Many magnetic components are custom-designed to fit unique physical and electrical specifications because different applications need distinct parts to be safe and effective. Some inductors and transformers are subject to special safety certifications dependent on their application. Transformer designs always incorporate safe margins. Engineers should be equipped to process acceptance tests and simulate transformers under operating conditions. To ensure that the component won’t overheat during actual use or in the case of short circuits on windings, the client will need to agree to specific type tests, like surge tests. The operating temperature will determine the insulation class used in the component. Typical temperature ratings include B (130°C), F (155°C), and H (180°C). Ambient temperatures also factor into insulation types.

Types of Industrial Magnetic Components

• High-Frequency Magnetic Components: These components became more prevalent with the advent of high-efficiency switched-mode power supplies (SMPS). Initially, frequencies were around 16kHz, which is just above the human ear range; now, they’re in MHz. High-frequency power supplies are usually used to charge mobile devices. They’re also relied on for switching and regulating computers, electric vehicles, LEDs, TVs, and various communications equipment. Their components are usually made of powdered iron material or ferrite in the core. These cores come in many shapes: the higher the frequency, the smaller the inductor. Multi-strand wire or foil in the insulated tape is used with them. The primary winding is often split into two, which improves magnetic coupling. The triple-insulated wire is common to ensure superior performance in Hi-pot tests. Automated machinery can be used to wind wire onto bobbins; however, manual assembly is necessary for adding insulated tape between windings, adding sleeves to flying leads for fitting cores, protecting safety barriers, and removing wire coating for terminations.
• Low-Frequency Magnetic Components: They’re usually classified as 50 or 500Hz and connect to 220 to 240V AC single-phase mains input in Europe and 115V AC mains input in the US. There are many low-frequency applications, such as conveyor systems, electricity metering, HVAC equipment, line filtering, linear power supplies, motor drives, pumping, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Low-frequency magnetics are usually made of iron or steel laminations in the core material. Often in I or E shapes, they’re interleaved around the winding and bobbin. Toroidal cores, which are grain-oriented silicon iron that winds in a donut shape, can also be used with insulation and wire wound around it. Producing these is more time-intensive, but the core shape means the transformers have low stray magnetic fields and are more efficient and smaller in size.
• Isolated Magnetic Components: This type of component is vital when humans contact electrical output, such as a laptop charger. Transformers help prevent electric shock to the user since the primary circuitry is separated from the secondary circuitry by the transformer. The transformer windings have layers of insulation made of plastic bobbin or insulation tape. Isolated magnetics are also incredibly important to medical technologies. These barriers are typically triple-insulated or use a spacing of several millimeters; sometimes, the barriers use both. Electronics may come in direct contact with patients or users. In these cases, toroidal isolation transformers are used, which ensure that operation isn’t only effective but safe.
• Non-Isolated Magnetic Components: These components are made up of conductors that reduce electronic noise or store energy for short periods. Filters and transformers let them step up or step down AC voltages. For example, a step-down transformer can take a 400V AC/415V AC input to 230V AC.

Syrma: Magnetics Manufacturer

We provide a full range of custom magnetic assemblies and magnetic products. Our advanced and scalable production resources enable us to meet your cost and performance specifications. Magnetic components (chokes, inductors, and transformers) are key automotive, computers, consumer electronics, defense, home appliances, and lighting. Our Ferrite core transformers, both through-hole and SMD type, have up to 500 watts with a frequency of up to 300 kHz. Our inductors operate over a wide range of frequencies, input voltages, and inductance values. Our chokes protect circuits from high-frequency alternating current and allow for low-frequency direct current.

Our engineering team draws upon 20+ years of experience at the forefront of analog design and manufacturing to ensure a streamlined end-to-end product cycle, from prototyping and testing through high-volume production. Our localized supply-chain ecosystem enables us to seek lower costs among trusted suppliers constantly. Core materials used in magnetics include cobalt alloys, ferrite, metallic glass, nickel alloys, and silicon iron. Construction of coil devices varies widely in the number of turns of a magnet, tefzel, and litz wires. Most windings are automatically wound on thermoplastic or thermoset bobbins, which offer excellent ground insulation, the most effective use of window area, and the greatest amount of control for through-hole or surface mounting.

