An interesting trend in the field of industrial interconnect solutions is Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) technology, which realizes Molded Interconnect Device, which allows PCBs and connectors to be integrated into one component. For this technology, the industry has developed LDS compounds using different low-temperature and high-temperature plastics, which can be molded into the desired structure and then exposed to laser beams in all three dimensions. The structure created can provide electrical connections for complex 3D shaped components while eliminating the need for one or more PCB boards.
Fiber optic interconnect is another major development trend for industrial connectors. Sarah Wu said that Molex has developed a circular lens MT beam expander interconnect solution that can meet the specific needs of data-intensive industries.
Optical interconnect technology is also a development trend in the future. Ms Sarah Wu said that Molex has developed the world's first fully integrated 4x28Gbps optical engine, enabling 100Gbps Ethernet and EDR InfiniBand interconnection, and embedded optical transceivers. Moreover, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser-based optical transceiver company brings 25Gbps transceiver products per channel to the market.
The largest Chinese market
As an important category in the intelligent industry, the connector market in China has maintained a growth trend of nearly 6 years. It is estimated that the growth rate of China's connector market will continue to exceed the global average in the future. In the next 5 years, the average annual growth rate of China's connector market will reach 15%. It can be said that the production capacity of global connectors is continuously shifting to the Asian and Chinese markets. Asia has become the most promising market for the connector market, while China will become the world's fastest-growing and largest-capacity connector market. How to seize the larger connector market in China has become the key to the major strategic deployment of major connector suppliers worldwide.
LexMolex has been committed to developing the Chinese market for a long time, and has made long-term investments. Molex entered the Chinese market in 1982 and completed the Chengdu Interconnect Factory in 2008 (Molex Chengdu Interconnect Factory is the largest of 59 factories in the world with a total construction area of 100,000 square meters). Through continuous investment, Molex has gradually established a mature and strong support organization strategically located throughout China. We have more than 20,000 employees in China and have deployed more than 185,000 square meters of manufacturing facilities to provide complete design, manufacturing and processing capabilities.
Sarah Wu emphasized, "The Chinese market can be said to be the global R & D center for Molex's complex components and components, providing interconnected solutions for various market segments in China, including automotive, medical, lighting, high-end servers and rapidly emerging renewable energy (Such as solar energy) and other markets. In particular, automotive and medical as two high-growth industries in the industrial field mean that connectors will have a lot of demand in the two industries. This is also the industry area that Molex will focus on.
Imitating the Olympic Games slogan "Faster, Higher, Stronger", the industrial connector will develop towards "smarter, lower power, higher performance". With the continuous evolution of emerging technologies such as smart industry, the Internet of Things, smart homes, and smart hardware, connectors will usher in an unprecedented "big era"!
