Creating a standard DFM template/report for a new PCBA is always an interesting process. By doing so, I get to see new technologies as they enter the industry and I can influence designs to help the customer save time and money. But as a member of the Atari generation, I have always thought that standard paper templates were somewhat impractical and burdensome. In today’s world, not only should we be paper-free, but the applications we use should be more dynamic and provide real-time feedback. Templates should be engaging.

For this reason, REDCOM has designed an interactive DFM template, the iDFM™, which can be used through REDCOM’s website. And iDFM is free.

The iDFM is secure; that is, REDCOM does not monitor or store any of your input. iDFM™ gives you real-time feedback as you assign a letter grade to your design with reference to optimal parametric values. Thus, there is no more waiting for your CM or in-house operation to provide the first reaction to your design, which means your company may be able to save days on its new product introduction schedule.

It should also be noted that iDFM works best with the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari and IE9 web browsers.

REDCOM is excited about launching iDFM™ and we are anxious to receive feedback from you (email ems@redcom.com) to help make it more useful and engaging. All comments and suggestions will be evaluated for inclusion in future revisions. Of course, we are always available to answer questions and/or review your design with you.

You are welcome to check out REDCOM’s iDFM at http://ems.redcom.com/idfm/

Enjoy. I think you will like it.

You just finished evaluating the prototype PCBA—it passed all lab tests, met all design goals, and the production bare boards are on the way. You’re looking forward to your next project and helping your marketing team with some new product pages on the web site. First you check your emails and what is this? A message from the Purchasing Department stating that a specified component in your PCBA’s Bill of Materials is being discontinued.
Component manufacturers are sending out Product Discontinuation Notices (PDNs) more frequently than ever before, and if you are like most small OEMs, you deal with them only on a reactive basis. What’s behind the compression of component lifecycles?

• Increased Use of Contract Foundries. Many component manufacturers are going “fab-less”—they design the part, but outsource the actual fabrication. This means that the manufacturer has less control over its product line due to the loss of cost and schedule flexibility involved in contracting. This often results in truncated product lifecycles when unit sales are insufficient to justify a product run by contract fabricators, herein referred to as “fabs”.
• Relentless movement toward smaller Lithographies. Component manufacturers and the fabs are under pressure to increase densities and decrease package sizes. A key component in your new PCBA might be destined for “optimization,” which may result in the need to redesign your PCBA.
• Materials are Changing. Especially those used in passive components. A classic example is the polycarbonate dielectric film used in many older capacitors. This film has not been produced in many years and the large stocks of material are almost depleted. New dielectric films exist but each has characteristics which may or may not meet your original requirements.
• Compressed Product Lifecycles. Component volumes dictate lifecycle, so if requirements dramatically decrease, that part will be next to be discontinued.

What can you do to reduce the likelihood of receiving a showstopper PDN?

Signing up to receive component change notices and alerts from manufacturer websites can be a great help in keeping you informed. Many distributors offer to send out notices and can tie them to your purchase history—so be sure to take advantage of these services. I also like to keep in touch with local sales representatives as they can be a great resource for component life cycle info.

And finally, if you’re working with a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services provider like REDCOM EMS, their component engineering team can be a big help during the bill of materials review phase of the project by flagging high-risk items and finding cross-over parts from other sources, which can result in faster delivery times.

• Would you ever purchase a new car without first test driving it?
• Would you ever purchase a used car without having a mechanic check it out?
• Would you ever buy a house without having an engineer give it a thorough inspection?

If your answer to any of the above questions is “Yes”, then you need not read any further. But if you are concerned about saving money and getting your product to market as soon as possible, read on.

The point is that if you are going to lay out a large sum of money for something, you want to be sure that you are going to get your money’s worth. That is especially the case with EMI Compliance.

