Category: Manufacturing Blog

Some business owners pay special attention to the waste management of visible objects, such as the reduction of hardware material costs and the disposal of dull materials. 

Nowadays labor costs are far greater than material costs to a certain extent. For example, engineering personnel with high salaries, managers who are difficult to measure efficiency, etc., all wasted time will be converted into personnel wages.

A company’s employee compensation may eat up more than half of the company’s profits, some or even all of it, such as loss-making companies.

Therefore, how to improve working efficiency – work time halved becomes essential.

For example, the production cycle of a product is shortened from 4 days to 2 days or the mold change time of a machine tool is shortened from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, or the production cycle of a product line is shortened from 180 seconds to 90 seconds, or a certain product line is shortened. The length of the regular meeting is shortened from 2 hours to 1 hour, or the time of a certain task process flow is shortened from 1 day to half a day, etc… Time is money, and time is competitiveness.

The power of time cost reduction is far greater than material cost reduction.

Product Development Time Halved

The product development cycle of a new product determines its product development cost and launch cycle. The former cost represents the labor cost of product development project personnel, and the latter cost determines whether it can beat its peers and whether it can take the lead in the tide of market competition, reflecting unlimited business value.

Some companies are quick to launch new products without comprehensive market study and design thoughts, the engineering personnel works behind closed doors and thus the product needs years of revisions and some even die in the end. In such design problems or engineering negligence. the profit would have been lost to personnel costs or other administrative management costs. 

It’s very tragic that sales increased year after year, but the gross profit margin of its products declined year by year. If the product development cycle can be shortened by 40%, the research and development cost can be reduced by 50%. New products can occupy the market in the fastest time. 

Production Time Halved

The biggest time consumption of manufacturing enterprises should be on the front line of the workshop. There are many people and many product lines. Mass production will have a fixed manufacturing time every day.

If there are 300 people in the front line, working 8 hours a day, and 2,400 people a day, if it can be reduced by 10%, that is, the production efficiency can be increased by 10%, then 30 people will be saved, which will be a huge fortune.

Through the implementation of lean production, the efficiency is generally improved by 30-50%, and even 100% is no problem.

It’s not that the work is slow, but the waiting time is too much, and the effective working time is too little.

Some companies are losing money, while others are operating in difficulties, but they don’t know that they have a gold mine in their hands but turn a blind eye. A lean production is a powerful tool for streamlining production time.

Process Time Halved

The information flow in an enterprise is invisible and intangible. In fact, it may be a huge time consumer.

Business owners have high requirements for visible working hours and require repeated compression. Enterprise leaders often talk about the need to speed up the product development cycle, whether the design cycle can be shortened by a few days, whether the workshop manufacturing time can be faster, and whether the delivery time can be faster.

But there are still many black holes that they don’t care about at all. For example, sales does not go to the customer to verify the specific time of project delivery in advance. Everything is not groundless. Often customers rush to order. Sales do not actively follow the front-end information, allowing passing time of useful information. Some sales personnel receive the customer’s demand information, put it in the drawer, and forget to pass it across the organization. This time waste is not one hour or three hours, and some are counted by week and month, After the reaction, there is no way to improve the quality of the product by pressing the rigidity time of the product development (product design and engineering) side. The product development department is unwilling to disclose its own product development plan, as if this is a private plot of its own. After the product is developed, it is inconvenient to purchase materials and manufacture, and there is still much room for improvement in material application and process design. This is the result of information confidentiality, which will be paid with money later.
Some processes need to be approved by more than 20 people, which takes more than a month and is very time-consuming.

Conclusion

In today’s increasingly fierce market competition, it is very difficult to blindly rely on increasing sales to increase profits. It is often not your own final say. What you should do is try your best to reduce the cost of time.

Time waste is the most hidden, the most expensive, and the most bottomless.
If you can’t quickly reduce the product development time by 50%, the lead time by 50%, the production time by 50%, and the inventory turnover rate by one time, then you must have done something wrong.

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NPI Project Management Service

 

There is an important strategy in new product development (NPI) – Concurrent Engineering. Concurrent engineering also refers as simultaneous engineering, is a method of designing and developing products, in which the different stages run simultaneously, rather than consecutively. It comprehensively considers product characteristics such as manufacturability, affordability, reliability, maintainability, plan-in-advance ability, and marketability in the early design stage to prevent unnecessary occurrences in later production stages. problems or delays.

Since any decision on design has a profound impact on the long-term cost and survival of the product, the design cost, which accounts for 5% to 15% of the total product/service expenditure, directly affects 70% of the total cost. That is, once the product/service is designed, most of the costs are determined. Therefore, the close cooperation between the procurement and design departments in many fields is particularly important. Each of these areas is discussed below.

Research & Development

Procurement should be consulted as soon as the R&D department conceptualizes a new product/service. Because procurement can provide very constructive advice and can quickly identify potential resources. Close collaboration between design and procurement can bring valuable information to R&D efforts, speeding time-to-market for new products, while reducing costs and improving quality.

