Streamlining Automotive Sensor Production
How ADCO Circuits Eliminated a Secondary Operation to Drive Efficiency and Cost Savings
ADCO Circuits, a leader in high-performance electronic assembly, was contracted by a customer to manufacture and assemble a printed circuit board for an automotive application in a Belt Tensioning System (BTS). The assembly’s original design incorporated both surface mount and through-hole technology for component placement and soldering, resulting in multiple operations throughout the manufacturing process.
ADCO Circuits, a leader in the high-performance electronic assembly was contracted by a customer to manufacture/assemble a printed circuit board for an automotive application for a Belt Tensioning System (BTS). The assembly’s current design consisted of surface mount and through technology for placement and soldering which resulted in multiple operations through the manufacturing process.
Challenge:
Maintain precision required while optimizing production efficiency
For ADCO Circuits, the challenge was to develop a manufacturing process that preserved the precision required for this safety-critical assembly while optimizing production efficiency. The customer’s original design featured a sensor mounted vertically on the PCB, requiring adherence to various verticality tolerances. The manufacturing operations involved placing and soldering surface mount components, hand-assembling the sensor, and soldering the sensor into place.
Solution Delivered:
A Complete Surface Mount Assembly and Soldering Operation
ADCO Circuits collaborated with multiple suppliers—including a PCB supplier, a component lead-forming supplier, and a custom component tape and reeling supplier—to convert the existing sensor part number from a through-hole component to a surface-mounted component. Through these partnerships, ADCO Circuits’ manufacturing engineering team was able to develop and validate, in collaboration with the customer, a fully surface-mount assembly and soldering process. This new approach maintained the required workmanship and quality while eliminating multiple steps from the original design.
Benefit / Impact:
Increased Throughput and Lower Costs
By eliminating an unnecessary manufacturing step, ADCO Circuits streamlined the production process, leading to significant cost savings and improved efficiency. This optimization created substantial value for the customer by increasing throughput and reducing costs.
ADCO Circuits’ solution resulted in notable cost savings by removing the need for a secondary operation, simplifying the manufacturing process, and enhancing overall efficiency. This approach not only addressed a key challenge but also delivered a highly efficient and valuable outcome for the client, reinforcing ADCO Circuits’ reputation as a provider of innovative and cost-effective electronic assembly solutions.