My entire career has centered around relationships—understanding people’s needs and finding ways to fulfill them. Rapid prototype development is inherently people-centric due to the constant and fast-paced changes requiring direct communication.

 

 However, the emergence of internet-based fabrication and assembly companies in recent years has introduced a potential pitfall. Ordering online, without any direct communication, might seem efficient for quick prototypes. Yet, the story often takes a different turn. After placing an order, you may experience design changes without a chance to discuss them, leading to receiving a product that doesn’t match the evolving specifications.

 

 Sometimes, the final product arrives with missing parts and discrepancies due to pad/package size incompatibilities. Such a scenario necessitates extensive rework, adding stress and causing project delays. This situation argues strongly for establishing relationships with companies specializing in proof of concepts and prototypes. Such firms have account managers for communication and dedicated documentation departments for thorough reviews, ensuring changes during fabrication and assembly are smoothly managed. This approach prevents engineers from getting involved in rework tasks, allowing them to focus on debugging designs while leaving the assembly to skilled assemblers.

 

 While it might seem convenient to order through a website, the long-term benefits of having a relationship with a reliable assembler, fostering effective communication, and ensuring a smoother process outweigh the initial ease of online ordering.

You wake up with the sun, and the air is warm, a perfect day for a walk at the nearest trail. Upon arrival, a map shows the different paths and offers guidance and direction.

Staying in the right direction when setting up documentation for a new project reduces the back and forth with your contract manufacturer. The most common questions we see regard polarity and non-populated items.

 

How does your contract manufacturer decipher the diode & LED orientation? Only with your input. Ensure they have a check process in place, as different engineers indicate cathode/anode differently. Use a MAP KEY to tell them what your polarity markings (lines, bars, dots, chamfers, etc.) indicate. The best way to avoid confusion with your contract manufacturer is to use cathode/anode symbols, Ks, Cs, or As on drawings and/or silkscreen markings or include a note on your assembly drawing of what the polarity markings indicate.

 

As your project progresses, a snag may occur when parts are on the board but not on the BOM. Sometimes these are not populated and have been intentionally left off the BOM. To set everyone up for success, make sure you have a Trail MAP. We have often found that parts were accidentally omitted and needed to be populated. The best way to avoid this would be by including the unpopulated locations in a non-pop list on the BOM or indicating them on the assembly drawing!

 

This information will reduce setbacks on your timelines and ensure that the information provided is executed the way you want. Please include this information in your next project and go ahead and navigate to success.

 

By: Samantha Quarantiello & Steve Pappalardo

Sure, when you talk to Program Managers, Account Managers, and Salespeople, they all have their own individual personalities. Some are type A, some type B, and you instinctively know how to speak with them. The question is, what is the personality of their company?

Is it to grow and be responsive (type A) or content and complacent (Type B). Sometimes it’s hard to know because the sales, program, and account managers do such a good job up front. But unbeknownst to you they may be fighting an uphill battle to get things done internally. Most times you won’t figure that out until something bad happens and the project is late.

If your project is a proof of concept, prototype, or first-time build, you absolutely need a type A company with type A employees. They must be responsive, and they must be able to deal with all disciplines internally with ease. Before you choose a CM, do yourself a favor and visit your contract manufacturer, get a tour of the manufacturing floor, and see what’s going on. Are they busy with their work and maybe not even noticing you walk by or are they paying more attention to you than what they are working on?

In a type A company, people are focused, account management is focused on you and your requirements, materials focused sourcing the components on your BOM and getting parts in as soon as possible, and manufacturing is focused on getting the process right, so the quality is perfect.

Make sure your contract manufacturer has the personality that fits your project.

Testimonial 1

“My name is Laurie, I’ve worked for a company that creates medical devices, I am the manager of the engineering services team. And one of my functions is to coordinate prototype builds, and some of our assemblies have BGA s on them, and QF ends and these are things that we can’t do at our facility, so we need IMS to come in and do those more intricate work on those type of components for us. So these are designed circuits that the engineers need to test. Quality is very important because we need to know that the circuit is on and working before it goes into the product. The people at IMS are just so easy to work with I can reach out to them, email or phone call and I get a response back that day, and sometimes much sooner –  within minutes sometimes.  There’s been other companies that have been dangled in front of me, and I turn them down because I only want to work with IMS because they’re just the most comfortable, convenient and helpful. I’m just very comfortable with the people there, and they just do the best work and the lead time is the best. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”

