News

The automotive industry is riding the wave of digital satellite radio and other telematic systems by turning to NuChannel™ FAKRA SMB connectors and cable from OSRAM SYLVANIA.  With bodies and internal insulators molded from strong, tough DuPont™ Zytel® nylon resins, the connectors help provide reliable links from antennas to digital or conventional radios, cell phones or signal processors for telematic systems such as remote keyless entry, global positioning or tire pressure monitoring.

“Car manufacturers have a lot to gain by standardizing on Fakra interconnects: substantial savings on engineering, component and assembly costs while meeting demanding performance requirements,” said Tom Gouldy, global marketing and sales manager for Antenna Cable Systems at Osram Sylvania.  “For the body of our best-in-class Fakra connectors, DuPont™ Zytel® nylon gives us a great combination of strength, stiffness and toughness, and it allows us to meet very tight molding tolerances, too.”  For example, both strength and precision are crucial in meeting the Fakra connector standard’s requirement for resistance to a pull-out force of 110 Newton without disconnection.

The bodies of NuChannel™ Fakra connectors are molded from Zytel® 70G43L, which is based on nylon 66 with 43 percent glass fiber reinforcement

Another key component of the NuChannel™ connector, an internal insulator for its signal conductor, is molded from Zytel® 408, an unreinforced nylon 66 grade.   This material’s low dielectric constant at high frequency is crucial in combating signal loss, and its moldability and economical cost are important advantages over fluoropolymer alternatives.

NuChannel™ connectors are manufactured with high precision.   Diameter tolerances for molded body parts are as low as ±0.013 millimeter.  The parts are molded in colors matching those of the Fakra standard’s color-coding scheme.

NuChannel™ connectors comply with requirements of the 50 ohm radio-frequency interface standard developed by Fakra, according to Gouldy.   Fakra is the unit of the German Standards Institute (din) that develops technical standards for motor vehicle components and systems. 

Osram Sylvania offers a broad line of off-the-shelf Fakra connectors and assembled cables.  For more information, contact Osram Sylvania at 717-848-8080, ext. 329, or visit www.sylvania.com.

For more information about Zytel® nylons, please visit plastics.dupont.com on the web or call DuPont at 800-441-0575.  

Editor/photography note: Please double-click on the image to open a high-resolution file for print use.