If you are a manufacturer of any electronic equipment that is classified as an Unintentional Radiator by the FCC (as described in CFR Title 47 Part 15-RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICES, Subpart A-General, ¶ 15.3 Definitions (z)), you will need to have it EMI scanned and approved by a NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory). This will be a costly endeavor (usually in the $2000 – $2500 range), and if there is a problem it will have to be fixed—and the cost of scanning will have to be incurred again.

REDCOM EMS can help you “test drive” your electronic device (such as a Printed Circuit Board Assembly–PCBA) before you send it to a NRTL for final approval. Our OATS (Open Area Test Site) is a 10-meter pre-compliance test site equipped with a four-meter antenna mast capable of scanning for emissions up to 6 GHz. It’s reassuring to know that, if your PCBA has checked out OK in pre-compliance screening, the odds are very good that it will pass the NRTL compliance test the first time.

If the screening indicates problems, we can help you trouble shoot them. We’ve been doing this for decades, and now as a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services provider, we’d be delighted to do the same for you. For more information on pre-compliance screening, call us at 585-924-6650 or use the CONTACT US form on the REDCOM EMS web site.

About the author:  Counting my time at Stromberg Carlson and REDCOM Labs, I have over 40 years of experience in telecommunications. For the past 12 years I have been assigned to the Compliance Group at REDCOM.  I was instrumental in the design and building of our Open Area Test Site.  I and my co-workers look forward to helping our EMS customers get their products to market on budget and on schedule by contributing our expertise in EMI compliance.

It’s also probably a safe bet that if not all of your teammates know the rules, the game will be much harder to win; and, your team will never attain “World Class” status. This is why having a good coaching staff is essential to winning. Everyone wants to be in the World Series but only a team of highly-disciplined players with a thorough understanding of how to execute each of their jobs has a chance to make it that far.

At REDCOM EMS, we have a coaching staff consisting of five Certified IPC Trainers (CITs). The CITs have a fluent understanding of the Rule Books. In our case, the Rule Books are J-STD-001, IPC-A-610 and IPC-A-620. Conducting classes is only a small part of the CIT’s job. The classroom is a great platform for planting the seeds of success, but the true job of coaching extends onto the manufacturing floor–our “playing field”. On the manufacturing floor, a good coach will observe the manufacturing habits of all the players and tweak those habits if a minor correction is required. In doing so, the coach reinforces the best manufacturing practices which results in a stronger team.

A great example of this and one of my more common findings is what we call “top-soldering”. J-STD-001 6.2.1 states that “Solder shall only be applied to one side of a PTH [Plated Through Hole]…” In conventional wave soldering, the “one side” is the bottom side of the PCB–which is the “source” side.

There are many reasons, be they cosmetic or actual defects, why an operator might be inclined to touch up a solder joint on the topside (solder destination side) of an assembly. However, by doing this, you run the risk of damaging neighboring components or worse, trapping flux between the top and bottom side of the solder joint. Flux trapped in a pocket cannot be cleaned and can eat away at the barrel.

There are several methods of fixing topside solder joints without applying solder directly to them. It is up to the coaches to train the players and show them these options in order to avoid future “penalties”.

Obviously, there are myriad examples in this industry where the existence of standards  helps to level the playing field for all of the players and teams. However, if the coach keeps his/her team at the top of their game through constant training, a “World Class” rating will come naturally through the hard work and dedication of the team.

Please feel free to share your stories of how CITs have improved your team or ask questions with regard to the J-STD-001, IPC-610, & IPC-620.

(Note: IPC now officially calls itself “Association Connecting Electronics Industries”. ”IPC” originally stood for “Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits”.)

The Business Expo is for all small businesses that work with other businesses–it’s a B2B event.  Since we are an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, our focus is completely on B2B and we anticipate making contact with several viable prospects for our services.  These prospects will be Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) who require Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) and other electronic assembly and integration services.

We will also participate in the Business Matchmaker event, which will give us the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with representatives of companies that are government prime contractors (ITT and Moog, for example).  Primes have an interest and an obligation to subcontract with small businesses such as REDCOM EMS.  The Matchmaker format is like speed-dating: ten minutes with a prime, then move on to the next one.