Testimonial 2

 “I’m the co-founder of VentriFlow, a company dedicated to improving the world of open heart surgery. The challenge for prototype sketches is you never have enough money, you never have enough time, you never have enough people. You know the four boards, very quickly. Some of them are pretty sophisticated, to get our system up and running. It is hard to move fast and precise at the same time. And that is something that we’ve now seen and benefit from the evidence that IMS is quite good at that. There’s a strong culture,  good culture from my perspective.  The sense of camaraderie and team oriented responsiveness – you can’t pull off the 200 things that have to happen in order to do a five day turn without that, and that was evident, and we are the beneficiaries of seeing that in practice. We asked a lot of IMS and IMS responded so we’re very pleased with that. We have big plans for the future so from a prototyping perspective. You’ll be top on the list for where we go in the future, for sure.”

The government is taking steps to support home-grown industry with incentives, according to this report:

“the Semiconductor Industry Association, the U.S. trade group, says government incentives will accelerate construction. The SIA calculates that a $20-billion incentive program over 10 years would yield 14 new fabs and attract $174 billion in investment versus 9 fabs and $69 billion without the federal incentives. A $50-billion program would yield 19 fabs and attract $279 billion.”

 

Exciting times in the PCBA industry!

What do you do, when your boss is all over you to get that new project released and when most likely you are already behind schedule…?

Synopsis: Most NPI Engineers need speed and the ability to work with a contract manufacturer, who understands how to make changes on the fly. This article provides some insights and examples of how to pull this off; all while, meeting the design needs, giving time to market, and hitting the required quality!

Development of any new electronics project can at times seem insurmountable, as there is a lot that must come together all at the same time.

Let’s start with the significance of getting those first few PCBAs in hand when the engineering is not always complete. After physically having those first units, comes the anticipation of being able to plug it in and turn it on. This is where you see if all those late nights, emails, and phone calls were worth it. It is truly a remarkable choreography of events when it works and even more so, when those first units meet your expectations.

So, how do you go out and get a quote? Well, as someone who has been in the electronics industry for nearly four decades, you cannot go to the production houses; those big guys who run volume – they are just not equipped to handle the POC (Proof of Concept) builds. Typically, in the EMS world, most contract manufacturers want the volume jobs so they can set this up for big runs once and push through the volume with little to no changes. The key is finding a smaller contract manufacturer who is more agile and specializes in small batch builds – this is the first and most important task when in the development phase.

When at the beginning of a product’s life cycle, you need small and agile – not big and cumbersome. You need someone who can handle working with complete and incomplete data and provide you with a quick price. You need to have an EMS partner that focuses on your needs. There are only a handful of companies such as Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions that are purposefully built to work in such a manner.

So here is what we do at IMS:

• Our team analyzes the data quickly within hours, not days.

• We provide feedback that will address any shortcomings. Think of this as added engineering support, that can provide you with critical input to problems or flaws in the design and/or component choice.

• We can chase down a PCB (printed Circuit Board) raw fab quote with maybe only a mechanical drawing or PDF (outline, layer configuration, via configuration, special materials).

 Consider this while keeping in mind, that a full set of Gerber files are not required to get a quote. So, by now you have certainly found the perfect contract manufacturer. I hope it is IMS and that you have received your quote.

What’s next? Can you move forward with a Purchase Order with a data package that is in flux or not complete? The answer is: yes you can!

The best recommendation I can give is to keep in mind the critical time-sensitive pieces of this puzzle that need to be managed. Typically, but not always, the raw PCB fab is the longest lead time item – this is assuming that there are no special components that have extraordinary lead times associated with them. If you have identified these specialties during the design phase, it is best to get them on the order or have at least obtained a few free samples from your supplier. This will help to cut lead time last, while also saving you money.

Don’t hesitate! Get the order placed for the PCB immediately. At IMS we have several options to cover this process from something we call, “quote to buy” to place the order and adjusting as you move along through the process.

So, let’s review the takeaways:

• Does the design need to be complete to get a quote? The answer is no, but you will need basic information such as: the PCB Fab drawing, Preliminary BOM, and assembly drawings. They can be pre-release, drafts, etc.…

• Find a reliable small-size EMS company such as IMS that has the process, experience, and equipment to build small batch rapid builds. Rely on someone who is willing to work with you as you develop the PCBA on the fly.

• Expect to have ongoing communication with your team and the supplier – many questions will fly back and forth. You can expect multiple calls and emails because your contract manufacturers become an extension of your company.

