Global Manufacturing Services, Inc.

Before one introduces a new product, several stages of researh and development are necessary.  First someone has to come up with an idea for a product that meets some perceived need or want.  Then the idea has to be researched to be sure that the idea can be reduced to practice without violating someone’s patent.  Once that hurdle has been overcome, then the idea has to be put to paper to get some idea of cost and estimated time for product introduction.  More in next post.

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc., your first stop for prototyping.

Before one introduces a new product, several stages of prototyping are necessary.  First someone has to has an idea for a product that meets some sort of need or want.  Then the idea has to be researched to be sure that the idea can be reduced to practice without violating someones patent.  Once that hurdle has been overcome, then the idea has to be put to paper to get some idea of cost and estimated time for product introduction.  More in next post.

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc., your first stop for prototyping.

A good blank circuit board is similar to a good foundation for a building. If a builder starts with a superb foundation, i.e. the foundation has been placed on solid or compacted earth, drainage around the foundation has been corrected if necessary, the corners are square, the whole foundation is exactly level and horizontal and the plumbing connections in the foundation are where they should be; a competent builder will have little trouble building a structure that will perform well from the day the tenant moves in and for years thereafter.

On the other hand if the builder attempts to build a quality building on a shoddy foundation, no matter how good the materials and how good his skills, it will be virtually impossible to build a quality building that will perform up to the expectations of the tenant, nor will the structure stand up to the ravages of time.

The same is true with circuit board assembly. If we start with a superb blank circuit board, i.e. the board has been made with top quality copper clad material, processed in a board house that keeps its chemical processes in control, washed with DI water, masked carefully and cured appropriately, solder leveling applied carefully and finally tested to be certain that the board has no flaws. Then we will have little trouble building a quality product.

If the blank board has been etched so that there are ‘cat whiskers’ (tiny hair thin traces that did not get removed in the chemical etching process), shorts will result. Or worse, intermittent open traces, result from poor process control. Another hazard is poor solder leveling, which makes it difficult to place fine pitch parts without component leads not soldering properly. If the mask is poor, solder bridging can occur.

Any one of these things makes it necessary to touch up the board when it is discovered that the circuit does not function correctly when it is tested. Further rework, even if the board can be made to function, causes the board to be cosmetically inferior.

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc. after many years experience has narrowed the sources from which we purchase circuit boards to a few suppliers. These suppliers have consistent quality and delivery. Because we do a lot of business with them, we get favorable pricing.

Due to our attention to the basic building block of circuit board assembly, we can deliver a product of consistent quality.

The way commodity prices are falling, you would think we would start seeing some price reductions for electronic components that use these commodities, like copper wire, transformers, RoHS solder paste with the copper and silver, etc., bare circuit boards, even resistors, ICs and on and on. We suspect that like gas prices, when the commodity prices go up, component prices go up quickly, but as the commoditu prices come down there is an intentional lag for maximum profit margins. Is that being cynical or just calling a spade a spade? If this is the case, is it the component manufacturers or the distributors that’s fleecing us?

In any case we are on the prowl for suppliers that are agressively working to get the prices down as fast as possible.

If you are a supplier reading this, and you are working hard to get component prices to more realisticaly reflect current commodituy prices, then give us a call at 336 246 5143 and let us know about your competitive pricing.

Can there be any question that LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting and signage is the wave of the future? LED lighting requires so much less power for equivalent light output. If we intend to get off foreign oil, then LED technology must figure in the mix for general lighting and signage. There has been a constant expansion of LED technology and uses so that now we see their use most notably in traffic signals, automotive brake and tail light lamps, general signage and a myriad of other applications.

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc. has extensive experience assembling SMT (Surface Mount Technology) LED circuit boards for a variety of applications. We assemble completely RoHs compliant circuits for lead free applications. Most SMT LEDs are moisture sensitive devices and require careful handling and process control to avoid damaging the delicate devices. We understand the handling and process requirements for quality assembled products. So if you need any quantity from a few prototypes to full scale high volume production; please contact us at (336) 246 5143 for a fast quote of your project

The electronics contract manufacturing business is a tough business.  The skill level must be extraordinarily high, the environmental codes stringent, the equipment and machinery required to assemble today’s complex circuits costs big dollars and to beat all; the profit margins by nearly any measure are low.