Backed by 40 Years of Expertise

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

To learn more about this topic, please contact us.

The post Designing Custom Magnetic Components for Electronics appeared first on Syrma SGS.

The rising content of electronics in devices, vehicles and machines coupled with the unprecedented component shortage situation puts a lot of global manufacturers’ supply chains at risk. Most components, particularly the actives are in short supply, at lead times of 30-60 weeks and at dramatically higher prices.

Manufacturers of electronic assemblies need to choose the right EMS partner to ensure that supply chain challenges are minimized, and production issues don’t take a toll on business performance.

Most parameters on which an EMS partner must be evaluated on during normal times, apply even now. EMS partners must have a reputation for consistent quality, be responsive, capable to address needs, have proven technical expertise, and the ability to deliver on schedule at competitive costs.

Commitment. Track record. Bandwidth.

The partner you are considering engaging with should be supportive and willing to go the extra mile. Contact a few customers of theirs to ascertain that they can address the requirements as expected. Do check if they have the bandwidth and capability to take on newer engagements and are not spreading themselves too thin. Interact with teams from business development, project management, supply chain, operations and engineering to evaluate capability of their employees.

Presence and reach                        

Your partner has to have a presence across multiple geographies and enduring relationships with distributors and manufacturers in multiple countries. This would be of strategic importance to you compared with a partner that has a presence in one region and limited supplier relationships. You can expect better support considering that bandwidth and network. Ensure that the partner you select is strong financially and is able to invest in people, capabilities and infrastructure as your business grows.

Proven expertise, logistics and product mix

Look for a partner that has a high-mix, precision manufacturing capabilities. Consider their technical and manufacturing capability, compliance and quality certifications. Also evaluate their locational advantage, connectivity, and ability to ship in the shortest possible time. Export requirements are best served out of units located in Special Economic Zones. Look for experience on similar products manufactured and supplied to other customers in your industry or geography.

Engineering capabilities

Look for a partner who is able to support you on product design and development, has capabilities on design for manufacturing, tester development and New Product Introduction and Manufacturing Engineering. These capabilities will help reduce the time to market and improve First Pass Yields.

Once you identify a partner you feel can work for you best, work on the terms of engagement, share your requirements, conclude any audits, agree on commercials, define schedules for product development, pilot and series production, and get into project execution backed by solid program management.

Syrma SGS Technology Limited – The best electronic manufacturing services partner you can get

Syrma SGS Technology Limited is one of India’s leading Electronic Systems Design and Manufacturing companies. We offer product design, PCB Assembly, Box Builds, Tester Development and Repair & Rework services to customers across 20+ countries. We are manufacturing partners to several Fortune 100 companies. The company boasts of a 40-year legacy of innovative electronics and specializes in high-mix, flexible-volume precision manufacturing Syrma SGS also designs custom high frequency magnetics and RFID solutions. Over the last decade, the company has shipped over 600 Million products across the globe. The company has 11 manufacturing facilities across 8 locations in India and has 18 high speed SMT lines. Syrma SGS also has strong box build capabilities for final product assembly. This combination of manufacturing strength, technical expertise, and logistical advantage enables Syrma SGS to deliver unparalleled value to our customers.

The post Choosing the Right Partner in Times of Component Shortage appeared first on Syrma SGS.

Increasing India’s Rural Demand

The consumption pattern of home appliances is witnessing an uptrend in rural areas due to increasing technology awareness and product affordability. Surprisingly, the annual consumption growth rate in the Indian rural market exceeds urban consumption by over 1% point at 9.7%. Rural Indian households are spending more on basic, healthcare, and education needs than a few years ago. [2]

This has led the brands to shift their focus towards rural markets as it holds the largest demand base of more than 720M consumers. Refrigerators, kitchen appliances, and other consumer electronic goods are likely to see demands in the years to come. The government’s rural electrification and power infrastructure up-gradation are taking a new shape. [3]

Increasing Need for Localization

Around 95% of consumer electronics and appliances sold in India are assembled locally. However, dependence on China for components and completely knockdown kits still ranges up to 70% of the total value addition. To overcome this domestic disability, the Indian government is pushing for a self-reliant Indian market, especially for consumer electronics such as televisions, air conditioners, mobile phones, and many more.

