inspection

15 challenges in the Electronics Manufacturing Process

Electronics Manufacturing Services are the backbone of manufacturing for companies to produce devices that are launched into the market. They take care of the backend operations from the very beginning of design to delivery and they are crucial at several stages of production. Read more to find out about the challenges that may occur during the manufacturing process. Electronics have been bulldozing their way into every field replacing several manual systems that require manpower. A well-established fact that machines are more reliable, accurate and fast and therefore mitigate errors has bolstered the popularity of electronics. From the manufacturing sector to everyday living, its applications are extensive. The process of Electronics Manufacturing The key elements in an electronics manufacturing process begin from designing the devices to testing and shipping them to customers. Various factors are to be taken into consideration when manufacturing products for OEMs and enterprises. A good design, reducing PCBA re-operations & iterations,  and finally controlling material and labour costs contribute to the cost-effectiveness of the product. The article on Small-run SMT production or Building prototypes using manual soldering gives you a detailed step-by-step understanding of the semi-automatic and manual assembly of PCBs. Let’s explore the challenges that an EMS provider might face during the stages spanning from product design, development, and production to launching it in the market. The constant and rapid advancements in technology: The advancement in technology has become a challenge to most manufacturing companies. Companies have been investing heavily in research to update their existing product or launch new ones to stay ahead of competitors Adopting design principles:  Design principles when adopted during the early stages of planning would be efficient and cut costs and increase lead times. A good design is essential to the functionality, reliability and durability of a device. Product shelf life: With the advancements in technology, companies face the irony of a time-bound product life cycle for non-perishable goods. There are more and more innovative products that are launched every so often that encourage a switch to replace existing products. For example in PCB manufacturing, SMT has been evolving rapidly and so are the machines. Pick and place machines are becoming faster, more flexible to incorporate changes, and more precise and reliable.  Reliability of the device: The reputation of both the manufacturer and EMS provider relies on the reliability and functionality of an electronic device. The durability and reliability of electronic devices rely on several factors. Although the poor design, quality and manufacturing defects are major factors, environmental conditions, overstress and wear and tear also may contribute to the device’s reliability. Access to suppliers: Building a strong network to source components and having consistent supply are crucial to the manufacturing and delivery of a product. Even when EMS providers have access and a network of efficient suppliers sometimes there are unavoidable crises that affect the supply. E.g. the recent chip shortage that shook the automotive industry. The unfortunate turn of events during COVID-19 disrupted both the production and shipping of automobile chips. This delayed the launch of several new and old model vehicles. Supply chain disruptions: Although production is crucial to launch products, supply chain management is important too. Quoting the example from the above point,  the production of the chips that relied on components sourced from suppliers was delayed due to the disruptions in the supply chain. This in turn delayed the production of the chips and their delivery to the automobile manufacturers. The global shipping delays resulted in production and launch setbacks of vehicles. Economic volatility: The manufacturing process is susceptible to the global economic fluctuations that occur. This results in price variations and sometimes leads to orders being cancelled or withheld. When raw material is required certain rare or high-in-demand materials to build a device which might be difficult to obtain. This might lead to a shortage and retailers may bump up the prices. Competition: This is an unavoidable yet difficult challenge to tackle. With the rise in the number of competitors, EMS providers have to battle with quotes which may sometimes not be very profitable. But this can lead to continuous orders which in the long run would be profitable. Labour issues: Although the manufacturing industry has become technologically advanced, it still requires a huge amount of manpower in several or a few stages of the manufacturing process. There could be manpower shortages, labour strikes due to economic fluctuations, working overtime to meet an increase in demand, etc. Since we still highly rely on labour-centric production processes, they are key to smooth production and supply processes. Sustainability: The world is moving towards including “sustainability” in all spheres of life. E.g. There are several communities that produce living necessities and live isolated from the rest of the world. There have been several protests and movements against several industries to become more sustainable. Several factories have been trying to become fully solar-powered, have greener manufacturing processes, improve inventory management and cut wastage, use recycled material, etc. Emerging markets: Several developing nations have been striving to become more advanced by increasing their standardisation and production. They are rapidly increasing their per capita income due to high production levels and significant industrialisation.  Project recall: After launching a product, sometimes manufacturers detect defect(s) and would publicly make an announcement to all their customers to return the product. This does affect the reputation of the brand and they pay a price with a drop in overall sales at least temporarily until damage control is executed. Social media pressure: Today, most customers raise complaints on social media platforms when companies don’t respond effectively. On the same hand, some customers give positive feedback and voluntarily promote a certain product. Social media can work both ways; for or against the reputation of a product. Moreover, social media has become a primary source of advertisement today. Many brands have been creating interactive content making ads more engaging and interesting, this puts pressure on competitive brands to follow the trend. Competitive prices: Irrespective of overall costs incurred

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Is robust Supply chain important to an EMS provider?

