment, including extreme temperatures, vibrations, and shocks, ensuring consistent operation of safety-critical systems.
Support for High-Density PCBs
- Autonomous vehicles require advanced electronics with high-density PCBs to process massive amounts of data from sensors and cameras.
- Press-Fit interconnects allow for compact and robust connections, enabling integration of high-density electronic designs while maintaining mechanical and electrical integrity.
Enhanced Signal Integrity
- Systems like autonomous driving demand precise, high-speed data communication between various components, including sensors, processors, and actuators.
- Press-Fit technology provides low-resistance, high-reliability connections, minimizing signal loss and ensuring accurate data transfer crucial for real-time system performance.
High Current Handling for Power Electronics
- Many advanced automotive applications, especially in electric and autonomous vehicles, require power-intensive components like electric motors and advanced computing units.
- Press-Fit connectors are designed to handle high currents efficiently, making them suitable for power distribution systems and high-performance processors in autonomous driving systems.
Simplified Manufacturing for Scalability
- Automated assembly processes using Press-Fit interconnects simplify production, making it easier to scale up manufacturing for complex systems required in autonomous and assisted driving vehicles. This efficiency helps reduce production costs and time-to-market for these cutting-edge technologies.
Advanced Automotive Functionality Enabled by Press-Fit
Sensor Fusion Modules: Press-Fit technology ensures reliable connections for sensor fusion systems that aggregate data from LiDAR, radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors.
High-Performance ECUs: Autonomous driving systems require multiple ECUs for tasks like perception, planning, and control. Press-Fit interconnects ensure reliable operation of these high-performance units.
Power Distribution Systems: Press-Fit connectors are ideal for high-current connections in electric vehicles, which are often paired with autonomous driving systems.
Communication Backbones: High-speed, on-vehicle communication networks such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet, and FlexRay rely on robust interconnects, supported by Press-Fit technology, to facilitate seamless data exchange.
Redundancy in Safety Systems: Autonomous driving systems rely on redundant architectures for safety. Press-Fit interconnects provide the reliability needed for these parallel systems to function without failure.
Integrating Press-Fit Interconnects into Advanced Modular Solutions
As the industry leader in Press-Fit since the solderless technology’s first inception, ENNOVI has been instrumental in testing and certifying it for automotive applications, while also leading the way for integrating Press-Fit into higher level assemblies, modules, and targeted solutions.
The following sections highlight some of these vertically integrated products:
Radar Interconnect
ENNOVI radar interconnect modules provide complete, fully self-contained, solder-free, pluggable interfaces for radar sensors that include robust EMI shielding and physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating for robust lifecycle performance. He housings protect radar sensors from heat, electromagnetic interference, vibration and shock.
Integrated with solder-free ENNOVI Press-Fit Technology, our automotive-approved Radar Interconnects are tough, compact and cost-effective. Designed for compact and cost-effectiveness, ENNOVI radar interconnects are ready to press-on, with solder-free connections.
ENNOVI-BusMate Power Bubar to PCB Connectors
Designed for power steering, traction drives and power conversion, inversion, and distribution systems, the ENNOVI-BusMate Power Busbar PCB Connector is a highly efficient power interface. BusMate combines a small footprint to conserve PCB space with a large ampacity-to-size ratio for handling increasing power densities. To accommodate a variety of production requirements, the busbar power couplers are available with solderless Press-Fit interfaces.
BusMate’s small footprint and Press-Fit options enable the creation of a variety of connector arrays to handle different mating configurations such as board-to-blade, board-to-board, and blade-to-blade. This makes it ideal for applications such as transformer-to-PCB, converter bus to PCB, both DC and AC sides of inverters, as well as many custom variations.
Multi-Row Board-to-Board Connectors
ENNOVI-MB2B Multi-Row Board-to-Board connectors incorporate Press-Fit solderless technology into proprietary snap-in biscuit modules that enable multiple connector units to be easily snapped together without solder.
With board stacking heights from 7 to 30mm, and options from 1 to 6 rows with up to 30 contact terminals incorporated in each row, ENNOVI-MB2B connectors are flexible and multi-purpose. Especially for automotive requirements, with an ability to withstand high humidity, shocks, vibrations and a working temperature range of -40°C to +150°C.
Options for Custom Design and/or Volume Distribution
To support the diverse range of requirements automotive manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, ENNOVI offers options for custom design collaboration, empowered by our global footprint and regionalized local facilities for engineering and production. We can confidently take your project from inception, through design and into volume manufacturing both on time and on budget.
In addition, ENNOVI has established a distribution arrangement with global industry leader, DigiKey for many of our solderless Press-Fit products, thereby offering our customers even more flexible options for buying a variety of Press-Fit products and modules from stock.
Summary
The scalability, reliability, and performance of Press-Fit solderless interconnects have for decades made them a cornerstone technology for advanced automotive applications. By ensuring robust and high-performance connections in the demanding environments of assisted and autonomous driving systems, Press-Fit technology enables the rapid advancement and widespread adoption of these transformative automotive innovations.
As new automotive applications depend even more on Press-Fit’s reliability and adaptability, ENNOVI is once again leading the way on innovation of new configurations and vertically integrated modules that help streamline design integration, along with more ways to help our customers reap the benefits of solderless Press-Fit capabilities.