Not all electronics projects are created equal. Neither should the assembly. Luckily, you have options. A box build is a fairly recent development in electronics manufacturing. For complete systems integration, a box build may be the right option for your next project.
When you are looking to partner up with an electronics manufacturer, you need more than someone to simply do a production run. You need someone you can trust to offer customized solutions to create a successful product. A production partner should be someone you can count on to be as dedicated to your assembly and manufacturing as you are. You and your CM must operate as a team. With that in mind, there are some characteristics you can count on to let you know if an electronics manufacturer is worthy of being considered as your project partner.
You’re a chemical engineering or mechanical engineering firm and are tasked with creating the next big medical device. You’re already working on the design and interface, but there are electronics inside your design. Maybe you dabble. Maybe you know a guy. Maybe you took a few classes in school. But is that the knowledge you can trust to develop what could become the next big medical device breakthrough?
It is hard to trust just anyone with a project you and your team have spent countless hours designing and developing. But outsourcing your electronic manufacturing could be a major advantage for your engineering firm. Here is one way to look at it. You wouldn't trust a dentist to diagnose you with a heart valve problem, right? A dentist and a cardiologist are both doctors. But they focus on different specialties. Electronic manufacturing should work the same way. Partnering with a great ECM allows you to focus on developing products. Let the ECM focus on production. And manufacturing is not just about keeping the line moving. There are a lot of reasons your engineering firm needs electronic manufacturing.
Prototyping is an important stage of PCB electronics design. Why leave it to chance? Your staff already has enough to do. They do not need to take on duties typically handled by an electronic engineer. Your product deserves better, too. Don't just dabble in prototyping. Retain the services on an ECM who has an engineering staff to support you and your product.
The world of electronics, prototyping and manufacturing can be a complicated place. Some companies choose to have one ECM do a prototype and another do the production run. While some believe this is a smart move, there are many benefits associated with hiring a company that does everything under one roof. It is possible to save significant money and time by starting with an ECM who does prototypes in house and can also handle your production run. After all, you already trust their prototyping skills; why not also trust their assembly?
Prototyping is an important stage of product development. This useable representation of your design allows you to understand your product. The working model allows you to test various design features, verify design functionality and identify issues as early as possible within the development stage. Prototyping is often well worth the time, effort, and investment. If done well, the prototyping process will allow the design to be completely optimized before full production occurs. This will not only save you time and money, but guarantee you will deliver a dynamite product.
Labor cost can add up to the biggest part of your PCBA manufacturing budget. So how do you cut costs without sacrificing the quality of your project? It is actually easier than it seems. It all starts with finding the right electronic contract manufacturer to partner with in order to create your printed circuit boards on a budget.
PCBs can get lost in translation between the designer and the manufacturer. What may look like an amazing design on paper may be difficult, costly, or even impossible to actually make. It’s important that your design for manufacturing analysis (DFM) is taken into consideration.
You and your team work hard to bring a product to market. However, overlooking one tiny detail can mean the difference between a printed circuit board’s success and sending your PCB back to the drawing board. A Design for Manufacturability (DFM) analysis will take the worry out of the process. Performing DFM before production starts is proven to save time and money by making sure your design meets the requirements of manufacturing processes to actually produce the PCB.
Industry demand has kept most medical device manufacturers engaged in a constant battle to stay on top of the growing medical device manufacturing market.
However, the industry is splitting.
Your legacy product has served you well. But is it time for an update? Bringing your legacy assembly up to speed with current and future technology doesn't mean going back to the drawing board. When the designs are no longer available, reverse engineering might be the solution you’re looking for. With reverse engineering you can have your ECM figure out exactly how your legacy components work and start looking for ways to update that technology for the future.