An Awards Luncheon will recognize organizations or individuals who have helped improve, support, and encourage veterans in business, education, and community services.

For more information about the RRVBC and the Business Expo, go to:

http://www.veteransbusinesscouncil.org/

Please stop by our Exhibitor table if you have a chance, especially if you learned about the Expo from this posting!

Thanks.

As an ME at a telecom company, these schematics are much more relevant to my responsibilities than I originally thought they would be. The runic shapes still hold many mysteries, but I’ve gotten very familiar with the neatly organized lines, especially when these “lines” leave the printed circuit board plane and travel into the outside world. At this point, these “lines” are much more often known as wire.

In preliminary designs, it’s easy to neglect the wire and cabling design aspects. Wire is a transport mechanism, not typically the primary focus of circuit design. Though, the more experience that the design team has with wire, the more likely that they will innately take into consideration the use and selection of wire. These considerations range from mechanical to electrical/magnetic to health and safety.

Whether wire/cable considerations are taken into account early in the design phase or as an afterthought, a few questions need to be answered:

“What size wire is needed?”

The primary concern, when determining which gauge wire to use, is making sure that the wire selected can handle the current that will be flowing through it. This consideration is also critical in printed circuit board design when determining trace sizes. If the wire is too small, the wire can get hot, and even burn up. If the wire is larger than necessary, the design will likely cost more and weigh more, which becomes more and more detrimental as the length increases.

“What are the required terminations or connectors?”

This seems  obvious. Since the purpose of the wire is to connect two points together, naturally the wire must be terminated to make this connection. Asking this question early in the design process can make things go much easier down the road. Not all terminals are compatible with all wire. Wire gauge, insulation thickness, insulation type, stranded vs. solid wire, etc.; these are all characteristics of a wire that need to be compatible with the connectors/termaials to which they attach. An incompatibility discovered at the last minute can be a costly inconvenience.

“What environment will the cable or wire be exposed to?”

Wire insulation is the last line of defense in protecting the wire from the elements (and the last line of defense in protecting us from whatever is flowing through those wires!). It is important to select the right insulation for the job. Like most design decisions, this can be a balancing act between cost and function. Some insulation properties to keep in mind are resistance to temperature, oil, abrasion, flame, UV rays, and creep.

“What tooling is required to build the cable?”

Designing for manufacturability saves time and money in product design. Many of the manufacturing challenges, concerning wire and cabling, relate to the connectors and terminals being used. Hand tools are excellent for low volume builds and repairs. A press with the proper terminal applicator is preferred for increased volumes. Not all terminals have high and low volume tooling and it’s good to know this early on. Tooling costs can be surprising, if you let them be. Be vigilant of your capabilities and your options early.

Experience with wire selection and cable design is invaluable in knowing what questions to ask and knowing how to answer these questions appropriately. We have a lot of experience with cable design here at REDCOM, and that experience is easily translated into robust design. On top of that experience, having accumulated both high and low volume terminal application tooling over the past 30 years as an OEM has proven to be an asset.

This is only a short primer on some of the considerations that go into wire selection and cable design. I look forward to discussing more about some of the specific design criteria I have mentioned, if there is interest.

Last time I showed you the “Mechanical Internet”, you can’t access the Mechanical Internet without a Mechanical Computer.

Thirty-seven REDCOM runners. Considering the size of REDCOM, this is a lot: about one in five of our workers is competing. Looking for some perspective on this, I decided to contact the University of Rochester, the largest employer in the Rochester area. What are their numbers, I wondered. Leslie White, U of R Public Relations Specialist, was very helpful and within one hour of my request got back to me with the following: of their 19, 987 full-time employees, 318 are in the race. So, about 1.5 percent: an order of magnitude less than REDCOM.

Accounting for the disparity would be time-consuming and of little real value to anybody. Suffice it to note that it’s probably good that only 318, not 4000 runners from the U of R will be racing Tuesday night. As it is, things will be little tight, with some folks not crossing the Starting Line until more than five minutes after the gun goes off.

