Designing High-Power Connectors for Reliability in High-Vibration Environments

The electrical connections in an electric vehicle's battery pack or a collaborative robot's joint are subjected to continuous,multi-axis vibration.Here,a traditional bolted busbar or rigid connector is a liability,as vibration works to loosen fasteners and grind away contact surfaces through fretting motion.

The solution lies in designing connections that are dynamically compliant yet electrically stable.This often means moving from purely rigid to spring-loaded contact systems.A well-designed power spring contact maintains a high normal force while absorbing micromotion,preventing wear at the critical primary contact surface.Redundant current paths within a single contact further enhance reliability.

For unavoidable rigid interfaces,mechanical locking becomes critical.This includes the use of thread-locking adhesives,serrated flange nuts,or even welded terminals.The connector housing itself must feature positive latches and strain relief to prevent any movement of the cable or terminal block.

Validating these designs demands accelerated life testing that simulates years of service in hours.Subjecting them to standardized profiles like ISO 16750 on shaker tables,while simultaneously passing rated current to monitor for resistance spikes,is the definitive proof.

Achieving high current connection reliability EV robotics requires moving beyond static connections to dynamic solutions like robust spring contacts for dynamic power applications.Designing a truly vibration proof busbar connection often involves custom spring elements or machined interfaces.ZMAX supports this through the engineering and manufacture of custom spring-loaded power contacts and precision-machined terminals with locking features,delivering components that are pre-validated to meet the mechanical demands of mobile and industrial power systems.