Alternatives and Product Innovation

Procurement not only knows the various parts and components used by the company, but also has a lot of resource information. As a result, they can recommend components to the design department that meet performance specifications at the lowest cost. Moreover, since the sourcing also knows excellent suppliers who are familiar with the relevant industries, these suppliers may provide more reasonable and more economical parts than the original design, so the close relationship between the sourcing and these suppliers can also bring value to the design things. In addition, if the company’s design resources cannot keep up with the new product development requirements, it is possible to seek external design services. At this time, procurement personnel can give full play to their role in contract management, qualification certification and negotiation. The advantage in skills minimizes the associated risks and ensures that the design can be completed successfully on time.

Early Supplier Involvement (ESI)

ESI refers to the cooperation of one or several professional suppliers and a professional design group of the buyer to develop product specifications, the purpose is to use the supplier’s skills to improve the process, assembly and delivery experience.  Due to the procurement is very important to the supplier’s early involvement degree, they know best how it works to optimize the value of the supplier, therefore, procurement has the most important influence on the ESI side.

Cost & Profit issues

In the aforementioned “simultaneous engineering”, if procurement can participate in product design at an early stage, it can play a great role. The value of purchases is greatest during the new product development phase, and gradually decreases as the process of placing an order gets closer. In addition to early involvement in design, procurement excels at sourcing, which is identifying which supplier and what level of partnership to establish with it. In addition, the contribution of procurement lies in the forecasting of the procurement market and contract negotiations. Nowadays, product life cycles have become shorter and shorter, there is simply no time to make up for it if it’s not a one-time success. Therefore, performance monitoring has become the most minor part. Of course, for companies with long product life cycles, such as in the automotive industry, procurement is often more focused on cost reductions for existing products, so potential cost reductions remain a major issue even after production begins.

Target Cost

As we all know, the target cost is the result obtained by subtracting the expected profit of the enterprise from the price accepted by the market. Under this cost, the cost of all functions of the business, such as sales, distribution, production, labor and materials, are taken into account. Obviously, procurement costs are of course one of the most important parts. Therefore, in order to effectively achieve the target cost, the procurement must participate in the design team to modify and improve the design together with the designers, so that the product can not only meet the functional requirements, but also meet the requirements of the target cost. It is worth noting that the target cost is an interactive process. If the target cost cannot be achieved within the time frame required by the new product, the company must decide what to do, cancel the new product plan or delay the new product plan. Because target costs do not exist in isolation, the most effective way to implement them is through the formation of cross-functional teams, combined with strategies such as early supplier engagement, price analysis, and value engineering.

Speed of Market Entry

The speed of product market entry has become one of the important means of competition among enterprises. It includes two important aspects, the new product development speed and the transmission speed of products in the “pipeline” of the company’s entire operating system. The role of procurement is to certify and confirm suppliers as early as possible in order to provide a stable supply of material parts and services. Also bring the right suppliers into the early design process. In addition, the flow of products in the company’s entire operation system, that is, the cycle from determining product demand to delivery to users, is also an important factor affecting the speed of market entry. Therefore, in order to speed up the market entry of the product, the following must be done.

• Improve market forecast accuracy
• Necessary simplification and standardization of components
• Suppliers should be selected as close as possible to the production or distribution center
• Improve communication with downstream customers and upstream suppliers
• Reduce waste and lower inventory
• The design of the operating system should be flexible

The above work is closely related to the functions of supply chain management. In addition to the above aspects, procurement and supply chain personnel also play an important role in supplier development and acquisition of procurement funds. New product development (NPI) must take full advantage of the strategic position of procurement in the business, and suppliers should also be a part of the new product development process. Procurement and supply chain personnel are responsible for important information transfer and exchange between suppliers and end users.

 

The iF Design Award is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world and has been held in Germany since 1953. The iF Design Award logo signifies good design and is a mark of quality for both consumers and designers.

The iF Design Award jury evaluates all entries using five updated criteria (Creativity, Form, Function, Differentiation, Impact) developed in conjunction with an international team of design experts. Based on these criteria, judges will score each entry and provide detailed and informative feedback to each entrant.

5 Screening Criteria of iF Design Award

Idea

Mission: Did the design achieve its goals?

Relevance: Is the design relevant?

Fit for purpose: Is the idea appropriate?

Form

Emotional appeal: Does the design appeal to the target group?

Execution: how is it made?

Aesthetics: Why does it look the way it does?

Function

Usability: Is it easy to use?

Efficiency: Does it work well?

User benefits: Does it serve users?

Differentiation

Innovation: Is it new?

Brand differentiation: Is it right for the brand?

Impact

Outcome: Has the goal been achieved?

Social benefits: Does it benefit society?

Sustainability: Is it sustainable?

The Process And How Much It Cost To Apply For iF Design Award

1. Registration fee

250 euros – 450 euros subject to the timeline.

If your work has been evaluated in the iF Design Award online pre-selection, you will receive a detailed iF Design Award jury feedback form.

2. Judging Fee (You Are Shortlisted!)

200 euros.