(Here are a few more numbers from Rochester’s biggest companies, according to Alan Tieuli, Senior Administrator: Communications for Chase in Upton MA: Wegmans, 252; Paychex, 205; Unity Health, 202; RIT, 147)

The Corporate Challenge® is a worldwide race series (12 cities, six countries, five continents) sponsored by JP Morgan Chase Bank. This year will be the 35th running of the event, which started in 1977 with 200 runners from 50 companies racing through Central Park. Back then it was called the Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge®. In 2010, more than 235,000 runners crossed the finish line.

“The growth of the Corporate Challenge® is a testimony to JPMorgan Chase’s continuing support of health and fitness, teamwork and camaraderie in the corporate communities across the U.S. and abroad,” said Barbara Paddock, senior vice president for the bank. It’s nice to know that unlike our 401(k)s, this financial product has exhibited constant growth.

Johannesburg, Frankfurt, London. Singapore, Sydney, San Francisco. Boston, New York, and Chicago. It’s easy to understand why these large and famous cities are host to the race. What’s surprising is that three relatively small cities in Central and Western New York round out the list: Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Strange–this is like U2 playing in Wolcott, NY. Please let me know if you have any information that explains this anomaly.

After the race is over, we’ll gather under the REDCOM tent to eat, drink, and tell war stories. About that inconsiderate son-of-a-gun who stepped on the back of your foot, scraping your shoe off. Or about the twenty-car pile-up you got into at the first water stop (everybody tailgates, so why shouldn’t you?). We’ll congratulate the fastest runners and maybe a few of us will envy them a little. But we all know what it’s really about: the camaraderie and the sense of cohesiveness that makes life at work more satisfying, and more meaningful.

It’s a challenging thing to be a corporation–but we’re up to it.

There are three key terms involved in the TOC that require clear understanding before one can successfully apply the theory. All three terms can be broken down into units of working capital (otherwise known as “cash”). These terms (or categories) are:

Throughput: Cash generated from manufacturing, based on SALES. Many times throughput is understood to be, “How much product am I getting through my machines?”. This is incorrect because in order to receive any payback on your product, you must sell it. Therefore, any product built that is not sold falls into the remaining two categories.

Throughput based on sales is the only category in the TOC that represents positive cash flow.

Inventory: Cash spent on raw materials and components, WIP (Work in Progress), and Finished Goods. All of these things have value. They are worth something IF they are sold and thus converted to throughput. Otherwise, all of these “things” have been paid for ahead of time by the company and represent a negative cash flow.

Operational expenses: Cash spent on processing, utilities, labor etc. Otherwise known as “Overhead”, this category represents all of the expenses that are not physically incorporated into your product. Regardless of your profit margins, it will always cost money to turn the lights on in your facility. Everything that falls into this category is also considered a negative cash flow.

With these categories defined, we can now consider their effect on the goal of your company. Almost every company has the same goal which is to make money or show a profit. Logic then dictates that this is accomplished by raising Throughput (remember, this is in sales) while simultaneously lowering Inventory and Operational Expenses. All of this is done by applying the TOC.

Theory of Constraints: Each process can only move as fast as the process that precedes it. BUT, it can also move infinitely slower. Constraints can cause an infinite accumulation of inventory accompanied by the added cost of operational expenses. At REDCOM EMS, we use Dr. Goldratt’s simple 5 step analysis to identify and remove constraints from our manufacturing system.

PROCESS:
STEP 1. IDENTIFY the System’s constraint(s). Look around the manufacturing floor and see where your product or parts are piling up.
STEP 2. Decide how to EXPLOIT the constraint(s). Optimize the system at the bottleneck.
STEP 3. SUBORDINATE everything else to the above decision.
STEP 4. ELEVATE the system’s constraint(s). Offload pieces of the process to points that have some capacity.
STEP 5. WARNING!!! If in a previous step a constraint has been broken, go back to STEP 1 but do not allow INERTIA to cause a system’s constraint. Inertia is natural resistance to change and is almost inescapable when you are trying to deviate from “the way we’ve always done it”.