Do not over-engineer or specify in the early stages. Don’t pay for an expensive E-test at the PCB level, if the build is not leaving your engineering. These don’t require a conformal coat – remember these are POC and test units.

The final point to remember is that if your contract manufacturer is not set up for small-batch builds, then don’t try and force this upon them. Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions is a factory that is purposefully and specifically built to provide prototypes, rapid builds, and small batch needs. It is all we do, and we do it well. Consider IMS, as we are looking forward to helping you with your next design project.

 

Throughout the month of October, IMS has been celebrating its 15th anniversary! IMS was founded in 2005 by Bob Monaco and Ray Marshall, two veterans in the electronics industry in New England. Bob and Ray recognized the struggles that businesses often face in receiving high levels of customer service for their rapid prototype and low-volume PCBA needs, so they designed IMS specifically to service this niche. In doing so, they successfully filled a significant market need for high-quality, rapid prototype, and small lot printed circuit board assembly. Fast forward to 2020, and 10 members of the original IMS team are still here today, proudly, and passionately serving customer needs!

 

Over the years, IMS has been known for solving customer problems and doing what other EMS companies could never achieve. A great example of this occurred back in May at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. A leading ventilator manufacturer approached IMS with a major problem—they had a critical PCBA shortage with their existing supply chain (based in China), which resulted in a line down situation in their manufacturing plant. Unfortunately, this constraint delayed the delivery of critical, lifesaving machines to patients dealing with COVID-19 complications. IMS swung into action. Leveraging our proprietary, quick-turn PCBA model, we were able to source all the materials and assemble these printed circuit boards rapidly, hand delivering to the customer in less than 48 hours after order receipt. This quick execution enabled our customer to drastically reduce their line down time and expedite their delivery to hospitals, helping to save lives in the process. The IMS team thrives on making the impossible, possible.

 

The IMS management team has extensive experience in the EMS industry and has worked together for over 25 years. We understand and appreciate the design and manufacturing challenges your business faces, and we are ready and willing to help. The IMS culture is one of hard work, dedication, and persistence—we meet our deadlines, adhere to schedules, and recognize the importance of doing what we say. We hold your best interests at heart and are proud of the role we play in your success.

 

Despite the challenges of the Pandemic, IMS continues to thrive as the “Leader in Rapid Prototype and Small Lot PCBA Manufacturing.” We would like to thank all our team-members, customers, and suppliers who have helped enable our success over the past 15 years. IMS has a bright future ahead, and we look forward to many more years of Making the Impossible, Possible!

Everyone thinks all pizzas are the same and you just need to pick the toppings!

 

Nothing could be further from the truth: made from scratch and properly engineered is always the best!

 

Firstly, all dough is not the same. To me, the flour may be the most important ingredient; it is like picking the correct equipment for your manufacturing floor. You can use all-purpose flour for your dough and you can choose all-purpose SMT placement equipment (Juki, Fuji, Europlacer, Yamaha). Choosing the 00 flour, will give you a finer consistent light dough, just like how choosing Mycronic SMT equipment will give the ease of set-up and a finer placement consistency— necessary for a small build.

 

Next comes the process. You can use a general-purpose mixer and each dough ball will be the same. On the other hand, you can hand stretch (or manipulate) the dough to the perfect size that will fit your pan. Most rapid prototype suppliers have one process and they fit each project into it. The right supplier will know that each project and timeline are different, so while using the same recipe, they will personalize (or manipulate) each process to fit your request.

 

Everyone thinks quality is a given. Have you ever tried to make a red sauce and noticed that the slightest difference in ingredients can completely change the taste? Quality needs to be engineered into the process, otherwise you will have bland store-bought sauce. My mom carefully selects and measures every ingredient. The lesson here: never try and fit a one-time quick turn proto into a repeatable process, it just will not have the right flavor!

 

The toppings to consider here are: Did your supplier debug your documentation? Did they understand your delivery requests? Did they have a good sense of urgency and keep the communication crisp and fresh? How did you sleep during the project? I like my pizza with simple toppings that provide a lot of good taste: sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil. There is nothing worse than expectations that are not understood or being met. Sometimes, the ingredients are good, but if the toppings are not fresh, you will lose the good taste you were counting on.

 

The bottom line is every assembly is different. Make sure your supplier is not just placing your proof of concept or proto into their standard process. If they’re not: choosing the right ingredients, carefully engineering each step, asking the right questions, adapting to your requests, and communicating with accuracy, you’re going to get a frozen pizza and not even a good Chianti is going to make it taste good!