The iF Design Award final jury evaluates your work, you can choose to give a digital or physical presentation to the jury and you will receive an updated iF Design Award final jury feedback form.

3. Winner Fees

1,800 euros – 2,700 euros.

You have unlimited access to the iF Design Awards 2023 logo. Your work will be featured online and in the iF Design Award app. You earn global iF Design Award ranking points and you will be invited to the iF Design Award Night 2023.

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LKK Design iF Design Award Projects

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The Red Dot Design Award is known as the “The Oscars” of the Design Industry”, and world-renowned brands such as Apple, Sony, Huawei, and Midea have all won the award. 

The Red Dot Design Award History

With a history of more than 60 years, the Red Dot Design Award was established earlier than other international design awards. The award can be traced back to the Verein Industrieform established on July 30, 1954. The association was initiated by Professor Carl Hundhausen, head of Krupp’s public relations and advertising department, to promote the export and modernization of German consumer goods. In 1955, the association hosted the first annual design competition and exhibition.

In 1990, the association evolved into the company “Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen” (DZNRW), which also had a company logo: a black and orange dot with letters. In 1991, Peter Zec, former President of the International Council of Industrial Design Societies (Icsid) and President of the Association of German Industrial Designers (VDID), took over the DZNRW company and redeveloped the Red Dot Design Award logo, which was first introduced as an award logo in 1992.

Later, with the increasing internationalization of the Red Dot Design Award, its name was changed from the German “Roter Punkt” to the English “Red Dot”. evolved into today’s style.

Compared with other international awards held by authoritative official organizations (such as the Academy Awards, which is hosted by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), the Red Dot Design Award is more popular and for profit.

According to the official website of the Red Dot Design Award, the jury of the 2022 Red Dot Design Award is composed of 48 professors, consultants, industrial designers, and journalists from different fields. In order to avoid bribery or favoritism, the judges cannot select products that they participated in the production process.

According to the available information, in 2020, the Red Dot Design Award officially received about 17,670 works from 70 countries and regions around the world to participate in the selection. Searching for the Red Dot Design Award on Google, the world’s largest search engine, yields 3.4 billion results. It should be said that it is a well-known award in the world.

The Red Dot Design Award Category

The Red Dot Design Award actually has a complex award system. Collectively referred to as the “Red Dot Design Award”, it is divided into three main tracks: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design, and Design Concept. There are also different sub-tracks under the main tracks.

Main Tracks	Sub-tracks
Product Design	Red Dot Red Dot: Best of the Best
Brands & Communication Design	Red Dot Red Dot: Best of the Best Red Dot: Grand Prix Red Dot: Brand of the Year Red Dot: Junior Prize
Design Concept	Red Dot Red Dot: Best of the Best Red Dot: Honourable Mention Red Dot: Luminary

Among them, the most accessible award is the Red Dot, which is available in all three main tracks. According to the data on the official website of Red Dot Design Award, in 2020, the number of Red Dots that won the Red Dot Design Award accounted for 16% of the total number of entries (only 1% that won the Best of the Best Red Dot Award); as far as the product design track is concerned, the number of Red Dot awards accounted for 25% of the total number of entries in the track (and the number of Red Dot Best of the Best awards only accounted for 1.2%).

To win the Grand Prix and Luminary, the difficulty is even higher. In 2020, the Grand Prix award ratio is 7/7000, which is only 0.1%, and the number of Luminary awards is 1/4170, which is 0.02%.

How To Apply For Red Dot Design Award

The selection process for the Red Dot Design Award is as follows: select a race track, submit information on the registration website, pay fees, review by experts, and awards. Entries in the product design track also need to mail the products to the designated address.

Taking the product design track as an example, the registration fee for a single product ranges from 300-650 euros. The later the registration time, the more expensive the registration fee. If the submitted product display space exceeds 3 square meters, or other description materials such as images, videos, documents, etc. need to be uploaded, an additional fee of 150-500 euros will be charged. In 2022, entrants can also use the same work to sign up for the two categories of “smart products” and “innovative products”, but need to pay two registration fees.

If the winner is awarded in the product design category, the entrant also needs to pay the “prize acceptance fee”. A Red Dot Design Award (Red Dot) requires a redemption fee of 3,950 euros and a Red Dot: Best of the Best award requires 5,995 euros. The award-winning works participating in the offline exhibition organized by Red Dot Design Award require 0 – 2050 euros and getting extra pages in the “Red Dot Design Yearbook” require 570 – 1750 euros.

In sum, the product design track costs around 4,500 euros to 10,000 euros; the brands & communication track costs around  1,800 euros to  7200 euros; and the design concept track costs around 800 euros to 1000 euros.

The Red Dot Design Award does not limit the number of registrations, that is to say, a company can submit multiple products. 

Learn More: 

LKK Design Red Dot Design Award Projects

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When we choose suppliers, of course, we want the suppliers to be excellent and loyal. This is similar to choosing a partner. However, for many companies, the reality is: that excellent suppliers are usually not loyal enough, and loyal suppliers are usually not good enough, so they continue to develop suppliers, and constantly changing suppliers have become a helpless choice for these companies.