Recent amendments of import policy, such as licensing import of fully-built televisions, move towards achieving self-reliance. This forces the importer of the commodity to seek an import license from the government and imposes a soft barrier to easy entry. There could be more such announcements coming in the consumer electronics segment, creating a need for a localized supply chain in consumer electronics.

India’s Favorable EMS Ecosystem

Industries across the world are revisiting their global supply chain and reworking alternative business continuity plan. There’s a clear proposition across the board of companies to move to China plus one strategy to reduce their dependence on a single source. It’s a favorable time for India’s capabilities to support the design-led manufacturing of such consumer electronic products.

The government is making multiple moves to improve the ecosystem for manufacturing. Initiatives like permitting 100% FDI and providing CAPEX and disability subsidy in consumer electronics manufacturing encourage more foreign companies to set up manufacturing facilities in India. The government’s focus on ease of doing business and liberal incentive packages announced for investments in electronics is an added advantage.

Backed by 40 Years of Expertise

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

To learn more about this topic, please contact us.

The post India’s Consumer Appliances & Electronics Market Growth appeared first on Syrma SGS.

The percentage of middle-class Indians aged 25 or younger applying to universities has increased by more than 60% in the past decade and is expected to continue to rise. With this growing middle class has also come an increase in economic consumption. The adoption of high-end technologies is also contributing to the growth in consumer electronic devices. The introduction of major technology transitions like IoT and 4G/LTE networks is rapidly increasing consumer electronics adoption. India is already the Asia Pacific’s fastest-growing smartphone market, and its IoT market is projected to be worth $9B by 2020. [1,2]

India’s Electronics Market

The Indian government has initiated Smart City and Digital India projects to stir up demand for IoT within the national market. The digital banking sector, including payment banks and wallet players, raises demand for VSAT and POS mobile ATMs. These will give further impetus to the rapidly expanding electronics industry. The cumulative result of these advances and projects is that India has become one of the largest electronics markets in the world. Some estimates anticipate that India’s electronics market will reach $400B by 2025. Additionally, the consumer electronics and appliances industry is expected to become the 5th largest electronics industry in the world by the same year.

India experiences average annual growth rates of 26% in its electronics sector, 185% in mobile manufacturing, 17% in domestic manufacturing, and 8.60% in its hardware market. Projections also show that the Indian gaming market will be valued at more than $801M by 2022. The electronics market is currently expected to reach $228B by 2020. This was a significant increase from 2016-17 when it was valued at $100 billion. In 2015, India’s electronic products industry was worth $61.8B. India’s electronic products made up 82% of the overall market in 2015, with the remainder being electronic components. The entire electronic component industry was worth about $13.5B in 2015. Imports drive Between 70 to 80% of India’s electronic components market. [2]

 Domestic Electronics Deficit

Despite the upturn in domestic manufacturing, India’s electronics production during 2018-19 is estimated to be Rs 4,58,006 crore (about $70B). In contrast, the global electronics production is estimated to be $2.1T (about Rs 136 lakh crore). Therefore, India’s share in global electronics production is about 3.3%. India’s domestic electronics hardware manufacturing sector faces a lack of level-playing field against competing nations on several disabilities, rendering the sector uncompetitive.

Several factors create this trade deficit: adequate infrastructure, domestic supply chain and logistics, high cost of finance, inadequate availability of quality power, inadequate components, limited design capabilities, and inadequacies in skill development. India’s government recognizes this imbalance for electronics as the 3rd largest contributor to imports and is working to correct this issue quickly. The government has taken a slew of initiatives; as a result, production of electronics in India has risen to an estimated Rs 4.58 lakh crore in FY19, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 25% in the last four years, compared to a rate of 5.5% in 2014-15. [3]

India’s Technological Growth

Numerous factors are driving the continued growth in India’s electronics industry. These include Wi-Fi connectivity and routers, IoT, digital wallets, and machine-to-machine devices. The Indian government has set a goal of building 100 smart cities by 2020. Through its cloud initiative, known as Meghraj, India is moving fully into the world of e-governance services. The Indian government also connects educational institutions and laboratories through its National Knowledge Network (NKN). Finally, India is integrating renewable energy technologies by investing in solar-powered pump sets and water pumping stations. As part of ongoing efforts to continue increasing the growth of India’s electronics industry, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) has implemented several policies and projects. These are designed to promote further domestic production in the electronics industry. 

