Until the development of omni-tact, designers have been limited in their selection of contacts for the interconnection of devices. The myriad of packages and leads available were all expected to plug into the same stamped or machined standard contact. This expectance often resulted in disappointing results, and products originally planned for easy service removal or field upgrading had to be soldered to the circuit board.    User industries had well documented the superior reliability of seamless contacts before Mark began its design. Test data from many military programs and field evaluations concluded that seamless parts, as a general class, did not suffer from the same frequency of over stressing or temperature relaxation of their stamped counterpart.    The Mark omni-tact is the first seamless drawn beryllium copper contact and is the only contact designed and produced as a custom part for specific leads.

   Today the most common ‘customizing’ variation is the number of tynes. The contact was first produced with the industry standard 4 tyne design. The 4 tyne concept works consistently well with round leads, and is the recommended style for all pins.

   Through analyses we found that 4 tyne systems have inherent shortcomings when used with rectangular leads. Severe overstressing can occur by simple misalignment. Even with proper orientation we found that 2 of the 4 tynes exert a very weak, if any, normal force.

   To correct these problems we designed a 3 tyne contact configuration. We were able to construct a contact with odd numbered tynes because our contact slotting method does not rely on cross-cutting. Further, our cutting action is from inside to outside so no interior burrs are created to wear through or scratch lead plating. Contact tynes of 3,4,5 or more can be generated using this process.

   Forces of insertion and withdrawal can be easily tailored to meet any special requirement while providing unparalleled electrical and mechanical properties.

To find out more about Mark's exclusive Omni-Tact product, please inquire using our interactive form.