Suppliers Are The Foundation Of Product Realization

The quality, price, and delivery cycle of parts and components determine the quality, cost, and production cycle of the product to a large extent.

The greater the proportion of outsourced and purchased components in the components that make up the product, the greater the degree of such determination, and the quality, cost, and delivery cycle of components depend on the supplier.

Therefore, suppliers are the basis for the realization of our products. We should treat suppliers as our own branches, trust suppliers, rely on suppliers, do our best to serve suppliers, and cultivate suppliers into a solid production base.

02 Treat suppliers equally

In the buyer’s market environment, in business relationships, the buyer is usually in a strong position, while the supplier is usually in a relatively disadvantaged position. Therefore, some companies often use their strong position to force suppliers to accept some asymmetry conditions directly or indirectly.

This approach may bring some benefits to the enterprise in the short term, but it is unfavorable for the enterprise in the long run because although the suppliers are forced to accept these conditions, they are unconvinced at the bottom of their hearts.

As soon as there is a better client, they will “move away” from you immediately. As a result, the product quality, the fluctuation of delivery time, and the decline of service quality are naturally caused, and the enterprise will naturally change from “beneficiary” to “victim”. Therefore, in order for suppliers to be loyal to us, we must treat them equally.

03 Actively safeguard the interests of suppliers

Suppliers work with us for profit.

Suppliers won’t work with us if they can’t make a profit, and even if a relationship is established, it won’t last long.

Therefore, in order for suppliers to be loyal and continue to provide us with satisfactory products and services, they must actively safeguard the interests of suppliers:

(1) Give suppliers a reasonable profit margin.

(2) Suppliers are not required to undertake any other obligations other than those stipulated in the agreement, and they do not unilaterally increase product requirements or service requirements, or reduce suppliers’ profit margins in disguise. If the product requirements are increased or the service requirements are increased due to our reasons, and the cost of the supplier is increased, the supplier shall be compensated accordingly.

(3) After entering the mass production stage, the design scheme should be kept as stable as possible, and should not be easily changed unless it is absolutely necessary. If it is necessary to change, it should also take the initiative to communicate with suppliers in advance, and do a good job in the aftermath.

(4) When the average defect rate of the supplier’s products (incoming inspection defect rate, in-process inspection defect rate, and the average of the finished product’s one-time inspection defect rate) is greater than or equal to the profit margin, it means that the supplier may be incurring a loss on this product. In order to ensure the stability and continuity of supply, relevant personnel should be dispatched immediately and work with suppliers to improve their quality management measures and increase the pass rate.

(5) Establish and improve the system to prevent employee corruption, restrain the behavior of employees, and systematically prevent employees from using their power to damage the interests of suppliers. The anti-corrosion system should focus on restricting behaviors such as supplier selection, device selection, solution selection, pricing, formulation of contract terms, procurement ratio allocation, quality control, and claims.

(6) Try to use exclusive supply as much as possible, and do not add new suppliers easily, even if there is a better price if the supplier’s supply capacity can meet our needs and there is no major fault. If it is not an exclusive supply, it is not easy to reduce the procurement ratio or change the procurement direction without the supplier’s major fault. If the supplier has input in the product development process or the design change process, it must give corresponding returns from the order or other aspects.

It is necessary to fully realize the importance of building excellent and loyal suppliers to the survival and development of the enterprise, and select, evaluate and manage suppliers from the strategic perspective of building a production base.

04 The selection of suppliers should follow the “suitable” principle

The attractiveness of an enterprise to suppliers determines the loyalty of suppliers to the enterprise. When choosing suppliers, enterprises should also pay attention to “the right match and the mutual affection”. Otherwise, the cooperation will not be unpleasant or long-lasting.

Therefore, when choosing a supplier, we should choose the “suitable” supplier instead of the “best” supplier based on the actual situation such as our own scale, popularity, purchase volume, and payment ability:

First, the supplier’s product structure adapts to our needs;

Second, the supplier’s qualifications, research and development capabilities, quality assurance capabilities, production capabilities, and cost control capabilities can basically meet our requirements;

Third, the supplier has the desire to cooperate with us for a long time and is willing to make continuous improvements according to our requirements;

Fourth, our attraction to suppliers is strong enough, and it is possible to have long-term and effective control over them.

05 To evaluate suppliers, pay attention to the development potential of suppliers

Typically, evaluating a supplier’s development potential should include the following:

(1) The top decision maker of the supplier is a “businessman” eager for quick success or an “entrepreneur” with a long-term vision.

(2) Whether the development direction of the supplier is consistent with our development needs, whether there is a clear strategic plan, and whether there is a specific action plan and action record for realizing the strategic plan.

(3) Whether the supplier’s quality objectives are clear, and whether there are action plans and action records to achieve the quality objectives.

(4) Whether the supplier has a plan to upgrade the quality system, and whether the existing quality system is really implemented

(5) Whether the quality of the supplier’s existing employees can meet the needs of its enterprise development, and whether there is a medium and long-term human resources development plan.

