Alternative to hand soldering PCB connections
23 February 2009
Hylec-APL has launched a range of connectors for PCBs. The product uses crimping to make and secure the connection simultaneously, an alternative to hand soldering, which is extremely time consuming. They require a very small footprint on the board and no separate strain relief. The crimp connectors from Zierick, which are available exclusively from Hylec-APL in the UK, are the smallest and most economical terminals available for SMT wire-to-board applications.

Alternative to hand soldering PCB connections
Each connector has a flat base with two sidewalls, two insulation piercing spikes protrude from the base. The flat base facilitates vacuum pickup and terminal placement on the PCB. The crimping tool stitches the wire into the terminal which further automates the process.
The connectors require no separate strain relief. The side walls of the connectors are crimped during the connection process which ensures the connections reliability. Other connection methods will typically be far less compact and have a much higher cost.
The use of the insulation piercing spikes allows a connection to be made at any point along the wire, a solution for inline applications which require multiple terminations.
The IPC Crimp and other Zierick connectors are suited for use with Aluminium substrate PCBs where through hole connections are difficult and not ideal to make. Hand soldering to these types of PCB also require very high temperatures and can potentially damage the circuit.
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