7 No-Brainer Reasons to Prototype Your PCB Assembly
Prototyping is just as important to the electronics manufacturing process as designing, engineering, and testing. Ignore it at your own risk.
China Tariffs: How Will They Affect Electronics Manufacturers?
NOTE: This article was updated on September 16, 2019 to reflect recent information regarding tariffs.
Two days after Independence Day 2018, President Donald Trump’s aggressive new tariffs went into effect, imposing an extra 25% tax on imported Chinese goods. This affected over $50 billion worth of “industrially significant technologies” used by U.S. electronics manufacturers and their buyers.
PCB Design Guide for Reverse Polarity Protection
When user safety depends on equipment functioning reliably -- as is the case with many medical devices and handheld mining equipment, for example -- electronic components must be trustworthy.
How to Prep for Success With PCB Box Build Assembly Services
Electromechanical PCB box build assembly services are one of the most important offerings of electronics contract manufacturers. In addition to the manufacturing and population of PCBs (printed circuit boards), this full turnkey production is a simple, all-in-one approach to addressing your manufacturing needs. This includes wire harnesses, metal fabrication, and sub-level assemblies.
All About PCB Contamination Testing
PCB contamination testing is not for every project, but it’s a lifesaver for some.
Does Your Assembly Need a PCB Microsection Analysis?
There is no shortage of reasons to test a PCB assembly, and there is no shortage of ways to do it. Out of the many functional tests available, PCB microsection analysis has a pretty specific purpose.
Deadline Day: The RoHS 3 Directive Is Here
For those in the electronics manufacturing supply chain, RoHS compliance is a big deal. Hopefully you’ve treated it as such well in advance of the July 22, 2019, RoHS 3 deadline.
What Is a PCB Solderability Test?
Solder is what makes the electrical connections work on your printed circuit board (PCB). Solderability, then, measures how well metal is wetted by molten solder to secure those connections. It’s one of the most essential PCB testing methods.
What Is Intrinsically Safe Equipment?
In the constantly evolving world of technology, safety remains a top concern among engineers during development. Whether it’s a sensor in your car, your son’s handheld video game, or a surgically implanted medical device in your elderly neighbor, we need assurance that our products are intrinsically safe (IS) during use.
8 Steps to Electronic Product Design With Surface Mount Technology
If you’re considering switching an existing electronic product design from through-hole technology to surface mount technology (SMT), you’ll want to do your homework first.
How’s the Electronic Component Shortage Looking in 2019 so Far?
Two things are fairly certain about the current electronic component shortage: It’ll end, and it’ll someday return.
What is ITAR Compliance? Electronics Manufacturing Security Standards
International Traffic and Arms Regulation (ITAR) came about in 1976 because of a need to control the export of military equipment and related sensitive information. Today, government enforcement of these regulations is far stricter than the Cold War days.
How Regulations Impact Your Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain
The electronics manufacturing supply chain ranks #1 as a source of risk to many OEMs. These snags include environmental and other international regulations, which at times may seem as tangled as the wires behind your desktop.
Specs for Class 2 Electronic Product Design
When introducing a new electronic product design, many OEMs don’t fully understand the differences between IPC classifications -- or understand them at all.
RS485 Vs. RS232: What's the Difference?
Among the serial data interfaces -- SPI, Flex I2C, and many more -- available for electronic equipment, two stand out for their longevity. In spite of the dozens of new kids on the block, RS232 and RS485 remain popular.
Tariffs on Electronics From China: Another Delay
If there's anything certain in the U.S.-China tariffs staredown, it's uncertainty.
Outsourcing a Box Build Assembly? Here's How to ID a Great Partner
Box build assembly. Systems integration. Top level assembly.
MEMS Design Guide for PCB Electromechanical Assemblies
Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, are the microscopic building blocks of current electronics. Look no further than the smartphone in your pocket -- these tiny devices make up many of the sensors in our phones that collect data like motion and image stabilization.
These little pieces have opened up a world of possibilities for companies looking to innovate with their products and craft revolutionary new ones Here’s a quick-and-dirty MEMS design guide to help your PCB design for electromechanical assemblies compete with the best.
Get a Quicker Quote for PCB Prototype Sourcing in 5 Shortcuts
In an ideal world, getting a quote for prototype production from your electronics contract manufacturer (ECM) would go smoothly and quickly. But the reality of prototype quoting is much less streamlined than either original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or ECMs would like.
Guide to Making an Electronics Box Build Assembly
If you’ve put in the hard work of designing an electronic product, chances are you have high expectations for its success with your target market. But before you can get anything into the hands of customers, you need to have it in a project box that protects your carefully designed product and makes it truly useful and accessible.
ICT Testing: Cost, Advantages, & Drawbacks
Your great, new electronics product is almost ready to go. All you need is ICT testing (in-circuit testing) -- or perhaps another method of testing.
Should You Dual Source Your Electronics Manufacturing?
The decision to single or dual source from electronics manufacturing services partners plays a heavy hand in determining the infrastructure of your supply chain. Each option has its advantages and potential hazards, and each OEM needs to determine the best fit based on its own size, order volumes, demand, etc.
PCB Documentation to Give Your Contract Manufacturer Up Front
The decision on which electronics manufacturing supplier to choose can be a difficult one. The outcome of the quoting process often decides who will build your assemblies. That’s why inaccurate quotes are a back-breaker for both OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and ECMs (electronics contract manufacturers).
For example, let’s say you received a quote from a supplier that was higher than your desired threshold. Other than that, this OEM checks all the boxes of an ideal supplier. However, you simply cannot accept a quote in that range. Little did you know; the quote was inaccurate, and the price was more in line with your targeted range.
Sure, this could be the fault of the ECM’s quoting process, and that would be on them. But if the OEM did not provide all the necessary printed circuit board (PCB) documentation up front, a missing file could have the same effect.
Class 3 Electronics PCB Manufacturers: Zero Room for Error
If you needed a pacemaker to keep your heart beating as it should, would you settle for the level of electronics quality you’d find in a cheap toy for toddlers? That’s the essential difference between IPC Class 1 assembly requirements and Class 3 electronics requirements.
How Component Inventory Management Makes an OEM’s Life Easier
Maintaining an accurate inventory can result in an elevated manufacturing process, increasing efficiency in production, ensuring on-time delivery, and allowing for timely action in the event of bottlenecks.