The REDCOM EMS state of mind is to keep driving the manufacturing process time toward zero (0) seconds. All processes throughout the facility are monitored and continually targeted for improvement. Utilizing the TOC is just one of the tools in our tool belt that helps make this possible. This methodology is what allows REDCOM EMS to be competitive in the low to mid size volume markets in order to provide our customers the best possible product using the most efficient means necessary.

… About Jason:  I have been involved with Electronics Manufacturing for the last 20 years and I currently hold the title of Manufacturing Engineer for REDCOM EMS as well as Certified IPC Trainer. I have an A.S. in Business Administration from Finger Lakes Community College and a B.S. Electrical Mechanical Engineering Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology. I am a firm believer in LEAN Manufacturing and the Theory of Constraints and I have a lot of fun trying to eliminate anything that is Non-Value Added within a process.

Don’t Gamble with Manufacturing Variation.

REDCOM performs Statistical Tolerance Analysis using a technique called Monte Carlo modeling to verify proper board to board connection, to ensure LEDs protrude the proper distance through sheet metal housings, and to design sheet metal housing openings.

What is Monte Carlo modeling and why is it important?

Despite component manufacturers’ and suppliers’ desire to create parts that are precisely the same, actual dimensions of randomly selected parts will vary. Monte Carlo modeling may be employed to simulate a random part selection process. A virtual assembly may then be created and interrogated to evaluate variation in functional characteristics of an assembly before actually building the physical assembly. Predicting assembly variation before production begins allows for the opportunity to proactively improve the design as well as the manufacturing processes.

In non-geek speak, Statistical Tolerance Analysis uses a mathematical (virtual) model of a physical assembly.  There are three pieces of information needed to create this virtual model:

1. Input variables: Nominal dimensions, allowable tolerances and/or known or presumed probability distributions;
2. Output variables: A functional characteristic of interest.
3. Mathematical relationship: The relationship between input variables and output variables which may be expressed using a mathematical equation.

Monte Carlo modeling enters this process in random selection of input variables, making it analogous to random part selection used to create an assembly.

Perhaps this is easiest understood by means of an example  Given a block of length (L), width (W) and height (H):

1. The Input variables are: L =4.0+/-0.4, W=2.0+/-0.2, and H=1.0+/-0.1 where the dimensions are normally distributed;
2. The Output variable is volume; and
3. The mathematical relationship is: volume = L x W x H

Monte Carlo modeling will randomly select dimensions and create hundreds or thousands of virtual assemblies. The output variable, volume, will have variability which is frequently summarized with a histogram.

In the weeks and months to come, this blog will serve as a tutorial in the world of predicting manufacturing capabilities through the use of the modeling technique called Statistical Tolerance Analysis. Why should you care? Because predictive modeling gives a better understanding of a product, can assist in managing variation and can result in a higher quality product, which in turn may result in reduced scrap and increased profitability.

…and now a little about the author: I have more than a decade of experience teaching tolerance analysis to engineers/designers/technicians and have used Statistical Tolerance Analysis both proactively and reactively. I have more than 30 years experience developing and analyzing a variety of primarily ‘mechanical’ products: farm equipment, fuel systems, copiers, cameras, printers and, most recently, telecommunications systems. I have a BS Engineering degree, an MBA, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. I have a passion for promoting the manufacture of quality products and I am pleased REDCOM is giving me the opportunity to blog, for I believe that knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied.

The United States, like many countries, has export control laws. Depending on the product and the ultimate destination, a federal export license may be required to export the product. Knowing how the export control laws apply is important for two reasons:

One, because you or your customer may wish to export the product which means that you must consider whether and to what extent a license is required, and

Two, because, if “ITAR” export control laws apply, the manufacturer must be registered with the US Government, even if there is no intent to export. REDCOM EMS is registered and its registration allows REDCOM EMS to manufacture articles which are ITAR-controlled.

