The other day I stumbled upon Isaac Asimov’s words in his book I, Robot and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It goes like this – “It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say, ‘It’s as plain as the nose on your face.’ But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?”
And how true is that! When we are trying to coordinate multiple things at once, sometimes we miss the obvious that is right in front of our eyes, the better solution, the suitable one for you. Does that happen to you as well or is it just with me? And trust me, I noticed many of my peers who grapple with several complexities while designing and building an electronic device.
The circuit boards are the miraculous tiny things that make every electronic device on the earth function as expected. These boards have to be manufactured, cable & wire harnesses have to be built and different sub-assemblies have to be connected together to become one complete system. And this often gets overwhelming for the designers who are trying to juggle a thousand pieces to form the perfect picture without looking at the simplest solution that is out there.
Are you wondering what exactly am I talking about for so long? Well, it’s an easy guess for many of you. *Ta-da* Let me introduce “box builds”. Many local PCB contract manufacturers have been building these systems to relieve you with intricate coordination that is quite often tiring and time-consuming.
How does box build manufacturing by your PCB contract manufacturer beneficial to you? Well, let’s dive in to find out how.
1. The lesser the better
It’s needless to say, manufacturing an electronic system is associated with having contracts with multiple vendors. You need printed circuit boards, wire harnesses, cable assemblies, control panels, and power supplies. All these sub-assemblies must be completed first and then they go into the final assembly. And you may be jumping across the vendors for getting the job done, right?
You see, the problem is relying on multiple vendors which require strong coordination, effective communication, and their dedication to delivering high-quality outputs. Even if one vendor spoils something in the process, your entire board isn’t the same as you anticipated.
“A chain is as strong as its weakest link.”
The onus falls on the design group to manage and coordinate among these vendors. The design groups need to make sure that the final circuit board fits in all the interconnecting wires and cables and they work together with the other system components.
Even the documentation team needs to be diligent in the creation of the documents as a small error in the documentation can take the entire project down. This is a huge loss of time and money and leads to unnecessary frustration.
Not all design groups are equipped with managerial coordination between these vendors. So you need to reduce the vendor count to reduce the errors.
It’s high time to think of a PCB contract manufacturer for your box build assembly requirements as they would be equipped to handle your project and documentation support as well. They might have the experience of working with various supply networks, engineering expertise, and manufacturing skills for efficient handling of the design mechanics and build. You would clearly have an edge over having several vendors as all the aspects of the box build will be centrally located and controlled.
2. Design, Build, and Function
The final product functioning is all about how well the assembled parts fit and work together. The different system components have to be designed and assembled to work together. This has to be planned out with the end result in mind. This can get difficult if these sub-assemblies are handled by different vendors.
When you are fitting the pieces together, make sure you match up the mounting holes so that the PCBs can fit within them. Don’t commit any dimensional mistakes as they can result in a disaster. If you choose the multivendor way, there could be some lack of coordination that may result in errors in the subassemblies.
Another thing that can add to the frustration if you choose multiple vendors is the connectivity issues. You may get everything right the plugging in the connector, wire harnessing, etc. but if one of the plugs is pinned in the wrong connector, it’s not going to work.
So, we recommend you the best path – Go for a PCB contract manufacturer that is offering the entire box build services under one roof. They will design and build each sub-assembly and do not perform the dimensional and connectivity errors. They even test the entire system as it built by them and ensure quality assurance. A local PCB contract manufacturer is the ideal way for your box build manufacturing.
3. Avoid Unnecessary Overheads
You can save yourself from unnecessary headaches and difficulties of building your own printed circuit board assemblies. It is a complicated task and working with a PCB contract manufacturer would help you avoid the expense of operating and procurement of the equipment required. You can just sit back and relax without thinking of developing and continually updating the processes.
A PCB contract manufacturer would have skilled technicians and brilliant engineers in-house to oversee and operate the box build manufacturing operations. They not only focus on the manufacturability of the designs but also offer a multitude of other services as well. You just provide them the bill of materials for each design and the rest would be taken care of by them. They have a vast network of supply-chain vendors and distributors who can help them in the ongoing board builds.
4. Unmatched Expertise in PCB Manufacturing
The PCB contract manufacturers would have deployed thousands of successful circuit boards for various market segments. They would have the industry certifications, might have conducted periodic training for their in-house staff who might have attained the fluency in the latest industry standards for the board design and assembly.
They might have been in the business for a long time providing the highest quality circuit boards. You can test their previous work experience and client testimonials to know their capabilities better. They are experts in what they do with efficient teams and a proven track record. They know the A-Z of the box build services and know-how to traverse through the challenges in the path of building a high-quality box build.
Conclusion
Teaming up with a PCB manufacturer who knows A-Z of Box build manufacturing is the ideal way. Mer-Mar Electronics has been in the business for over 40 years and has a skilled & experienced engineering team who works on different design systems. Our manufacturing experts build your PCBs, cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and box builds. We also get them together and fit them in the most efficient manner for a high-quality end-product.
Get a Quick Quote for box build assembly based on your custom requirements!