The manufacturing industry partners with several companies when working on producing a product. It becomes tedious, and expensive and requires the management of too many resources for a manufacturing company to have all the departments in-house. Therefore to avoid managing a massive inventory and manpower, certain aspects of manufacturing are outsourced or as we like to say involving “partners” for manufacturing. These partners can be OEMs, CEMs, ECMs, ODMs, CMs and EMS. Here’s  How do you choose your service provider? Before we move to understand the relevance of EMS in manufacturing let’s take a look at other commonly used acronyms. Some terms used related to manufacturing are OEM, CEM, ECM, ODM, CM and EMS, each of which provide different services which at times are used interchangeably. However, at times, a combination of their services may also be used by manufacturers. In manufacturing, knowing which manufacturer to turn to depending on their speciality and your product is important. These providers can produce, manufacture, contract or source and procure specific components providing service and solutions for you to deliver your product. (i) Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEM) Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEM) produce certain or all components required for other companies to build their product and sell their finished items/goods to their customers. In other words, an OEM sells its parts/components to manufacturers who assemble them with several other parts/components to roll out a finished product. OEMs may focus on investing their time and resources on R&D and regularly work on innovating their products/components. OEM majorly focusses on B2B sales, although there has been a recent increase in customers building their own products(DIY  projects) and purchasing OEMs from distributors. The manufacturers also find it beneficial as the OEM usually provides warranty for the product and service is provided for a limited period of time. An OEM refers to components/parts made specifically for the original product (designed and developed for). On the other hand, the ‘aftermarket’ refers to the equipment made by some other company that a consumer may use as a replacement. (ii) CEM or Contract Electronics Manufacturer CEMs or Contract Electronics Manufacturers are companies that are outsourced by companies to make electronic products for them. The CEMs usually serve sectors like communication, medicine, defence, computer industries and transportation. They specialise in PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) and electro-mechanical services. They also provide design services to create electrical parts (they design, test and develop these parts)  used by OEMs and usually rebranded with the buyer’s logo. A CEM provides customers with the expertise in industry-standard, certifications required and regulations to be followed and uses advanced technologies. Thus, they would have an excellent and reliable supply chain to ensure a smooth flow in manufacturing. They are also known by another acronym which is ECM (Electronics Contract Manufacturing). (Iii)Contract Manufacturing(CM)​ CEMs or Contract Electronics Manufacturers are companies that are outsourced by companies to make electronic products for them. The CEMs usually serve sectors like communication, medicine, defence, computer industries and transportation. They specialise in PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) and electro-mechanical services. They also provide design services to create electrical parts (they design, test and develop these parts)  used by OEMs and usually rebranded with the buyer’s logo. A CEM provides customers with the expertise in industry-standard, certifications required and regulations to be followed and uses advanced technologies. Thus, they would have an excellent and reliable supply chain to ensure a smooth flow in manufacturing. They are also known by another acronym which is ECM (Electronics Contract Manufacturing). (iii)Original Design manufacturer(ODM) The manufacturer designs and produces products which are a part of a product or are rebranded and sold under another company’s name. Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) as the name suggests in actuality design, develop and own the IP (intellectual property) for the product which they can put out in the market, sell to a buyer(s) or as a white label product (a product sold under names of several buyers). Thus, the buyer usually chooses an ODM when they are looking for a finished product which is generic and not usually completely customised. The buyer looks for ‘private labelling’ where he chooses an existing product, might make a few changes and sell it under their brand name. (iii)Electronics manufacturing Service(EMS) OEMs or manufacturers often outsource a section or the entire process of procuring and/or manufacturing components (electronic components) required for the end product. Instead, they utilise their time and resources to focus on their core competencies such as research and developing their product and plan strategies for selling the product.  An EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Service) provider has a network of suppliers and vendors (or as we at Ark Circuitry call them as ‘partners’) who they have a longstanding relationship and thus are capable to procuring a wide range of products and since the partners understand the business, they would be able to cope with the peaks and troughs in demands. When this is possible it means that the EMS provider has an efficient and excellent supply chain. Why do OEMs choose EMS providers to procure all the necessary material on their behalf? Simple because it makes financial sense, i.e. the OEM doesn’t have to manage a procurement team as the EMS provider can carry out the operation at a much lesser cost. The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport UK (2019) defines ‘supply chain’ as: “Getting the Right product, in the Right quantity, in the Right condition, at the Right place, at the Right time, to the Right customer, at the Right price.” This definition is quite fitting for EMS providers. A good EMS provider will have the capability to provide manufacturers with a wide range of customised services that will deliver end-user solutions. Their services may include and not limited to (i) Electronic design & engineering (ii) Electronic assembly (iii) Electric manufacturing (iv) Electro-mechanical services, etc.  In order to be able to do so, the EMS provider must have excellent supply chain management, a network of suppliers and a well-experienced procurement team/member to be able to deliver