• National Policy on Electronics: This policy aims to give preferential treatment to domestically produced electronics to build a globally trusted electronics market and provide new opportunities for job growth throughout India. The Indian government recently announced that it’d add an update to the National Policy, which will likely occur soon. This update adds the goal of increasing design opportunities for electronic devices, along with expanding domestic production. By adding opportunities for tech innovation, the government aims to develop devices that will prove vital in the next decade. These electronic devices would be a part of industries ranging from medicine to transportation to defense. [4]
• Preferential Market Access (PMA): This incentive gives preference to domestic manufacturers when it comes to government procurement. This scheme is designed to increase domestic manufacturing, including electronics, in India. According to the Compulsory Registration Order (CRO), items must meet safety standards, which gives a framework for other electronics to be added. Assistance up to 50% with a maximum of $8 million is available for common facilities, including training centers, testing facilities, and social infrastructure. Hard infrastructure like power, water, and roads, are also included. [2]
• Skill Development Scheme: This scheme provides for reimbursement up to 100% of training fees for specialized skills required of prospective employees within the country. To qualify, training must be provided by a facility recognized by the Electronics Sector Skills Council (ESSC). A scheme was passed in 2014 to support 3,000 more PhDs, split evenly between IT/ITES and ESDM. 500 PhDs in ESDM will be full-time, and the state government will support 100 full-time PhDs. [2]

Backed by 40 Years of Expertise

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

To learn more about this topic, please contact us.

The post New Factors Driving India’s Electronics Industry appeared first on Syrma SGS.

Mobile devices have small passive components that need high-density installation, and conventional surface-mount technology based on two-dimensional implementation doesn’t have the ability to support these passive components. The inadequacy of conventional surface mounting areas has led to the rapid adoption of embedded PCB technology. This applies not only to small mobile devices but also to electronic devices of all kinds. [1,2] 

The Design of PCB Technology

PCB technology supports and connects electrical or electronic components. It does this through the use of conductive tracks and pads made from sheet layers of copper. The copper components are laminated between sheet layers of the non-conductive substrates and soldered onto PCBs. This allows them to connect electrically and remain mechanically fastened in place. Therefore, PCB technology affects both hardware and tech functions. PCBs have different numbers of layers depending on their application. They’re generally single, double, or multi-layered.

Each copper layer alternates with a non-conductive substrate. Multi-layered PCBs enable a far higher component density. Other methods would cause the circuit traces on inner layers to take up surface space between the components. Surface mount technology was adopted simultaneously as multi-layered PCBs since multi-layered PCBs often make repairs, analysis, and circuit modification more difficult or even impossible.

PCB Technology in Mobile Devices

PCBs in small mobile devices can be divided into two parts: network section and power section. These two parts can be further subdivided. The network section part possesses an antenna point. This refers to the place where an antenna connects to the component. It can often be found at the top of the PCB. The network section also has an antenna switch made of both metal and non-metal, which includes 16 points. In some devices, the antenna switch merges with a power frequency operator or PFO. Below or beside these components is the network integrated component or (IC), which sometimes merges with the central processing unit (CPU), and below the network section is the power section. This contains the CPU, flash IC, the 20-point logic IC, charging IC, and audio IC.

Advantages of PCB Technology

PCB allows for the reduction of surface mounting areas. It does this by using embedded chip components (resistance and condensers). PCB also improves devices’ electrical properties. It does this by using shorter wiring distances between embedded components and surface-installed ICs. Additionally, shortened pitches between each component improve electronic performance. They do this by working with improved heat resistance. This is made possible by connections between component terminals. These components use copper plating and laser drilling. In small mobile devices, space is limited. Therefore, these qualities are instrumental in using space and improving performance. Without the advances brought by PCB technology, small mobile devices would be far more difficult to produce. They would also be more limited in their capabilities and functionality.

