Skip to main content

Recently Updated Pages

4.2 Change Control and Revisions

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 4. Operating Discipline: Keeping Q...

In manufacturing, the only thing more dangerous than a bad design is an ambiguous one. "Continuou...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

4.1 Metrics That Matter: Yield, FPY, Scrap, OTD

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 4. Operating Discipline: Keeping Q...

A factory generates two things: products and data. If you ignore the data, the product will event...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.7 Shipping, Traceability, and Returns

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

The manufacturing process does not end when the device passes its final test. It ends when the cu...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.6 Harnessing and Box Build

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

The transition from PCBA to Box Build (System Integration) is a shift from the microscopic precis...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.5 Test Strategy: ICT vs Functional vs Burn-In

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

Testing is the only mechanism that converts a manufacturing gamble into a guaranteed product. Wit...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.4 Inspection and Defect Handling: AOI, X-Ray, Rework

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

Inspection does not add value to a product; it only adds cost. A board that passes inspection is ...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.3 Manual and Through-Hole Assembly

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

While SMT is a triumph of robotic consistency, Through-Hole Technology (THT) and Manual Assembly ...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.2 SMT in One Page: Print → Place → Reflow

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is the heartbeat of modern electronics manufacturing. It is a line...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

3.1 The Virtual Build: DFM + Sourcing + Data Freeze

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 3. The Factory Process: Turning Da...

Before a single dollar is spent on silicon or a single stencil is cut, the product must be built ...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

2.5 DFM Rules of Thumb for Non-Designers

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 2. The Product Anatomy: The Board ...

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is not about making a product "easy" to build; it is about obeying...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

2.4 Components and Packages

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 2. The Product Anatomy: The Board ...

A schematic symbol is a theoretical instruction; a component package is a physical constraint. In...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

2.3 Solder Mask, Silkscreen, Surface Finish

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 2. The Product Anatomy: The Board ...

Once the copper etching is complete, the board is electrically functional but manufacturing-hosti...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

2.2 Copper Features and Vias

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 2. The Product Anatomy: The Board ...

In CAD software, a trace is a vector line with zero resistance and infinite precision. On the fac...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

2.1 PCB Materials and Layers

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 2. The Product Anatomy: The Board ...

The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is not merely a passive holder for components; it is an active me...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

1.8 Quality, Compliance, and “Definition of Done”

00. EMS Fundamentals Part 1. Orientation: What EMS Is and Ho...

In professional electronics manufacturing, "it turns on" is not a quality standard; it is merely ...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

8.3 Supplier Business Reviews

09. Materials Planning, Procurement & W... Part 8. Supplier Performance & Development

A Business Review is not a social visit. It is a control mechanism. If the agenda focuses on "rel...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

8.2 Supplier Development & Escalation

09. Materials Planning, Procurement & W... Part 8. Supplier Performance & Development

Escalation is not about shouting louder or applying emotional pressure; it is a mechanical proces...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

8.1 The Supplier Scorecard

09. Materials Planning, Procurement & W... Part 8. Supplier Performance & Development

A scorecard is not a report card; it is a feedback control loop. Without objective performance da...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

7.4 Freight Booking, Consolidation & Exception Handling

09. Materials Planning, Procurement & W... Part 7. The Physical Network (Logistics)

Freight is the volatile variable that can quietly erase the cost savings you fought for during ne...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin

7.3 Reverse Logistics (RMA)

09. Materials Planning, Procurement & W... Part 7. The Physical Network (Logistics)

Reverse logistics is not waste management; it is a forensic investigation. A failed component is ...

Updated 1 month ago by Sergey Zorin