Reliability
Quality
QUALITY
Electronics Manufacturing Trends
Electronics Manufacturing Trends
Changes in technology and the way in which people use electronics continue to drive change in electronics manufacturing. Demand for high quality and less expensive options is encouraging manufacturers to develop new practices and improve their manufacturing operations. Many of the trends in the manufacturing industry are focused on reducing costs and improving quality.
Green Technology
More and more organizations are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. As such, electronics manufacturers continue to search for ways to make electronics more environmentally friendly.
E-waste can have a significant impact on our environment. Electronics manufacturers are working towards developing greener electronics that have longer lifecycles and utilize more recycled plastics.
Changes in Medical Electronics
Global demand for medical equipment and devices is growing at an alarming rate. With this growth comes the need for increased quality control and assurance of medical electronic devices. Few devices can impact the lives of humans as much as those used in the medical industry. Quality and reliability is extremely important.
Many changes are taking place in medical electronics manufacturing. New materials are being used, power density is increasing and changes are being made to the way in which information is managed. Quality control in medical manufacturing is more important than ever before. Means Engineering Inc. has full ISO 13485 certification. This ensures that every medical device we deliver is high quality, safe, effective and reliable.
Evaporative Cooling
A lot of heat is generated during the manufacturing process. In order to keep costs down, many companies in the electronics manufacturing industry use evaporative cooling to reduce heat and control humidity. Evaporative cooling uses water to remove heat from the air. Very little energy is required to run the cooler.
Flexible Hybrid Electronics
New technologies emerge all the time. One of the most popular new technologies is flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). Flexible hybrid electronics combine elements of the electronics industry with high precision printing. Hybrid electronics are lighter and more flexible than any other type of electronics component. This makes it possible to incorporate electronics into clothing and other highly flexible products. This technology is dramatically changing the way in which electronics are being used.
How Do Printed Circuit Boards Work?
How Do Printed Circuit Boards Work?
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are used to support and wire the components in many electronic devices. In fact, almost every electronic device available today contains at least one PCB. While many simple electronic devices use single layer PCBs, the PCBs in complex devices may have as many as twelve layers. PCBs provide electricity and connectivity to the parts of an electronic device.
How PCBs Are Made
PCBs are made by mounting components on a non-conductive board. These components are connected by small pathways called traces. In addition to the traces, PCBs have several small holes. These holes allow components to sit flush with the surface of the board.
When creating PCBs, electronic engineers must fit several components on a very small space. Components added to printed circuit boards may include microchips, diodes, registers and switches. The traces connect each of the components and provide them with electricity. These connections are crucial to the proper operation of electronic devices. This is why printed circuit boards are so important to electronic engineering.
The bottom layer of a PCB is non-conductive. The top layer is made from a sheet of metal. The metal layer is printed with etch-resistant ink. It is then etched with special chemicals that remove all but the printed design. The components are then connected through soldering. Thousands of printed circuit boards can be printed at one time.
PCB Design
PCBs are typically designed on a computer. This allows electronic engineers to thoroughly test the PCB before it is produced. It also allows for the ideal arrangement of the parts. After design, the printed circuit board can be printed. PCBs are typically designed with a Computer Aided Design or CAD program. CAD software has replaced the need for manual drafting, which is often inefficient.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 6
- Next Page »