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Choosing the right test/inspection for a printed circuit board.

Why do PCB manufacturers encourage customers to opt for inspection or to run tests on the PCB? Is it really necessary? How do you avoid the hassle of reworking your product? What are the different tests available? Read this post for information.  Why is an inspection/test required? Before the device or system leaves the manufacturing unit a thorough inspection of the PCB mitigates problems in a  manufactured product. This helps companies cut down expenses and valuable resources.  Sometimes even as simple as solder flux can interfere with the functionality of the PCB  and using a non-clean low-residue solder paste is suggested. What are the different tests available? There are 3 widely used tests to check the functionality, durability and accuracy of the system : automated optical inspection, X-ray Inspection and burn-in test.   Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) The AOI uses cameras to capture pictures of the PCB and then compares them with detailed schematics to check errors. when capturing pictures, light is focused from different angles on the board. The images are put together to create a full profile of the board. This system helps in the early detection of nodules, scratches on the board, incomplete or thinning solder, open circuits, missing components and short circuits.  Relying on cameras, the AOI is limited to what is visually detected and is unable to inspect hidden connections, especially in multi-layer boards. Moreover, as external light is used, there could be errors during inspection due to the emerging shadows. Hence, depending on the complexity of the board manufacturers use a combination of inspections to ascertain faults or errors in a board. X-ray Inspection (AXI) For boards that are tightly packed with several components (especially small ones) and for multi-layer boards, AOI inspection might not be a suitable test. AOI only detects errors visually from the surface in comparison to X-ray inspection which provides better clarity and inspects the PCB in detail.  Besides, X-ray passes directly through objects and does not need external light as required in AOI. Furthermore, it helps detect issues by examining the board thoroughly as it goes beyond just the surface.  However, this method also has its limitations. The process is extremely time-consuming and setting up an X-ray inspection system is expensive. AXI requires an experienced operator to use the machine which is also an added expense. This leads to exploring the third option, the burn-in test.  Burn-in Test A burn-in test can enable the early detection of potential problems and helps keep the cost of testing and replacing parts at the lowest. In electronic devices, a burn-in test can determine the maximum temperature it can sustain. A burn-in may also be a part of routine maintenance or repair. The malfunction might not be straightforward until the hardware is warmed/cooled to a certain temperature or checked for humidity as a factor. Tests under these various environmental parameters could aid in diagnosing the problem and fixing it. The burn-in test can be performed for an entire system or individual components. The system is operated for extended hours or extreme working conditions to check its functionality and reliability. Running a quick burn-in test to check the PCBs Identifying defects at an early stage of the manufacturing process is the most practical way of reducing costs and allows errors to be rectified.  At Ark Circuitry we use high-quality components to ensure the proper functioning of a PCB. We also encourage customers to opt for testing as it is not only important to check the functionality of the product but also to avoid danger when used in highly sensitive applications. Ark Circuitry Ventures Is An EMS Provider And Specialise In Providing End-To-End Services That Can Be Tailor-Made To Meet Your Requirements.  Let’s talk for more information.  Call us on: +91 91764 18660 Mails us at: arkcircuitry@gmail.com Visit us at: https://arkcircuits.com/ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram Recent Blogs Choosing the right test/inspection for a printed circuit board. Suneyna S JoJo November 4, 2022 Why do PCB manufacturers encourage customers to opt for inspection or to run tests on the PCB? Is it … Read More The process of a small run SMT Production Suneyna S JoJo October 27, 2022 Ever wondered what makes it important for your electronics to work efficiently apart from its … Read More

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