The “ITAR” and the “EAR”

There are two primary export control regimes in the United States. The first is the ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations). The second is the EAR (Export Administration Regulations.) Other regimes apply for items such as nuclear products.

To determine which regulations apply to a particular product, one must review the USML—the United States Munitions List (22 CFR 121), which is part of the ITAR (22 CFR 120-130). If your product is listed on the USML, then it falls under the export control jurisdiction of the ITAR which is overseen by the US Department of State. If the product is not listed on the USML, then it is falls under the export control of the EAR which is overseen by the US Department of Commerce.

There are many “Categories” in the USML. Products which are export-controlled under the ITAR will have an export classification such as Category XI(a)(5), XIII(b)(5), etc. An export license from the US Department of State will be required for almost all exports covered by the ITAR. Equally important is the fact that all manufacturers of products on the USML , whether those products are to be exported or not, must be registered with the US Department of State.

The USML is written in vague, broadly encompassing terms. Making the determination as to whether or not a particular item is on the USML is not as easy as it appears—it depends a lot on design intent. Merely selling one’s product to the military does not make it ITAR-controlled. But if it is “designed, modified or configured” for a military application — any military application — it may be ITAR-controlled. Note the term is simply “military”; it is not just the “US Military.”

If your product is not on the USML, then it probably falls under the export control jurisdiction of the US Department of Commerce and is subject to the EAR (15 CFR 730-774). If it falls under the EAR, then a review of 15 CFR 774 will provide you with an Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) (for example, 5A991 or 5D992), which, in conjunction with the ultimate destination, determines whether or not the export requires a US Department of Commerce export license. There is no registration requirement for manufacturers and exporters under the EAR.

The ITAR “trumps” the EAR, meaning that if a product is ITAR-controlled, then the EAR does not apply to exports of the product—only the ITAR does.

To summarize, knowing the export jurisdiction (ITAR or EAR), the export classification, and the ultimate destination, one can determine whether an export license is required.

Registration Requirements

If a manufacturer makes a product which is ITAR-controlled, then that manufacturer is required to be registered with the US Department of State. This requirement is codified under 22 CFR 122.1(a), which reads:

Any person who engages in the United States in the business of either manufacturing or exporting defense articles or furnishing defense services is required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. For the purpose of this subchapter, engaging in the business of manufacturing or exporting defense articles or furnishing defense services requires only one occasion of manufacturing or exporting a defense article or furnishing a defense service. Manufacturers who do not engage in exporting must nevertheless register.

Again, it must be noted that a manufacturer of ITAR controlled products does not have to export the products to be required to register under the ITAR.

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc. is registered in accordance with 22 CFR 122.1(a). AS a result, REDCOM EMS is legally able to manufacture “defense articles,” which are those items which are on the USML.

Export Consultation for REDCOM EMS Customers

For decades, REDCOM has been a frequent exporter of its own products, both EAR-controlled items and ITAR-controlled items. We have developed an internal export compliance program and detailed internal procedures to ensure ongoing compliance. We keep up with changes and developments in the field of export regulation—and at the current time, there are significant export control reform initiatives in progress.

An advantage of working with REDCOM EMS is ready access to export-related knowledge and experience.  We’ve been there, done that… and we can help you get there too.

Additional Resources

Here are some resources related to export control:

• ITAR
• EAR
• Industry group related to ITAR
• General Overview of Export Controls
• Foreign Trade Regulations
• REDCOM’s web page related to export controls

The Author

I am Larry Vuksanic. I hold a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and have been employed with REDCOM since its inception in 1978, in a variety of technical, sales, and marketing roles. Currently, I am responsible for REDCOM’s Export Compliance—ensuring REDCOM’s compliance with the EAR, the ITAR, and other applicable export-related regulations.