3D AOI (Automatic Optical Inspection)
Automatic optical inspection is used in modern electronics manufacturing as an established means of quality control. AOI uses vertical and horizontal cameras to inspect the whole board and identify if any components are skewed or flipped.
3D Solder Paste inspection
Laser-based 3D Solder paste inspection systems offer a further level of quality inspection compared with 3D AOI by identifying if uneven or excessive solder is present on a board. Such systems can be used to ensure that solder paste is accurate, which is critical to the functionality of the PCB.
ATEX Certification
ATEX is an abbreviation from the French, ATmosphère Explosible (or explosive atmospheres). This term is used in the EU ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU), and is given to devices that have undergone rigorous testing for hazardous environments including those used in explosive atmospheres to regulate their use. ATEX certification is given to equipment that has successfully completed this compliance testing, in other words, equipment that has been proved safe to use in specific environments with explosive atmospheres, according to the zone/s they are certified to be used in.
The European Union has mandated that ATEX compliance is required for instruments being used in potentially explosive atmospheres in order to keep workers safe. Non-ATEX/IECEx devices used in hazardous areas could be an ignition source.
Products that have received ATEX certification will have the official “Ex” badge, indicating they are safe in explosive atmospheres. Contract Production limited can facilitate this ATEX testing and certification for our customers.
Box Build
In electronics manufacturing, box build assembly is the process of assembling printed circuit boards (PCBs), wiring, cables, and connectors into a product enclosure to create an entire working electronic product or device ready for distribution to customers.
CEM
A Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) is a business that provides a specialist outsourced electronics manufacturing service to its customers. Such specialist services can include PCB assembly, custom engineering, box build, prototyping and testing.
Contract Production is a CEM that partners with our customers to provide either a full service electronics manufacture, or if required specific services.
(Compare with OEM)
Cleanrooms
In electronics' manufacturing, cleanrooms are used to assemble circuit board components in a sterile environment designed to comply with strict standards. This prevents damage and ensures components optimal performance.
EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services)
EMS is a term to describe the overall electronic manufacturing industry. It also refers to a specific subcontractor or company. EMS is often used interchangeably with the more generic term ‘contract manufacturing’. EMS companies provide a wide range of electronics manufacturing outsourcing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), allowing them to improve operational efficiencies and focus on their core activities such as R&D.
New Product Introduction (NPI)
NPI is the process of defining, developing, and launching a new or upgraded product. A key component of the success of this approach is working with an electronics contract manufacturer (ECM) who can build an initial functional prototype, and then work with product design engineers to test and refine these prototypes until the final product is perfected. NPI can be an expensive and time-consuming process for any organisation or OEM so it’s vital to find an ECM early on in their new product development that works as a partner with them to get a high-quality product to market faster.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
An OEM is a company that produces parts and equipment sold to another company to be used as part of their own product. OEMs typically only manufacture the parts that make up the final product, while CEMs often provide more comprehensive services such as assembly, testing, sourcing, and packaging. Both OEM and CEM companies are involved in the manufacturing process, but their most significant differences lie in their customer base and the type of services they offer.
(Compare with CEM)
Printed Circuit Assembly (PCA)
The term“PCB” is commonly used both for bare and assembled boards, however more accurately, once a PCB is “assembled” with its electronic components it should be called a printed circuit assembly (PCA), printed circuit board assembly or PCB Assembly (PCBA).
(See also PCB)
Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)
A printed circuit board (PCB) is the bare board used to mount electrical components onto and to one another to complete a circuit. The board is a laminated sandwich of conductive and insulating layers. The conductive layer is copper and is etched with the layout data for the design so the components are mounted in the correct places. PCBs allow for the fully automated assembly processes that all but the simplest commercially produced devices now require.
(See also PCA)
Product Build
Product build in electronics manufacturing is the completion of production of the number of units specified in a customers’ purchase order. Essentially, it’s completing an order through mass production until the order is complete.
(compare with Prototyping)
Prototyping
Electronics prototyping takes a theoretical design to verify that a circuit board works. As this is most often a one-off circuit board production it is made using techniques such as wire wrapping rather than any automated SMT lines. Once a prototype is built it is tested, if the design has errors, then this prototype also allows for debugging and design improvements before full production.
(compare with Product Build)
Selective Soldering
When Selective Soldering is used, selected or specific components are soldered to precise areas of a PCB. During this precision process, material such as flux and solder are only applied to the areas of the board that require it, limiting the exposure of the board and reducing the risks of overheating. A PCB image is produced to identify these specific areas; a preheat stage occurs next to raise the temperature of the board so that once solder is introduced, flow occurs and joints can be set.
(Compare with Wave Soldering)
Surface mount technology
Surface-mount technology (SMT), is a method of mounting electrical components directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB). An electrical component mounted in this manner is referred to as a surface-mount device (SMD). SMT allows for increased manufacturing automation, in turn reducing production costs and improving quality, it has therefore largely replaced the through-hole technology construction method of fitting components. SMT also allows more components to fit on a given area of substrate. Both SMT and through-hole technologies can be used on the same board; an SMT component is usually smaller than its through-hole counterpart because it has either smaller leads or no leads at all. It may have short pins or leads of various styles, flat contacts, a matrix of solder balls (BGAs), or terminations on the body of the component.
An SMT component is usually smaller than its through-hole counterpart because it has either smaller leads or no leads at all. It may have short pins or leads of various styles, flat contacts, a matrix of solder balls (BGAs), or terminations on the body of the component.
(compare with Through-hole assembly)
SMT Lines
There are several different types of Surface Mount Technology (SMT) production lines. They are designed to optimise different assembly parameters and processes depending on the products under manufacture.
Through-hole pcb assembly
Through-hole technology is a way of manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs) where the components are inserted through holes drilled in PCBs and soldered to pads on the opposite side, either by manual assembly (hand placement) or by the use of automated insertion mount machines (sometimes known as 'pick and place' machines).
Both SMT and through-hole technologies can be used on the same board, with the through-hole technology often used for components not suitable for surface mounting such as large transformers and heat-sinked power semiconductors.
(Compare with SMT)
Vapour phase soldering
Vapour phase soldering is a term used to describe the process for immersing the electronics to be soldered in hot vapour, thereby melting the solder. Vapour phase can offer improved and more consistent soldering compared with reflow ovens, This is due to better heat transfer and reduced risk of overheating of components.
Wave Soldering
In wave soldering, the entire board is swept over a wave of molten solder. This process is viewed as less precise than Selective Soldering.
(compare with Selective soldering)
Wire bonding
Wire bonding is an alternative to traditional soldering technologies. Wire bonding uses specialised machinery to apply controlled heat, pressure and ultrasonics, whereas traditional soldering is done manually or with soldering machines that melt the wire.