PCB Archives - Means Engineering, Inc.

Understanding In-Circuit Testing

March 27, 2020 By meiadmin

Electronics manufacturers must take necessary precautions to ensure nothing goes wrong with finished products. This is especially important for manufacturers creating devices for the medical, aerospace, and defense industries. Even devices made for other industries require careful assembly if manufacturers wish to avoid costly rebuilds, repairs, and recalls.

In order to ensure proper operation of all parts and components, electronics manufacturers must continuously test throughout production. Using a wide range of tests at different parts of the process helps ensure the quality and reliability of all finished products.

One of the most commonly used tests, in-circuit testing (ICT), helps ensure contract manufacturers and OEMs consistently meet defined parameters during production. ICT provides valuable information about problems with the board. This can prove extremely beneficial as most issues with electronic devices occur because of short circuits, wrong components, and open circuits on the board.

How it Works

ICT relies on a special test fixture, commonly referred to as “bed of nails” because it contains multiple contact pins. The contact pins come in contact with circuit nodes on the printed circuit board (PCB) to measure performance of the components. ICT allows contract manufacturers to measure various parameters including resistance, capacitance, and the operation of analog components. ICT is also sometimes used to measure functionality of digital circuits. However, full testing of circuit functionality isn’t usually feasible due to circuit complexity.

Benefits of ICT

When performed correctly, ICT can catch around 98% of faults with the board. Test results provided by ICT are easy to interpret. This makes it possible for manufacturers of all skillsets to locate problems quickly. Programming an in circuit tester is extremely easy. Electronics manufacturers can use information provided in the PCB layout to generate most of the program.

Disadvantages of ICT

Although ICT remains one of the most popular printed circuit board testing methods, it’s not without its disadvantages. As the size of components shrink, it’s becoming more difficult for manufacturers to gain access to all nodes on the board. This can lead to unreliable test results.

Contract manufacturers and OEMs must rely on a number of different testing methods to ensure the quality of finished products. This is especially important for those responsible for the creation of potentially life-saving products. Although ICT provides an effecting method for testing PCBs, it’s important that electronics manufacturers use additional tests to determine the quality and reliability of circuit boards.

How Do Printed Circuit Boards Work?

July 21, 2017 By meiadmin

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.

IPC Standards and Their Role in PCB Manufacturing

July 7, 2017 By meiadmin

IPC Standards and Their Role in PCB Manufacturing

Strict quality control is extremely important to the manufacture and design of printed circuit boards. Any defect can negatively affect the operation and reliability of the PCB. Since PCBs are typically produced in bulk, just one defect has the potential to render dozens of PCBs ineffective.

PCBs and Modern Technology

Thanks to technological advances, PCBs are able to perform more functions than ever before. These important electronic components can be designed and produced inexpensively, making it possible for manufacturers to install complex electronic components inside affordable household devices.

Printed circuit boards are used in almost every modern day electronic. The quality of the PCB has a significant impact on how these electronic devices perform. This is why it’s crucial that every PCB meets or exceeds industry standards.

PCB Failure Could Have Devastating Results

The function and reliability of PCBs is crucial to the overall success of the final product. There are a number of situations where PCB failure could be devastating. Apart from being more costly, faults in the design and manufacture of PCBs could result in system failure, compensation claims or worse. It’s extremely important that steps are taken to avoid defects during the PCB’s design and manufacturing process.

IPC Standards

The Institute for Printed Circuit Boards (IPC) is the global trade association for the electronics industry. In order to ensure the consistent quality of electronic devices, the IPC has set certain standards for the design and manufacture of all printed circuit boards as well as other electronics components.

Means Engineering Inc. strives to meet or exceed IPC standards for PCB design and manufacture. This ensures high quality products that perform exactly as they should time and time again.

Cleanroom Assembly

PCBs contain delicate parts that are easily damaged by contamination. Even microscopic particles can cause a big problem. Means Engineering Inc. follows strict cleanliness procedures to ensure the most reliable products.

