What To Expect From Electronic Manufacturing Services Companies?

If you work for an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), you might have required an EMS company for your project contracts.

Electronics Manufacturing Services are services offered by companies that design, manufacture, test, distribute, extend return/repair services, or provide aftermarket help for various electronic components and assemblies to OEM. This concept is also defined as Electronics Contract Manufacturing. Expert Ems Electronic Manufacturing Services company will guide you efficiently through the manufacturing process to give your product appropriate competitive leverage in the market.

What to Expect From EMS Companies?

The electronics contract manufacturing services can vary extensively from one company to the other. However, there are some standard services you can expect most of the EMS Companies to deliver.

PCB assembly
Cable assembly
Electromechanical assembly
Contract design
Testing
Prototyping
Aftermarket services

Of these services, some are categorized under industry-standard, while other services offered by EMS Companies are niche-based or according to their specialty. Let’s have a detailed look into the expectations from any valuable EMS Company:

1) PCB Assembly

As the demand for electrical components is on a steady rise, so is the demand for PCB. Printed Circuit Board assembly is the basic component of most electrical devices. The components like transistors, resistors, and integrated circuits can be mounted and soldered on to the bare board by two methods: Surface Mount Technology (SMT) or Through-hole Technology. A completed PCB mechanically supports and electrically connects the various components of the electrical device. This helps to route power and signals between the devices.

In through-hole mounting technology, the lead components are mounted through holes that are drilled on a bare board. In surface-mount technology, the components are soldered on the surface of a bare board. The through-hole method is more time-consuming, and for modern devices, the SMT method is being used.

The development of PCB requires proper guidance and regular testing. EMS Companies offers full in-house testing services.

2) Cable Assembly

Cable assembly also incorporates other important services like harsh-environment cable assemblies, harnesses, control panels, mechanical subassemblies, and panel wiring.

Your EMS Company will offer a customizable cable assembly solution. They will engineer, test, and manufacture the products. The cable assembly process is often hand soldered. Hence, you need to ensure that your vendor has a certified experience. It should be able to cater to your custom and over-molded cable needs.

3) Electromechanical Assembly

Electromechanical Assembly demands high levels of skill, accuracy, and consistency. It mostly refers to the process of assembling the products like box build (also called systems integration). As per your EMS company, these items are included.

Steel
Aluminum
Plastic

Any robust EMS company will have an efficient and dedicated team that will encompass all the assembly work. They can also offer:

Custom shipment packaging
Functional testing
Configuration management
Encapsulation
3-D designing
Potting and heat shrink usage

Under Electromechanical Assembly, various operations are performed like power generation, system control, and performing power-enhanced mechanical tasks. This should be achieved with intrinsic safety in mind.

4) Contract Design

If you want to contract out design ideas, you can contact an EMS company for assistance. They will generate software and firmware, thorough tests for validation, DFX analysis and also environmental tests according to the latest standards for compliance.

A contracted design will help you to define the circuit simulation, and prototyping, testing, cost-effectiveness, 3-D modeling and will also enable and ensure the quality review standard of your product.

5) Testing

Testing is an important parameter to decide the efficiency of your EMS company. Before the circuit board arrives, you need to ensure its functionality. Any issue that arises later can compromise your supply chain.

Some of the important testing standards are:

Flying probe testing
In-circuit testing (ICT)
Burn-in testing
Automated optical inspection (AOI)
Another functional testing

Extensive testing by your EMS company will help you to ascertain if the circuit board is built as per your specifications.

6) Prototyping

PCB prototyping is an essential step to test redesigns or any function before you move on to build more complex designs. Prototyping will solidify design fault checks, durability, adherence to budget, size, and design.

Prototyping is often based on these four forms.

Visual model
Proof of concept
Working prototype
Functional prototype

7) Aftermarket Services

You need to determine if the EMS company works with OEMs to accelerate their aftermarket standards’ performance. Find out if the company provides repairing, refurbishing, calibration, and upgrading facilities. Other possible aftermarket services your electronics manufacturing services company might extend are cleaning, inspections, painting, troubleshooting, and other such features.

To conclude:

A detailed overview of the electronic contract manufacturing services will help you determine what to expect from them. The services you are looking for should be accustomed to your requirements, whether you are just looking ahead to the production of circuit boards in volume or you want complex, creative solutions and thorough assistance throughout the process.