How does Industry 4.0 affect your PCB development?
The core premise of Industry 4.0 is automated automated industrial processing. This requires high quality, accurate and reliable production equipment for PCBs and electronic equipment. Other important devices, such as sensors and actuators for data collection or process monitoring, and high-speed data processing modules, are often complex and require very small boards. The motivation of smart factories is to manufacture products with the highest efficiency and lowest cost. Therefore, in addition to the very small and complex boards that require reliable and high quality, PCB development must be rapid. Meeting these requirements for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 facility will require optimization of your PCB design and manufacturing. This can be done by following the guidelines listed below.
Guidelines for Industrial Revolution 4.0 PCB Development
Select a capable contract manufacturer (CM)
To meet the criterion that most Industry 4.0 devices require, you need to have reliable and capable manufacturing; therefore, your choice of CM is very important. And this relationship should be collaborative and initiated as early as possible, preferably during the design stage.
Create an effective PCB development process
When developing boards for Industry 4.0, it is imperative that you establish an effective process. This means ensuring that all applicable considerations, such as regulatory requirements, are adequately addressed.
Optimize component selection and security
One of the principal keys to good performance in the field is the quality and reliability of the components used. Therefore, you should optimize component selection by sourcing from reputable distributors to mitigate counterfeiting and utilizing vendor data to avoid shortages.
Optimize design for manufacturing (DFM)
The importance of tailoring your design to your CM’s equipment capabilitiesand techniques cannot be overstated. Failing to do so will delay the building of your boards and can even prevent manufacture altogether.
Ensure your CM employs good quality control (QC)
The performance and reliability of your PCBs in the factory hinges on the quality of the fabrication and assembly of your boards. Therefore, you should make sure that your CM is committed to quality and institutes good quality control (QC) measures.
The future of industrial production is Industry 4.0. This shift will herald a new era of exciting high-performance product manufacturing. However, it requires PCBs and electronic devices that drive smart factory equipment to meet challenging standards.
If you want more information on Industry 4.0’s impact on your PCB development process, contact us.