Features Articles
Calculating costs to move physical gear is much simpler than predicting inefficiencies of new locales.
As I write this, a trade deal with China that will eliminate the tariffs appears to be in development, but China is continuing to talk tough.
Imaged solder mask is preferred to filled vias to reduce voids and volatiles.
The QFN examples in FIGURE 1 compare soldering with and without through vias in the center pads. The difference is the correct paste stencil design and the use of solder mask around the vias. This prevents solder lost to the vias and has been shown to reduce void formation during reflow with convection and vapor phase soldering without the need for a vacuum.
Warm market winds continue to lift the SMT market, based on the activity at the annual SMTA trade show.
“A healthy supply chain is the backbone of our business. We’ll pay you in 90 days.”
This is about doing the right thing.
Doing the right thing involves admitting the right thing can be an elastic term. It depends who defines rightness. And who is most qualified to make, and enforce, that definition.
It does not follow what is right for you is necessarily right for me. Nevertheless, organizations whose business it is to codify things try to freeze ethics in amber.
Case in point: Section 7.3h of the AS9100D Standard states that in a manufacturing organization, “The organization shall ensure that persons doing work under the organization’s control are aware of … the importance of ethical behavior.”
Eliminate variation that causes inefficiency or defects, while maintaining flexibility to scale.
A configure-to-order assembly process helps reduce finished goods inventory and enhance scheduling flexibility. However, it also introduces variation in the production process. Use of Lean manufacturing principles in designing production flow can ensure efficiency and minimize the defect opportunities this level of variation could otherwise create.
SigmaTron International’s facility in Acuna, Mexico, has a dedicated assembly and test “focused factory” area to provide configure-to-order (CTO) services for a manufacturer of industrial products. The customer has outsourced over 50 different product types that are a mix of legacy and current product.
Design for manufacturability (DfM) analysis is performed during the new product introduction (NPI) phase to identify potential issues prior to the product entering production. Test strategy and programming development is conducted for new products, and test programming is optimized for legacy products, where needed.
Press Releases
- ViTrox Welcomes Gemaddis as a New Sales Channel Partner in France
- NCMS Releases White Paper: “Artificial Intelligence to Improve Supply Chain Resilience Throughout American Manufacturing”
- E-tronix Expands Team with Strategic Hires to Strengthen Technical Solutions Support in 2025
- Leading Defence Manufacturer Awards Kitron Order for Deliveries to U.S. Army