In popular media, manufacturing often gets the short stick regarding inventions. How many stories have you seen where the genius idea becomes reality without so much as a montage? Now there’s certainly an egalitarian nature to an idea – anyone can have one after all – and some of the most engrossing stories are framed around an average person with that one-in-a-million proposal.
Designers looking for manufacturers with a quality management system (QMS) fit for aerospace manufacturing need look no further than AS9100. AS9100 broadly acts as an extension of ISO 9001; whereas ISO 9001 offers a general approach to QMS, AS9100 layers additional requirements unique to the aerospace industry. By definition, all AS9100 manufacturing fits the requirements…
PCB ECAD software is highly intelligent and customizable to meet the needs of modern electronic design and manufacturing. Perhaps the most helpful tool for designers is the robust electronic rule checks that actively determine whether users are violating the predefined parameters for manufacturability; instead of waiting for a design review or feedback from the manufacturer,…
The dielectric constant of materials has taken on an increasingly larger role in manufacturing, with tighter tolerances on controlled impedance transmission lines and greater losses at high-speed rise/fall times. While the dielectric constant is a material property, fabrication methods and the shape of laminates, sub-products, and other board materials can lead to a significant deviation…
Manufacturers require accurate documentation from the design team to translate the manufacturing files into the expected board dimensions, performance, and other critical characteristics. These files correspond to individual steps in the manufacturing process, like the XY-data for pick-and-place assembly, Gerber/ODB++ for etch-resist photoimaging, and the PCB drill chart for drill hit location. The placement of…
Embarking on production can become a harrowing ordeal for design teams unfamiliar with production quality or those previously burned by manufacturers without the necessary protocols. When time-to-market deadlines are tight, there can be significant pressure to find a manufacturer who meets cost, lot size, and production capabilities; however, all these factors are for naught if…
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