Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

Battery packs are expected to do more today than ever before. Devices are getting smaller, runtimes are getting longer, charging speeds are increasing, and power demands continue to rise across industries ranging from medical devices and industrial equipment to consumer electronics and transportation systems. As these demands increase, thermal management and safety have become some of the most important aspects of battery pack design.

Military and aerospace systems operate in some of the harshest environments imaginable. Whether installed on a military ground vehicle, commercial aircraft, unmanned aerial system, naval vessel, or satellite subsystem, cable assemblies are routinely exposed to vibration, shock, temperature extremes, moisture, harsh chemicals, and electromagnetic interference. In these applications, reliability is not simply desirable, it is essential.

A great tool to catch printed circuit board (PCB) defects before they cause problems is the ability to identify process indicators. The earlier these process indicators can be identified in the PCB fabrication process, the greater the ability to avoid financial risk with the PCB builds. In high-reliability applications, waiting until final inspection to catch defects is too late. By that point, time, materials, and labor have already been invested, and the cost of rework or scrap can be high.

At the conclusion of our webinar, Navigating PCB Supply Chain Challenges, we had several questions submitted to our presenter, Epec President Kendall Paradise. We compiled these into a readable format on our blog.

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.