Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

Medical devices equipped with battery packs are required to provide optimal safety and performance when in use. Whether these devices are used for monitoring, diagnostic, or surgical applications, battery packs can pose serious risks to patients and medical staff if they malfunction, overheat, or are inefficient.

Space is widely recognized as one of the most unforgiving environments for electronics. Extreme temperatures, radiation exposure, vacuum conditions, and mechanical stress during launch all combine to create a unique set of challenges for printed circuit boards.

There are few things more frustrating than finding out a connector, terminal, header, or small cable assembly component is no longer available. On the surface, it may seem like a simple sourcing issue. One part went obsolete, so you find another one and move on.

Printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing relies on a coordinated combination of materials and processes to create reliable electronic circuits. Insulating substrates like FR-4 fiberglass-epoxy or specialized polymers provide mechanical strength and electrical isolation, while conductive copper layers are patterned using photoresists and chemical etchants.

The first time you hold a finished high-density flex circuit in your hands, it can feel a little surreal. You know how much circuitry is packed inside, how many tradeoffs were made, and how much risk sat in every design decision. Yet the finished product is thin, light, and deceptively simple. That contrast is what makes high-density flex design so rewarding and so challenging at the same time.

From a PCB manufacturing perspective, designing for testability focuses on ensuring the circuit board can be efficiently inspected and verified at scale without slowing down production or increasing costs.

When battery packs are placed into storage, it is easy to assume they will be ready whenever they are needed. In reality, a stored battery pack is still changing over time. The cells continue to self-discharge, the pack continues to age, and the storage environment can affect the condition of the pack long before it is installed into equipment.

When it comes to cable assemblies and wire harnesses, consistency is everything. A design might look perfect on paper, but without clear workmanship standards and acceptance criteria, the final product can vary from build to build. That is exactly why IPC/WHMA-A-620 exists.

At the conclusion of our webinar, Hidden Costs and Challenges of Offshore Battery Pack Manufacturing, we had several questions submitted to our presenter, Battery Product Manager Anton Beck. We compiled these into a readable format on our blog.

Overmolded cable assemblies are relied on in applications where failure is not an option. Industrial control panels, medical equipment, automotive sensors, laboratory instruments, and outdoor electronics all depend on strong strain relief, dependable sealing, and repeatable performance. Overmolding delivers that performance by encapsulating the connection point between the cable and its component interface, creating a unified structure that protects against moisture, vibration, abrasion, and general wear.