It is sometimes said that PCB design is 90% placement and 10% routing. That may be the case, but both beginners and experienced designers can get caught off guard by simple oversight. It doesn't take much to turn a successful design of a printed circuit board into a high-tech disaster. It is best to know what to watch out for in order to avoid potential problems. Here are some tips to help you avoid function and reliability problems in your PCB design.
Have you ever thought of a product redesign as a cost-saving process? Typically, we think of redesign as a way to fix a problem or improve a product’s functionality. With rapid advancements in technology and manufacturing processes, a redesign can also mean cost savings.
Obtaining a quote from your electronic contract manufacturer (ECM) for printed circuit board assembly sounds simple. But don't let that impression fool you. Your quote is, perhaps, the most important factors in your PCB assembly project's success or failure.
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are right in the center of the rapidly growing and changing world of electronics. The push for faster, lighter, and more robust electronics products has given birth to multiple ways to use PCBs in order to meet those demands. One way that printed circuit boards have been shown to help increase these capabilities is by use of the multi-layer printed circuit board.
Flexible electronics. A generation ago, we thought that a flexible electronic meant you could hoist your boombox up on your shoulder and carry it around. Although this idea of flexibility produced the iconic look of the 1980s, it comes nowhere near what modern flexible electronics can do.
It’s that time of year when there just might be a clown or a fright around every corner. But don’t let that stop you from hiring a quality electronic contract manufacturer.
With the recent changes to ISO 9001, AS9100 standard has also evolved to reflect those changes. AS9100 is the international quality management system specifically for the aerospace industry.
Design for Manufacturing or DFM is a process that aims to make parts, components, and products less expensive by easing their manufacturability. It’s how you avoid getting a very pretty part that cannot function properly. It’s how you avoid manufacturing an outdoor part for your Northern Michigan operation that cannot operate in freezing temperatures. It’s how you avoid a lot of avoidable headaches.
Even with the best designs, supply chain management, and manufacturing standards, mistakes sometimes happen. You don’t go into a project anticipating problems, but good project management means considering what might happen if your product has errors. You’ll want to know ahead of time how your electronics manufacturing service will handle troubleshooting and repair for your electronics manufacturing.
Prior to 2006, most of the metallic components in electronic devices were created using tin or lead solder. These materials were reliable, easy to observe and understand and readily available. Assemblies were designed specifically for use with tin/lead solder, including the temperatures required to work with these materials.
If you have held a TV remote control in your hand, punched a button on a microwave or adjusted a digital thermostat, you have interacted with surface mount technology, or SMT. Since the 1980s, nearly all mass-produced electronics are now manufactured using SMT.
When you hear the term “PCB,” what do you think of? Most people probably imagine a rigid PCB (printed circuit board) with traditional copper pads and wiring harnesses. More and more, however, PCB can also refer to a flexible PCB, also known as a flexible printed circuit board. With the growth in small electronics, the possibilities for shaping, twisting, and folding a flexible PCB have increased its popularity.