(6) Whether the supplier’s existing management methods can meet the needs of the development of its enterprise, and whether there is an improvement plan.

(7) What is the social reputation of the supplier, and whether its affiliated suppliers have confidence in it.

(8) Whether the basic work of supplier enterprise management is solid, and whether there is any improvement plan.

06 To manage suppliers, we must “combine both benefits and punishments”, pay equal attention to supplier management and offer help

Common approaches to supplier management are:

Monitor the supplier’s supply performance, assess the supplier’s level according to the monitoring results, implement hierarchical management, reward the good and punish the bad, and rectify the unqualified items;

Regularly re-evaluate suppliers, adjust procurement measures based on the evaluation results, and eliminate unqualified suppliers.

This is an after-the-fact control measure, which helps to prevent the repetition of the same error, but it is not necessarily obvious for preventing the occurrence of errors and improving the supplier’s ability.

As we all know, helping suppliers to improve the quality assurance capabilities of the design process and manufacturing process is the best way to ensure the quality of incoming materials. Extending our progress management to the supplier’s production and logistics process is the best way to ensure timely delivery. Helping the supplier to improve their cost control ability is also an effective means to reduce the purchase price. Therefore, the supplier management must be “enhanced and supportive”. It is necessary to evaluate and reward or punish the suppliers, and also to give the suppliers the necessary help:

(1) Help suppliers improve the quality assurance capabilities of design and manufacturing processes

(2) Help suppliers improve their cost control capabilities

(3) Help suppliers improve plan management methods

(4) Help suppliers develop markets and maintain their stability

(5) Provide employee training support for suppliers

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https://www.lkkerscm.com/archives/service/supplier-management

For well-known or giant companies, almost all suppliers are not strong suppliers, because the company’s annual procurement volume and industry status will make all suppliers flock to them, and these suppliers want to enter the company’s supplier resource pool even if they break their heads. However, the topic of strong attitude supplier management is a topic that medium and small companies may encounter. 

What is a strong attitude supplier?

First, the annual sales of the supplier greatly exceeds the maximum purchase amount that the company can achieve in this category each year.

Second, the products provided by suppliers are highly integrated with the company’s own exclusive technology, and it is difficult to find alternative products or services in this industry.

Third, suppliers have been in a leadership position in the industry. To sum up, in terms of order saturation, the supplier has never been short of customers who can fill the company’s capacity. Therefore, the management of the supplier has become a more challenging thing.

The relationship with a strong attitude supplier will directly affect the delivery timeliness of some products. If the product is not supplied in time, it will affect the production line and it may lead to customer complaints and ultimately affect customer satisfaction.

How To Manage Strong Attitude Suppliers？

1. Seek the high-level intervention of both parties, and the buyer and the supplier can carry out a series of business activities on the basis of the top-level framework, so that for the middle-level or specific executors, at least there can be rules and evidence to follow.

2. Within the price range that the customer or the customer can afford, the two teams can share the benefits, at least the supplier can see the profit.

3. Both sides establish an equal and limited communication mechanism. For buyers, usually more or less make unreasonable demands on suppliers. But for this type of supplier, the buyer needs to lower their mentality and deal with the supplier according to the real situation of the development.

4. Manage such suppliers as customers. If you have time, you can go to the suppliers and talk about the supply of products, hot topics in today’s society, and the development of new technologies and processes. Contact and connect feelings to maintain the relationship between supply and demand.

5. If this type of supplier is designated by the customer, please ask the customer to help to intervene when necessary.

6. This type of supplier is more responsible to keep up with their promise. Therefore, before cooperating with such suppliers, it is best to sign a contract with clear conditions and detailed terms. In the supply process, the buyer and the supplier shall strictly follow the content stipulated in the contract.

7. Actively develop alternative suppliers. Although the development process has twists and turns, if it can finally succeed, it will greatly alleviate the unfavorable supply situation under the current situation.

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https://www.lkkerscm.com/archives/service/supplier-management

Heat Dissipation Design

Heat dissipation design is to take various mechanical design measures to control the working temperature of electronic products according to the thermal characteristics and heat transfer principles of electronic components so that it is within the allowable range to provide good performance for chip level, component level, component level, and system level and work normally and reliably according to the predetermined scheme under the specified thermal environment. The design also needs to ensure that accessible parts will not be scalded due to excessive temperature; insulating materials used for electric shock protection will not be degraded due to overheating; flammable materials and components will not spontaneously ignite; Reduced electrical distance does not cause some materials and components to emit toxic or flammable gases.

The basic theory of heat transfer is the basis for heat dissipation design, and different heat transfer methods have different mechanisms. Therefore, only by mastering the basic theory, design method and experimental method of the heat transfer process can we effectively solve various practical problems in the heat dissipation design of electronic products.

Heat Dissipation Design of Electronic Products

The heat dissipation design of the casing is very important. The working heat of the equipment can be dissipated out of the machine through the conduction and radiation of the casing. Through reasonable openings, convection ventilation and heat dissipation can be formed to accelerate the dissipation of the working heat of the equipment.