Alternatives to PCB Technology

Wire wrap and point-to-point construction are both alternatives to PCBs. Both alternatives were once popular for electronic devices; however, they’ve been mostly phased out since the advent of PCBs. PCB manufacturing and assembly are easy to automate. This means it’s also easier to add more design options in laying out circuits. CAD software designed for PCB production is often used to do the majority of layout design. Mass-produced circuits using PCBs are more affordable and quicker to produce than alternatives. This is because PCB components are mounted and wired in a single operation. High quantities of PCBs can be manufactured at the same time on only one layout. This means they are also simpler to produce than other wiring methods. Sometimes, PCBs are also produced in small amounts by hand.

However, this reduces many of the PCBs’ associated benefits. PCB is better for small mobile devices over alternatives because of its improved use of less space. This is the key factor of its widespread use and status as a standard technology in the mobile device industry. Without PCBs, mobile device production would suffer. It would be more expensive and time-consuming, and far less efficient in both manufacturing and product capabilities. For this reason, printed circuit board technology is the most widely used technology for mobile device production in the industry.

Backed by 40 Years of Expertise

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

To learn more about this topic, please contact us.

The post Embedded PCB Technology for Small Mobile Devices appeared first on Syrma SGS.

“As new semiconductor products increase in demand, the manufacturing volume increases, and older products are phased out. This is the semiconductor lifecycle. When the original semiconductor manufacturer chooses to discontinue a product, they typically offer an end-of-life purchase. The issue with this is that few customers have the ability to fund these purchases or buy enough for their continuing requirements,” says Chris Gerrish, President, Rochester Electronics. Emerging industries and products such as the Internet of things, automotive, and mobile require new chips that possess longer lifespans, smaller sizes, and lower power consumption rates. As a result, even end-products experience shortened life cycles.

“Many products are discontinued as wafer fabs, assembly, and test contractors stop supporting older technologies and systems,” says Gerrish. There are some instances when engineers are inclined to use an EOL component to keep costs low for a particular project. Still, most often, this poses a serious inconvenience, as production of a part has suddenly stopped, and now they’re forced to find components that suit the form, fit, and function of the previous parts they were working with. Most industries will have to combat the challenge of component obsolescence at some point. Those in the military and aerospace markets encounter this less frequently since those sectors require a minimum of 10 to 15 years of support.

Overcoming Component Obsolescence

To adapt to the issue, OEMs design-in components of similar functionality, two to three alternates, and sometimes even have to re-design the entire product, according to Sreedharan NG, Syrma’s VP of Engineering. This can have a costly effect on OEMs as components become obsolete more quickly and re-designing or qualifying component alternatives increases. “There comes a time when [a part] reaches the end of its useful lifespan. When support wanes, due to obsolescence and lack of spare parts, or if the vendor withdraws active support for your system, the cost to your business increases,” says Jeff Conner, Dallas Service Manager at Control Concepts. Incorporating these tactics into the development strategy will be useful as 2017 has been a year full of component shortages due to company mergers, price hikes, and a flat-out lack of demand.

There are three key ways to deal with this:

• Find comparable parts: Many manufacturers are developing strategies to assist. For example, Texas Instruments provides product obsolescence notifications and offers a Life Time Buy (LTB) opportunity, as well as a handy cross-reference search tool for discovering part alternatives. The company also accepts customer orders for products up to 12 months from the date of obsolescence notification and allows an additional six months to deliver any ordered product.
• Incorporate customization: Work with manufacturers that will design the parts you need to produce your component. The key to the solution is a partnership between manufacturers and companies that can provide products that last for extended periods of time. Rochester Electronics is one such company. Companies like Rochester Electronics can provide physical design and process replication, as well as reverse engineering.
• Be educated: It’s important to stay up-to-date on part status changes and failure/counterfeit components. Learn more about product forecasts before developing a product to better prepare. Researching the driving trends behind obsolescence as part of your sourcing strategy will benefit companies in the long run.

To view the original article, please click here.

The post Electronics 360: Combat Obsolete, End-of-Life Components appeared first on Syrma SGS.