When high quality PCBs are assembled in a cleanroom environment, this effectively mitigates the chance of contamination. Our high quality products exceed the cleanliness requirements set by the IPC.

What is Contract Manufacturing?

June 16, 2017 By meiadmin

What is Contract Manufacturing?

Many companies require help to manufacture their products. These companies often enlist the assistance of a contract manufacturer. A contract manufacturer builds and distributes products under the label or brand of the company that hires them. Contract manufacturing is sometimes referred to as private label manufacturing.

Benefits of Contract Manufacturing

Contract manufacturing has many benefits. It frees up time so that companies are able to focus on other aspects of their business. It also allows them to expand into new markets. Companies that use contract manufacturers save money in two ways. Since contract manufacturers work with multiple companies, they are able to procure parts at a fraction of the cost. When companies use contract manufacturers, they do not need to have products produced in-house. This helps them save on wages, training as well as the facility and equipment necessary to manufacture their products.

When demand for a specific product is high, contract manufacturing can be used to meet that demand. By using a contract manufacturer to meet short-term demand, companies are able to avoid the additional costs involved with increased production. Contract manufacturing can also be used to test a product before it goes to market.

Contract manufacturing is useful in a number of industries. It is commonly used in the aerospace, defense, semiconductor and pharmaceutical markets. Contract manufacturing can be used to manufacture a variety of products or their components.

Choosing a Contract Manufacturer

The quality of a product says a lot about a business. This is why it’s extremely important to select a contract manufacturer with the skills and experience necessary to fulfill your arrangement. The contract manufacturer you use should have the capabilities to complete your request in a timely and cost-effective manner. They should have access to the equipment and the technology necessary to produce a wide variety of products.

Contract Manufacturer in Carlsbad, CA

Means Engineering, Inc. offers contract manufacturing for a variety of industries. Our superior quality control measures ensure high quality products and consistent results. Our experienced team has many years of experience designing and producing. We work directly with our clients from concept to completion.

Reducing the Costs of PCB Design

April 21, 2017 By meiadmin

Reducing the Costs of PCB Design

The quality of your Printed Circuit Board matters to the overall success of your project. However, high quality design can be costly. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to keep costs low without sacrificing the quality of your PCB design.

Use Premade Design Specifications

When designing PC Boards, it’s important to think through the entire process to determine how much time, effort and money your design will take to manufacture. If you find a problem with your PCB design, you can look to see if anyone else has come across the same issue and figure out how they solved it. This can save a considerable amount of time and money over having to start again from scratch. Another benefit of using premade design specifications is that they can be automated in assembly instead of being placed and soldered by hand, which can cost quite a bit more.

Panelize

Panelization places multiple PCBs on a single panel, allowing for bulk manufacturing and quicker processing. Panelization also ensures that boards are secured throughout manufacturing, shipping and assembly. Since PCBs are generally priced per panel, you can save a lot of money by fabricating multiples on a single panel.

Get an Outside Opinion

Having someone else take a look at your project can help you catch errors that you might have missed. There’s nothing more costly or time-consuming than discovering a problem too late. Get an outside opinion from someone that you trust that isn’t part of your team.

Use the Same Company for Prototyping and Production

It’s a smart idea to use the same assembly house for both your prototyping and production of your PC Boards. Doing so makes it possible to begin mass production as soon as possible.

The material costs for PCBs are fairly low. Most of the assembly costs come from the time it takes to figure out how to assemble a brand new PCB. If your assembly house has already put together your prototype, they will be comfortable with its assembly, saving you time and money.

Get Your Manufacturer Involved in the Design Process

Your manufacturer can provide you with valuable insight for your PCB design. When involved in the process, they can make suggestions for solving issues and point out problems that you might have missed.

Means Engineering, Inc. can help you with PCB design, prototyping and assembly. We work directly with our clients, from concept to completion. Please contact us for details.