SM-Contact

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connector for IGBT

High-reliability electrical connections for power electronics systems

In power electronics, electrical connections are critical to performance, safety, and efficiency. Whether in industrial drives, renewable energy converters, energy storage systems, electric vehicles, or power supplies, connectors must deliver high current capability, robust performance under stress, and long-term reliability.

SM Contact offers advanced connector technologies engineered specifically for the demands of power electronics, helping manufacturers and OEMs optimize electrical performance, streamline assembly, and ensure production quality at scale.

What power electronics actually asks of a connection

  • Current and thermal load — IGBT and MOSFET modules commonly run at 600–1700 V blocking voltage and tens to hundreds of amps per module. Contact resistance and joint integrity set the ceiling on how much of that current a connection can carry without local heating.
  • Thermal cycling — modules switch on and off thousands of times over a service life; each cycle expands and contracts the joint. A soldered joint fatigues under that cycling; a crimped or welded one doesn’t depend on solder to hold.
  • Vibration — motor drives and EV onboard converters run under continuous mechanical vibration. A connection that relies on friction or gravity alone works loose over time.
  • Substrate geometry — many power modules sit on DBC (Direct Bonded Copper) ceramic substrates: copper bonded directly to alumina, aluminum nitride, or silicon nitride. Unlike an FR4 PCB, there are no drilled, plated through-holes for a pin to press into.
  • Volume — automotive and renewable-energy production runs in the tens of thousands of units a year. A connection method that needs manual handling per unit doesn’t scale with it.


SM Contact Connector Technologies for Power Electronics

Pin Insertion Technology

Pin Insertion Technology

SmContact’s pin insertion solutions offer a flexible, cost-efficient way to interconnect PCBs, coil frames, and plastic or metal parts without traditional soldering. Pin shapes — including pressfit, star, winged, and smooth — are engineered to match application needs, improve retention force, and maintain low contact resistance even in high-stress environments. Pin insertion solutions are qualified to industry standards such as EN 60352-5 and can be adapted for power modules, bus bars, and high-current PCB stacks.
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Splice Technology

Splice Technology

Splice is a solderless crimp connection technique that compresses a metal clip onto component ends — for example, wires to PCBs or discrete devices. This creates stable, high-quality electrical contact without thermal stress, ideal for power electronics assemblies where reliable signal and power distribution is critical.
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O-PIN Connector

O-PIN Connector

Terminals Designed to overcome the limitations of traditional pin insertion and copper sleeve terminals, O-PIN connectors use high-precision crimped contacts that eliminate pin damage and tolerance issues. They deliver vibration-resistant, repeatable connections with superior mechanical and electrical performance, particularly in power modules like IGBTs and converters.
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Pressfit Technology

Pressfit Technology

Pressfit pins provide a reliable solderless connection by deforming into PCB or component holes, creating gas-tight contact zones that resist vibration and thermal cycling — key for power electronics modules, battery management interfaces, and high-current connectors. Pressfitconnections are adaptable to hole tolerance variations, reducing production rework and supporting efficient automated assembly.
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Typical Applications in Power Electronics

SM Contact connectors are used across power electronics product lines, including:

  • Inverters and converters (industrial and renewable energy)
  • Power supply units (PSU) and UPS systems
  • Electric vehicle chargers and onboard converters
  • Battery management and energy storage systems
  • Motor drives and industrial automation equipment
  • IGBT and MOSFET module interconnections

These applications rely on connectors that provide low contact resistance, thermal resilience, and robust mechanical integrity — key performance factors in high-power environments.

Connectors from SM Contact for power electronics

  • No solder on the power path where solder would be the fatigue point — splice and press-fit are solderless by design; O-PIN adds solder or welding only where the substrate leaves no other option
  • Delivered on strip or with defined insertion tooling, so placement runs on the same automated line as the rest of the module — not a manual station bolted onto it
  • Pin insertion is qualified to EN 60352-5; O-PIN’s automated flow holds ±1° pin inclination and roughly 140 N pull-out on the reflow variant
  • Engineering support extends to the tooling itself — SM Contact designs and builds the pin insertion and splice crimping equipment, not just the terminals