Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

The smallest bend radius that can be used on a membrane switch tail will depend on the type of design. Deciding factors will depend on whether or not the user interface is constructed with one tail/circuit layer or dual tail/circuit layers, and where the bend is located.

Selecting the optimal heavy copper thickness to apply to the plated through hole (PTH) plays a critical factor towards the overall reliability of the printed circuit board. There are two key elements to consider when determining optimal PCB copper thickness. The first is the current capacity of the barrel for acceptable heat rise. The second is the mechanical strength determined by the copper thickness, hole-size and whether or not there are any support vias.

Overmolded cables are full assemblies that seamlessly combine the wire and the connector into a single part. The process of overmolding a cable involves injecting a molten material into a mold cavity, which conforms to the desired shape when cooled. The mold cavity can be built as a simple design with no markings or as a more complex design if you wanted to include a company name, corporate logo, flanges to be used as attachment points, or an extended strain relief area.

Generally pads are small round or square areas of copper which are normally used to make a connection to a component pin. If these pads are not sitting correctly or are lifted, it can cause the connection between the printed circuit board (PCB) and the component to fail.

This is a brief overview of how our custom battery pack development process works here at Epec. The actual completion time of the development of a custom battery pack will vary depending on the requirements of the application itself. Understanding each of the necessary stages and length estimates of concept through production will help you become prepared leading up to development.

Custom low-profile keypad assemblies used in OEM applications incorporate snap-acting dome switches. Dome switches are a type of keypad assembly switch intended for very long cycle life and years of trouble-free use but are intended for logic-level switching, not power switching.

Flex circuits provide design options that rigid printed circuit boards cannot. Whether used in new designs or to improve existing assemblies, flexible printed circuits enable tighter packaging, improved system reliability, broader electrical capabilities, and long‑term cost reductions.

Plated through holes are the holes in a printed circuit board (PCB) with copper coated walls. These holes allow electricity to be carried from one side of the circuit board through the copper in the hole to the other side of the board. For any printed circuit board design of two or more circuitry layers, plated through holes form the electrical interconnection between the different layers.

[This post is a continuation of Selecting the Most Capable Supplier: Part 1]

In the second part of this post, we will discuss 3 specific processes that you should review to control manufacturing supplier quality management before starting to do business with them. As a customer, you need to know that every aspect of your order is managed with the utmost care in a process that is repeatable and accountable.

In today’s challenging manufacturing marketplace it is more and more difficult selecting the most capable supplier that has the right capabilities for your company long term (so challenging, in fact, we had to break it into 2 parts). With more pressure being put on cost cutting and improving efficiency, it becomes very easy to put short-term gain ahead of all else. Unfortunately, when we do that, we end up losing sight of long-term goals that drive core future organizational growth.