The increasing use of heavy-duty connectors and components, in motor vehicles in particular, has led to a rise in the use of bonding methods not previously employed or only rarely employed. Until recently, soldering and crimping were the methods most frequently used. Today, these procedures are reaching the limits of their useful application due to the steady increase in levels of power density in modern equipment. Soft-soldered joints are reliable up to temperatures of approx. 125°. Crimp joints are susceptible to fatigue caused by increasing contact resistance throughout their service life.
The same applies to numerous electronic devices. Levels of functional density in, for example, porta-ble equipment are increasing while sizes and weights are simultaneously falling.
 

Joerg Kundrat, VP Miyachi Europe Munich Plant, gave a technological speech about „Resistance Welding Applications in Connector Technology“ in Wuerzburg, Germany on July 6, 2011 and presented the following white paper:
Connector Technology Joerg Kundrat 06-11

In light of these developments, bonding methods which produce joints which fulfil the following re-quirements have been used ever more frequently during the last few years:

• low electrical resistance,
• high temperature resistance,
• high mechanical strength,
• good corrosion resistance.

These properties may only deviate within tight margins of tolerance during the entire life span of the product. Resistance welding meets these requirements perfectly.

Resistance welding is a robust method with a wide range of industrial applications. It is a technique which can be used to procedure heavy-duty coalescence bonds for plug-in connector technology. The process of resistance welding can be easily managed using modern control technology. Current tech-nological standards provide a multitude of possibilities for process monitoring and analysis as well as rapid cycle times.