Top Challenges in Electro-Mechanical Assembly and How to Overcome Them
Electro-mechanical assembly devices are a highly intricate manufacturing process that demands the seamless integration of electrical and mechanical components. From the design stage to material sourcing, production, and quality control, original equipment manufacturers often face a range of challenges. This article delves into common electro-mechanical assembly issues and provides effective solutions to address them.
Design Flaws in Electro-mechanical Assembly
This makes electro-mechanical assembly devices some of the most complicated devices to create, as engineers work to guarantee they will work throughout their electrical, mechanical and frequently software systems. Whether a washing machine, a medical infusion pump, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, or an electric power steering system, engineers must choose components that will be durable as well as compatible with each other and safety standards.
Updating practices to best-in-class, design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-testability (DFT), allows the OEM to simplify production and testing, while reducing complexity and costs and potentially quality issues at the start of design. Moreover, advanced 3D computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software allows OEMs to build detailed assembly models to visualise what the final product will look like and test designs before moving to the production stage.
Setting Up a Robust Manufacturing and Testing Infrastructure
Establishing a new manufacturing environment, which comprises the right space, equipment and skilled workforce, can be a costly and time-consuming task, potentially affecting the profitability of a new product. Furthermore, a production facility for electro-mechanical assembly must implement appropriate safety measures, as employees are often engaged in tasks that involve increased ergonomic risks.
A partnership with a contract electronics manufacturer offers OEMs a sensible solution, so they can continue with their projects without significant up-front investment. However, there are challenges in selecting the right electronics manufacturing service (EMS) provider. Some of the important factors that need to be considered are the EMS provider’s technical expertise in the area of electro-mechanical assembly, the processes they follow to ensure stringent quality checks, their flexibility to produce even small quantities, and their ability to meet deadlines without compromising the quality.
Moreover, it is very important to work with a contract manufacturer that employs stringent testing practices throughout the production process. It simplifies the manufacturing processes to follow the design requirements, eliminating the requirement for separate testing services.
An Ineffective BOM
The Bill of Materials (BOM) is a fundamental document that contains detailed information about the parts and resources required for electro-mechanical assembly. Incorrect or incomplete BOM is commonly the reason behind several production problems. Issues in the BOM can impact on the quality of the product, as it may result in wrong materials being procured. This also leads to delays in production and increased by-products owing to rework.
The BOM should be accurate to avoid these problems and OEMs should ensure the BOM is complete. Some experimenting done in this domain is: implementing an updated version control system to keep track of all iterations. This guarantees that the most current version is used while ensuring it is visible and regularly used by all business partners involved in procurement and production.
For product types that are based on a full BOM yet come with the option of multiple configured variants, the modular BOM system can be extremely useful as it helps in the re-use of components across various versions (these would be stored in your BOM as standardised, common modules).
Inconsistencies in Material Quality and Supply Chain Disruptions
The overall quality of the products comes down largely to the quality of materials and components used in the manufacturing. Although sourcing materials from trusted suppliers mitigates the risk of bad-quality materials, there is er need to worry about the last stage of life.
In the case of electro-mechanical assembly devices, random sampling of received materials from various vendors can lead to inconsistent quality of the components used. To streamline your supply chain planning, be open to working with an EMS provider that oversees supply chain operations, like Poland-based Assel, which has trusted vendors and established quality inspection processes on hand.
Assel also manages the entire supply chain apart from making sure only quality-standard materials are used for manufacturing. It draws upon robust relationships with trusted vendors and keeps alternatives available to respond to material shortages or unforeseen disruptions.
An adept EMS partner can even streamline material movement by integrating procurement, inventory management, and production scheduling; this not only helps prevent delays but also reduces the costs associated with keeping too much stock on hand or sourcing components at the last moment.
Addressing Challenges with an EMS Provider
Electro-mechanical assembly comes with its own set of challenges, but these can usually be overcome with the correct methodology. An effective product design and BOM accuracy are critical, but many other challenges in the areas of sourcing materials, manufacturing and testing, can all be addressed with the right EMS partner. To discover more about collaborating with a contract manufacturer such as Asselems.
Conclusion
DFM strategies, accurate BOMs and partnerships with high-quality EMS providers will allow OEMs to simplify processes, reduce costs and enhance product quality in these complex areas of design. If manufacturers are able to successfully address these issues, they will be poised for success.
