From Design to Prototype in 3 Days

On-site fabrication of high-precision prototype circuit boards enables Advanced Mobile Solutions to turn ideas into reliable designs in record time

Introduction: Turnaround time is a critical factor in the development of new products for the highly competitive and fast-paced world of mobile telecommunications equipment. Advanced Mobile Solutions (AMS), a leading edge supplier of compact power supplies for mobile applications, has reduced the verification of new designs from weeks to days by using a precision circuit board plotter to produce prototype boards.

Time to market is a major challenge for AMS, as they must meet tough new design criteria and perform extensive environmental testing on every prototype. New more compact and powerful telecommunication devices demand more efficient power supplies that fit into smaller spaces, making them more complex and densely populated. Prototypes of new designs need to accurately simulate the finished product and each new design is rigorously tested to ensure that it will withstand rough handling and harsh environments. AMS had to find a way to meet the new demands while maintaining their competitive advantage with fast time to market.

The Problem: Prototype board turns interrupt test lab work flow, delay introductions

At the AMS Design Verification/Accelerated Life Test Lab, new designs are subjected to extensive environmental, qualification and reliability tests before they are released to manufacturing. The $2 Million facility is used to conduct stringent Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) and Compliance Verification Testing.



Prototypes must be built with high quality printed circuit cards to accurately simulate the finished product’s physical and electrical characteristics. Tight circuit geometry, controlled trace lengths, precise component mounting and proper dielectric materials are crucial for valid test results, and all are beyond the capabilities of generic breadboarding systems.

A new prototype that fails a test is returned to the engineering team for evaluation and modification. Testing is either shifted to another product or is suspended until the problem is fixed and the board is turned. Delays in this cycle interrupt the workflow and jeopardize the schedule of other projects as well, since the entire test sequence must be restarted for each new board turn.
 
AMS tried using outside vendors for their prototype boards, but long and unpredictable lead times were causing delays for each new board turn. The pressure to turn redesigns around quickly became intense when the Lab was waiting.

Kevin Berg, R&D Technician, explained, "We thought that our only choices were to create a complex and hazardous in-house chemical fabrication process (which we could not justify) or to tolerate the vendor lead-times. Our product evaluation ground to a halt as we waited for the vendor to complete the board turn, and other projects were shuffled or interrupted when the new board came back. When the delays stretched into weeks, we knew we had to make a change or risk losing customers for tens of thousands of products per month – our future was on the line."

The Solution: Low-cost prototype cards in minutes, without hazardous chemicals

A few months ago, AMS engineers adopted a new approach to prototyping - they brought in an LPKF ProtoMat® C30 printed circuit card plotter system. The system downloads files directly from their CAE program and translates them into board layouts. It then automatically produces each board by drilling the through holes and milling the traces from a variety of standard copper-clad FR3, FR4 and G10 laminated materials. Boards are cut to precise sizes and tolerances, and components are mounted exactly as they would be on the final product.

The plotter system is kept in the design lab. No chemicals are used in this process and a built in vacuuming system keeps the area dust-free. An acoustic enclosure is used to minimize noise distractions.

The Bottom Line: Fast turnaround without sacrificing quality

"We made a dramatic breakthrough by shifting prototype production to the in-house circuit board plotter," Berg continued. "We are now able to turn out new revisions of high precision prototype cards in 5-10 minutes each – a huge savings in both time and logistics."



"Our engineers and technicians can react to test results on the spot, with improvements and revisions. We routinely get the revised prototype back into test within a few hours, while the process is still fresh in our minds. Most importantly, we are finding excellent correlation with the production units. These new prototypes are helping us meet the challenges of small geometry, high-efficiency power supplies in record time."

"We are literally getting from designs to prototypes in three days."

About AMS

AMS is a privately held firm with Corporate Headquarters and R&D Center in Moraga, California, Worldwide Sales Offices in Chicago, Illinois and manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Brazil, Korea and Peoples Republic of China.

The AMS cellular telephone product line includes a broad range of battery packs, chargers and adapters for OEM customers such as Motorola, Sony, Ericsson and Qualcomm. Their newest product is a unique compact Wireless Hands-Free Headset for mobile cell phones, which they will offer in retail markets.

About LPKF

LPKF Laser & Electronics is a wholly owned subsidiary of LPKF Laser & Electronics AG of Garbsen, Germany, a publicly traded company. Founded in 1976, LPKF has established itself on the international market in the fields of advanced circuit board prototyping, SMD stencils and high-density circuit board designs, eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals. Their revolutionary MicroLine laser circuit structuring processes are transforming the design of smaller, lower cost, higher-performance products for telecommunications, computing, medical, video and measurement applications.

LPKF high precision circuit board plotters, multilayer devices and plating systems have become the standard of the industry with more than 8,000 installations worldwide. The drilling and milling process is simple, safe and economical. High precision tools and superior mechanical design turn circuit designs into holes and traces on a card by removing material. The ProtoMat® C30 plotter features repetition accuracy of 0.2 mils and it can produce traces as fine as 4 mils with spacing down to 8 mils. A typical card can be produced within 1-2 hours for $7 to $10 in materials and tools.