PCB design Archives - Means Engineering, Inc.

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.

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.

The Right Electronics Manufacturer Could Mean the Difference Between Ordinary and Extraordinary

April 14, 2017 By meiadmin

The Right Electronics Manufacturer Could Mean the Difference Between Ordinary and Extraordinary

There are many factors to consider when choosing an electronics manufacturer. Key features can mean the difference between ordinary and extraordinary. A little knowledge can go a long way towards finding a manufacturing company that best suits your business’ individual needs.

Choosing the Right Electronics Manufacturing Company

Not all electronics manufacturers are created equal. Finding the company that best suits your business requires a practical approach. To find the right fit you will need to take a few things into consideration such as the size of the company in relation to yours, the complexity of the products they produce, the volumes they build and the types of accounts they work with.

Your chosen company should be one that has a well-managed supply chain, the proper equipment and experience to build, configure and test your products, and the capabilities to work with you to deliver what you want, exactly when and how you want it.

Quality Control

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing a manufacturing company is the quality control procedures the company has in place. The company should be able to communicate issues before and during the manufacturing process. This can save your company a considerable amount of time and money.

Customer Service

Equally important to quality control is the relationship that you have with the manufacturer. This should be someone that you feel comfortable leaving your project with. You will also want to figure out who your point of contact will be at the manufacturing company. This is the person you will be expressing your company’s needs and concerns to.

Communication is extremely important during the manufacturing process. Make sure that you can freely communicate with the company that you are working with. Companies located in the U.S. are easier to communicate with than companies based overseas.

High Quality Electronics Manufacturing in Southern California

Means Engineering Inc. provides electronics manufacturing services for a variety of industries. We work directly with our clients to create solutions to a number of problems. Our team strives to provide clear communication and top quality customer service.

Please contact us to find out how we can help your business with its electronics manufacturing needs.