Since the electric shock resistance and fireproof performance of the casing should be considered in the design of the casing, there is not much room for the selection of materials and thickness. Therefore, the heat dissipation design of the casing mainly considers the following points:

(1) Reasonably choose the color of the casing

The use of black paint coating can increase the heat dissipation effect. Black paint on the inner surface can reduce the temperature rise in the machine and promote the heat dissipation of the heating elements in the machine. Black paint on the outer surface can reduce the temperature rise of the inner surface of the machine and accelerate the heat conduction and heat radiation of the casing.

(2) Reasonably open ventilation holes to form a natural convection heat dissipation

The air inlet and outlet of the ventilation holes should be located at the two places with the largest temperature difference of the whole machine, the air inlet should be as low as possible, the air outlet should be as high as possible, and the position of the hole should be close to the heating element.

Treatment of heating elements

Try to place it in a place that is easy to ventilate and dissipate heat;

Increase the heat dissipation area of ​​the heating element, for example, add heat sinks to high-power transistors; use appropriate derating design to reduce power consumption.

Reasonable selection of thermal protection device

In order to prevent excessive temperature rise caused by fault conditions, an over-temperature protection device can be appropriately installed to cut off the power supply in time.

Thermal protection devices are divided into two types, one is the non-recoverable type, such as thermal fuse link; the other type is the recoverable type, that is, after disconnection, it can automatically resume work when the temperature rises down, such components have PTC components, bimetal thermal protector, etc.

Select an appropriate heat dissipation method

Commonly used cooling methods

(1) Air-cooled cooling fan + heat sink

(2) Water-cooled radiator + water pipe + water pump

(3) Semiconductor refrigeration method uses semiconductor refrigerators

(4) Heat pipe heat dissipation method Fill the heat pipe with a special liquid heat transfer medium so that the heat is evenly distributed to all parts of the radiator

On the thermal fins, the thermal conductivity of the heat sink is greatly improved.

(5) Liquid nitrogen heat dissipation method

(6) Software cooling method can allow the CPU to rest when there is no work or when the work is relatively leisurely, thereby reducing the temperature, resulting in less CPU power consumption and lower temperature.

(7) Heat sink for heat dissipation

(8) Fan cooling

The installation of the radiator

The radiator transfers heat energy to the environment by convection and radiation. The thermal resistance RθS-a of the radiator is related to the material, structure, surface color, cooling method, and installation position of the radiator.

Surface of the radiator:

Paint black or passivated. The purpose is to increase the emissivity coefficient, which can reduce the thermal resistance by 10%-15%.

Installation of radiator:

Should be placed vertically. Because the thermal airflow is light in density, it naturally flows upwards to form a “chimney effect” and facilitate heat dissipation. Thermal resistance can be reduced by 15%-20%.

3.4 Cooling method of radiator

Natural cooling – relies on natural convection and radiation of the air. Simple structure, no noise, but low heat dissipation efficiency.

Air cooling – forced ventilation and enhanced convection heat dissipation. It is 2-4 times of the self-cooling heat dissipation efficiency, and the noise is large.

Water cooling – The heat dissipation efficiency is extremely high, 150 times that of natural heat dissipation. The cooling medium includes water and transformer oil, and the investment is high.

3.5 The material of the radiator

Mainly made of aluminum plate or aluminum material (low price), in addition to copper, magnesium and steel, and other materials.

LLK Design

Some products have a high design requirement and need to have certain protection performance in terms of waterproof, dust-proof, and shock-proof features in order to adapt to various complex and harsh use environments.

In the mechanical design of these kinds of products, the mechanical design protection requirements of the product are higher. Doing a good job in the mechanical design of the product plays an important role in improving the overall protection performance of the product. So, what needs to be considered in the mechanical design of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product?

Comprehensive consideration of the needs of industrial design, mechanical design, and hardware design, the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design work is a set of non-independent system engineering. At the beginning of product design, it is necessary to consider the design requirements of various aspects of industrial design, mechanical design, and hardware design. In the initial industrial design stage, hardware designer, component stacking designer, and mechanical designer should be actively involved to determine the technical details of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof features. Only by comprehensively checking the links can we truly meet the requirements of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design, and then produce products that meet the quality requirements and market demand.

The starting point of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product design is to achieve the purpose of waterproof, dustproof, and anti-drop through the comprehensive selection of design and material technology. Among them, waterproof and dustproof are mainly through sealing treatment and special materials using “isolation” to block water and dust from the product, so that it cannot affect the performance of the product. The waterproof key area mechanical design is the gap between the shell, buttons, screen, and interface.

Ensure the stability of the product structure.

The housing structure must ensure that it is not easily deformed. And there are enough ribs to press on the PCB and internal fixtures to ensure reliable fixation. If a soft rubber material is used between the front and rear shells, the front, and rear shells and the soft rubber material should use an interference fit and a certain preload to protect the internal components.

Ensure good sealing of the product structure.