 

by Steve Pappalardo, Sales Director at IMS

As someone who has been on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board, or Raw Circuit Card) side of things for most of my career, there has always been that underlying and unsaid feeling: that the assembly guys just don’t understand the complexities of raw card fabrication. I believe that some of us “board guys,” have always had the thought that the contract manufacturers tend to buy from the cheapest source, without consideration of capabilities.

 

Well, I am here to say: this is just simply not true!

 

Some would say that I have gone over to the dark side by joining the contract manufacturing world, but to be honest; it has been a great eye-opening experience for me to say the least. Yes, cost is always at play. Why else would we be in business, but setting cost aside? There are many other factors to consider when choosing (trusting) the PCB supply source. Some of these “other factors,” are: technology, lead-time, capabilities (not to be confused with technology), quality, financial stability, reputation, etc…

 

Since we all live in a world of “customer specific designs” the buildup of any raw card (PCB) can consist of anything from a simple through-hole multilayer – all the way up to complex Blind/Buried/Mixed Material HDI (High Density Interconnect). Not to mention, this includes also tossing in a Rigidflex construction and/or a Hybrid build such as cavities, coins, embedded passives, etc… Unfortunately, this is only one aspect for your contract manufacturer (CM) to consider. So how can we trust the contract manufacturer – after all, aren’t they the experts in the assembly side, not the PCB side?

 

As a Contract Manufacturer for example, we must consider whether a chosen supplier can meet, for example, lead-time. This is only one critical aspect for the success of the program/project. As we all know, the PCB / PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) tends to always be the last item to get purchased and therefore, the entire project inevitably rests on getting this part of the process done quickly.

 

Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions (IMS) works in a completely different realm of the build cycle world from the bigger mainstream guys, whereas we focus only on the “rapid prototype,” side of the business.

 

This means that IMS is always thinking “fast build.” We must therefore quote in hours, not days and we must purchase and build the full turnkey assembly within days, not weeks.

 

So, what does this mean for the PCB buy for IMS? It means our choices in supply source can be dramatically limited.

 

Thus, our decision as a contract manufacturer becomes a careful balance with our customers of:

 

How fast?

How much?

What is the technology level?

Who do we have that is capable?

 

The key word is capable! When you build your reputation on being on-time, 100% of the time – having a capable/reliable source is critical.

 

Knowing that “not all suppliers are the same,” is something that both the customer and supplier must be cognizant of during the decision process, which happens at the quoting phase. This choice may become a joint decision between the customer and CM or left solely upon the contract manufacturer. Some OEM/ODM may decide to make the decision of the PCB supplier before choosing a contract manufacturer. For a contract manufacturer, this can potentially create some issues, since there is no history with the potential supplier being presented. Point being, when choosing the right supply source for the PCB supply, be careful to not shove a supplier down on to the CM.

 

One of the most important items in the forefront from any contract manufacturers perspective, comes down to what type of build are we looking at. By this I mean: are the units being used for a bench top test/system check only, are they being used for NPI (New Product Introduction), are they actual qualification units required to lock down the process, or are they production units? Therefore, keeping this key factor (type of build) in mind; will help to guide not only choosing the right assembly house, but it also will dictate the cost/time factor to help the CM to choose the right supplier for the build.

 

So, lets circle back to my original question posed at the beginning; “Should you trust your Contract Manufacturer with the PCB Buy Decision?” I believe today’s answer unequivocally is, “Yes you should.”

 

However, I would add a few probing qualification questions to the process:

• How many suppliers does the contract manufacturer use (3, 5 or 10)?
• How long of a relationship do they have with each –
  • Can they document performance of each -?
• How many PO’s have been placed & what is the acceptance level?
• What value does each supplier bring to the process – is it speed, cost, mil-std-requirements, technology, capabilities etc.…

So, to conclude, I am not telling you to micromanage your contract manufacturing companies, nor am I telling you to dictate who they use.

 

Just be aware when you go into this process with whomever you choose, this is not a one size fits all scenario.

 

Be aware of the company that promises it all, from proto levels to high volumes. Prototype & volume are not the same factories; they vary greatly. Think Cruise Ship and Speed Boat.

 

Trust your supplier but keep your eyes open and make sure things are transparent. Trust is built through time and performance.

 

At Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions, being a Rapid Prototype Focused Facility; IMS places 1000’s of PO’s and buys more than $1 million UDS in raw cards. We do this with only a few key suppliers based on the cost/time factor, technology level and capabilities. We have a very good success rate with those that we use and have built trust in…