Some engineers think of mechanical manufacturing as if it were the cousin who’s invited to the wedding reception, but not the wedding, said one engineer. The result is expensive changes over in the manufacturing lines, unused manufacturing lines, and faulty components. Electronics engineers who think of mechanical manufacturing inputs from the very outset of their designs in the schematic are making a smart decision, no less critical in ensuring their prototype becomes a matured device ready for manufacturing.
Early design for manufacturability represents finding a harmonious integration of electrical principles with the reality of the pressed stroke, toolability, wall thickness, and other geometrical principles of constructibility that would make the part unconstructible. The absence of consideration for this will introduce a bug in time and money when it becomes apparent that the part geometry is not constructible with the tools that can be used to build it.
Prototyping software is being developed to deal better with the mechanical properties of refined designs. While the traditional hard breadboard has applications, it is insufficient in cases where the electronics need to be adjusted to a curved encasement, for instance, in wearable or sensor applications. The FlexBoard, developed by the FlexBoard group of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has demonstrated the ability to function in a curved structure after being bent 1,000 times and perform the analysis of the flexibility and encasement of designs that can be wrapped around a curve.
After validation, the choice of the manufacturing process is most important. A domain in which there is huge volume and high accuracy is progressive metal stamping, especially for the manufacturing of electrical contacts, EMI shields, and brackets. Regarding efficiency, for example in respect to multiple stations, for progressive stamping, there is a metal coil passing through a die set, in which there is a series of stations acting on it, as is clear from its efficiency and accuracy in respect thereof. The combination, in a collaboration in which there is stamping know-how at this juncture, of data points such as relieving notches or coining contact surfaces at a cost, prior to tool manufacturing, is possible in respect thereof.
In smaller series production or for more intricately shaped parts, CNC Machining can be rather flexible in terms of detail and precision even better than in stamping, inasmuch as no tooling costs need to be considered in the process. Modern Machining Centers equipped with Live Tooling & 3+2 Machining can produce several surfaces of an article in a single pass and therefore increase both speed and quality. As discussed in CNC design principles, well-organized designs in terms of uniform wall height, accessible tool path routes, and within limits in accordance with manufacturing precision can avoid costly redesign-to-justify problems by a significant degree.
Radii with deep grooves and sharp intrados corners can be problems for cutting tools; thus, generous radii and appropriate ratios for depth and width should be considered. Durability based on long service life is highly material-dependent. High-performance polymers, filled elastomers, and nano-engineered coatings offer resistance to temperature variation, vibration, and electrostatic discharge for electronics. Self-healing materials, with their ability to dissipate electrostatic charges using conductive materials, offer improved durability. For wearables and consumer electronics, these materials offer possibilities for providing information about enhanced mean values for repair cycles and perceived value.
Stretchable self-healing materials for substrates offer possibilities for flexible electronics applications, but some trade-offs for cost, recyclability, and processability are required. Stretching and flexing electronics can also be enhanced by innovations in the fields of materials science. Hydrogels, conducting polymers, or liquid metals demonstrate combined features of flexibility, conductibility, and hardness, which qualify these materials for incorporation with stretchers. The nature of these materials can also be optimized for selfbonding, which qualifies their incorporation with electronic components for reliable reception of signals. Their compatibility with any subsequent processing, such as the manufacturing of PCB, also requires analysis for potential risks of contamination or adhesions.
For design engineers in the realm of electronics, the important point to take away is this: the manufacturing world is not a sideline to design, but rather a participant in the design story. By harmonizing the performance characteristics of electronic circuits, produced by stamped dies, CNC, and modern materials, it becomes possible to develop solutions that work, function, and meet the real world in ways that electrically functional designs do today.