A sealed or semi-sealed structure is adopted for some parts or the whole to isolate the internal components of the product from the external environment. For example, in the treatment of the sealing surface of the shell of the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof product, the sealing surface should be made of silicone material with good sealing and elasticity, and try to use flat contact instead of complex curved surfaces to simplify the design and improve reliability. The rubber seal of the external interface can be multi-layered to improve the sealing performance. All sealing parts of the plastic case must be polished, including the mating surface with double-sided tape and silicone material. The sealing part must not have traces of ejector pins, sliders, gates, etc., and must not have molding defects such as lack of material, weld lines, shrinkage, etc., and ensure that the sealing surface has sufficient strength and rigidity.

Ensure the reliability of the product structure.

Try to use screws to fix it into one piece, and fix it on the front and rear shells and the middle fixing bracket to increase reliability. The screws should be pre-tightened to prevent loosening and ensure that the whole machine has good strength and rigidity. Screws with hexagon head M1.66 or higher are used to ensure the tightening force. The distribution and arrangement of the screws should be reasonable and the force should be uniform. Self-tapping screws should not be used. The insert that fits with the screw needs to be insert-molded on the plastic case. The insert and the plastic must be tightly and reliably fitted, and it needs to pass the pull-out test of the insert.

Considering the size of the product, it is necessary to leave enough space for the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof design, especially for telecommunication products with many external interfaces, the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof solution must be considered in the definition of the width and height of the fuselage after the plan, the specific size requirements are determined. For example, in the form of regular structural modeling, the four sides of the fuselage and the corners of the outer contour are made of highly wear-resistant rubber material to avoid the impact of the product during the drop, and at the same time, it has a good feel and prevents slipping out.

In the mechanical design of the three-proof product, there are many details that need to be considered. According to the general requirements of protection and the actual use environment of the product, advanced design ideas, reliable materials, optimized structure, surface treatment, sealing, and drying measures should be adopted. Carry out the waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof design for the whole machine, parts, and components, comprehensively grasp the details of all aspects, and improve the environmental adaptability and reliability of the product.

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At present, injection molding shells and metal shells are two common shell materials in home electrical appliances. Among them, injection molding shell is widely used due to its advantages of simple process, lightweight, and low cost. The production process requirements of the injection molding shell of home appliances are relatively strict, and it is necessary to pay attention to the parameter setting of temperature and pressure. This blog starts with the design of the injection molding shell of home appliances, discusses the design of the injection molding shell of the soybean milk maker as an example, and analyzes how to solve the injection molding problem of home appliances.

The injection molding material is a material with a simple production process, good plasticity, and low costs, such as polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile (AN), butadiene, and styrene. Copolymers (ABS) and the like are currently widely used molding technologies.

Design of injection molding shell for home appliances

Wall Thickness Design

In the design process of the wall thickness of home appliances, the main influencing factors are the material quality and external dimensions, and the principle of uniform protection should be adhered to in the design process.

If the thickness is not uniform, it will cause defects in appearance, such as deformation, dents, and even cracks due to internal stress. If the wall is too thin, the flow resistance of the molten plastic will increase, which will affect the flow of the material in the mold cavity, making it difficult to fill the material or the plastic parts are not fully filled and the strength is not high. If the thickness is too large, it is easy to cause problems such as bubbles, appearance deformation, shrinkage, and depression inside the molded product. The larger the thickness of the product, the heavier the weight, which will lead to an increase in cost. In addition, the increase in the thickness of the wall will prolong the molding time. , thereby reducing production efficiency.

In special cases, in order to meet the production needs, the local wall thickness will also be required to increase. In this case, it is necessary to gradually transition from thin to thick in the production process to avoid uneven thickness or large differences.

Round Corner Design and Draft Angle Design

In the injection molding shell of home appliances, the stress is concentrated at the sharp corners, so brittle failure is prone to occur. For this reason, the sharp corners of the product need to be worn, so as to effectively reduce the stress concentration phenomenon , and improve the strength of the plastic products. It is able to resist external impact, so in the process of mechanical design , designers need to reasonably increase the outer arc corner, if the designed round corner is too large, it will also cause a shrinkage effect, especially at the root of the raised column and the inner corner. The arc is more likely to be accompanied by a shrinkage effect. Generally, the size of the arc should be set in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm.

The purpose of draft angle design is to allow the plastic parts to be released from the mold smoothly during the mold production process. In general, the draft angle of the plastic parts needs to be considered according to multiple factors such as the thickness of the wall , size, surface roughness of the mold cavity, and shrinkage rate. The continuous shrinkage of the plastic and the design defect of the draft angle will make it difficult to remove the plastic parts. Forcible removal will also cause damage such as scratching and pulling. Therefore, the designer should set the draft angle reasonably according to different plastic brands and structures.