It is almost as challenging as the grocery store business, where every day they sweat the low margins, while trying to keep those tomatoes from rotting long enough for us to take them home and make them into a tasty salad.

Having said this, most of us who ply the trade, love the challenge of electronics manufacturing and we love the great OEM customers who would have us assemble their product.  Most customers are experienced in the manufacturing business and they understand what we are up against  and for the most part cut us some slack, when, inspite of our best efforts; we do something really dumb.

So the next time you open up that cell phone, computer or any other complex electronic device and you see those tiny little parts some of which are not much bigger than a mustard seed, and others that have so many legs that they look like a mutated “thousand leg worm”, remember that some one (or some machine) some where struggled mightily to get them all right so you can receive a text message from half way around the world or talk to your momma in Cincinnati.

Could be that Global Manufacturing Services in North Carolina assembled one of those devices.

I think all will agree that Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is a worth while endeavor even though it makes electronics manufacturing more difficult.  The difficulty arises due to (1.)  higher reflow temperatures which causes greater energy usage in the reflow oven (2.) the higher temperatures also cause greater energy usage due to additional cooling in the factory.  This may not be a big added expense depending on how well the oven is insulated.  (3.) the higher temperatures also causes potential problems due to moisture trapped inside intergrated circuit packages.   This results in added expense for drying the moisture sensitive devices before reflow.  (4.)  potential for getting RoHS components mixed with non RoHS or leaded components. (5.)  sourcing of RoHS components not always available and frequently they cost more than leaded components. (6.)  Not everyone wants RoHS assembly so we have to keep redundant lines open for RoHS and non RoHS assembly.  These are but a few of the things which add to the expense and difficulty of using RoHS in the manufacturing environment.

At Global Manufacturing Services, Inc. we can deliver RoHS or non RoHS assemblies and are glad we can accomodate the will and needs of all our customers.  However, we will be glad when there is only RoHS so that we can dismantle the leaded line and concentrate only on RoHS.  A big advantage to us will be the realization that we can eliminate lead from our factory and hopefully make a safer environment for our employees and their families.    

Global Manufacturing Services is particularly interested in manufacturing products to support the alternate energy industry. We give special consideration to products which can help to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

For example we are working with a customer who has developed a small fishing boat that uses two electric motors to control both forward and reverse direction as well as turning maneuvers. The beauty of this two person boat is that it allows the fisherman to get into small areas where the fish are … both quietly and without polluting the water. No oil or other nasty stuff is discharged into the fishing waters. Because of its unique design, the boat can be operated in weeds, water born logs and other debris without getting tangled up. Getting it into the water is easy, either by carrying it or dragging it in the weeds or even on the pavement. The super tough plastic is both light and extremely tough. And now with the high cost of gasoline, this boat, happily, costs very litle to operate.

If you would like to know more about this exciting product, contact us at 336 246 5143 and ask for an electric fishing boat brochure. 

In future posts we will be discussing other earth friendly products that we make for our customers. In the meantime if you have a product that is earth friendly, please contact us for special pricing.

I suspect that most of us have by now heard the T. Boone Pickens ad on TV or internet. Here is a link to his web site for those of you who might want to sign up for his plan.

Visit PickensPlan

We believe that his message is a wake up call to all of us, so we at Global Manufacturing Services subscribe to this plan or one similar.

Global Manufacturing Services, Inc. assembles many different printed circuit (PC) boards for a variety of customers. So as one might imagine we purchase a large number of bare printed circuit boards to satisfy our manufacturing needs. We purchase high quality PC boards from reliable domestic sources as well as off shore sources.

The bare printed circuit board used in the assembly of finished printed circuit board assemblies is by far the most important component in the successful assembly of a high quality end product. We liken it to the foundation of a house or commercial structure. If you start with a really high quality bare PC board then you can expect that the finished assembly will be high quality and work as specified. Whereas, if you start with a faulty bare PC board, then it is virtually impossible to assemble a successful, high quality, end product.
This is why we search the world over for the best PC boards at the best prices. Since we have been doing this for quite awhile, we have found some really good honest suppliers.

If you are an OEM and need a few or many circuit boards; let us quote your project and see if we can save you a significant amount of money.

I think you will be pleased with our bare PC boards.  Click on this Global Manufacturing Services link and contact us for a quick quote.  The quote will cost you nothing.