Stiffener Design

The function of the stiffeners is to ensure the structural strength of the plastic part without increasing the thickness of the plastic part, and it can also reduce the probability of warpage and deformation during production, reduce the amount of plastic, and reduce the weight of the product. For the design of stiffeners, the key is to control the position of stiffeners, neither too high nor too small. The principle of uniform distribution must be adhered to avoid the problem of depression during the cold shrinkage of the bottom of thick stiffeners. It is necessary to ensure that the direction of the stiffeners is consistent with The filling direction of the material is the same, which is beneficial to the mold opening and closing of the injection molding machine

In addition, the setting of the stiffeners should also take into account the arc transition mode, requiring no parts on the surface of the stiffeners, so as to avoid the problem of high-stress concentration, so the stiffeners are generally 50%-70% of the thickness of the plastic part. On the whole, installing a rounded corner under the stiffeners can improve the fluidity of the melt and solve the problem of stress concentration. Generally, the value of the R angle reaches 1/8 of the wall thickness .

The Design of Injection Shell for Soymilk Maker

The design of the shell of the soymilk machine is taken as an example to analyze the design of the injection molding of home appliances.

Design Method

In the process of material selection, the shell of the general soymilk maker is mainly made of PP and ABS. Among them, ABS has the advantages of good fluidity, low shrinkage, strong heat resistance, and strong impact resistance. The finished product made of this material has good surface gloss and certain wear resistance; PP material has good, However, the shrinkage rate of this material is very large, the precision of the product is easy to deviate, and it is easy to deform, and the surface of this product is prone to problems such as poor gloss and shrinkage, but the price of this material is lower than that of ABS. The surface of the soymilk maker has high requirements for gloss, and also has good temperature resistance properties. Considering comprehensively, ABS is used as the shell material.

In the design of studs and stiffener, in order to meet the assembly needs, several studs need to be installed on the shell of the soymilk machine head, the bottom is treated with a crater to avoid shrinkage marks, and each stud needs to be upgraded hardness, moreover, it is necessary to effectively control the thickness of the stiffeners, and it is also necessary to increase the R angle reasonably. Its function is to improve the fluidity of the sol. In the design of the flow channel of the intersection, the shell of the soymilk machine head must be smooth enough, so the intersection should not be too large. After demolding, the casting gate should not have obvious residual traces. Therefore, it is necessary to use the glue point to make the gate fall off by itself. In order to improve the subsequent cleaning efficiency of the parts, the designer should formulate a balance between the direct current to the channel and the point gate. The runner treatment scheme adopts a circular production process to reduce the volume of the runner, save the injection time and improve production efficiency.

Molding

In the design of this soymilk machine, the shell of the plastic part of the machine headshell is fixed with an inverted groove with a locked position, and the lateral parting core-pulling and inclined top structure are installed in the mold design, and its dimensional accuracy and the following two factors are related: one is the change in plastic shrinkage. The second is the mold processing error. In the surface quality control, after the injection molding of the soymilk machine shell, it is required that there are no defects on the inner and outer surfaces, the edge position is required to be smooth, and there should be no spot welding marks. The internal surface roughness standard is Ra0.4μm, and the external surface roughness standard is Ra0. 2μm, for the case where the The surface gloss of the plastic part does not meet the standard, the analysis reason is that the molten material is cooled too early or the baking time is insufficient, the mold temperature is not enough, and the polishing is not up to the standard.

In the molding method, the shell of the soybean milk machine is made of ABS material. In the process of controlling the internal stress, the injection molding process of the mouth is appropriately shortened, thereby improving the filling efficiency and increasing the injection temperature. It is also necessary to optimize the design of the mold exhaust structure. On the whole, the scientific setting of the junction can reduce the occurrence of weld marks in the secondary parts of the plastic parts. During the injection molding process, the injection pressure should not be too high, and at the same time, good material temperature and mold temperature should be guaranteed.

How to solve the problem of injection molding of home appliances

Shrink

If there is a shrinkage problem in the injection molding shell, it is mainly related to the inner structure of the injection molding and the excessive thickness of the stiffeners. This problem will cause abnormal solidification of the plastic shell during injection molding and cooling, resulting in depressions on the surface of the product. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the injection molding process, formulate scientific shrinkage prevention measures, and control the thickness of the reinforcement to a reasonable range. The shrinkage rate of the ABS material is low, and the thickness of the reinforcement needs to be controlled at 1/2 to reduce the over-limit value. the probability of design problems. The shrinkage rate of PP material is high, and the thickness of the reinforcement is generally 1/3 of the thickness of the main reinforcement. Combined with the actual situation, according to the combination of the internal structure and the appearance structure, it is necessary to avoid the shrinkage of the shell.

Lack Of Glue

The main reason for this problem is that the mold design structure is too thick, the exhaust is not smooth or the local wall thickness is thin. For the above factors, it is necessary to scientifically set the injection pressure. For example, gradually increase the injection pressure until the front is observed, thereby preventing the shell from lacking glue. If the glue cannot be guaranteed after increasing the pressure, it is necessary to readjust the injection molding model, change the position of the gate, and carry out feasibility testing until molding.

Weld Line

On the surface of the injection molded parts of the home appliance shell, the weld line is the short circuit of the trace. The main factor is that the aggregate exceeds the normal process requirements is added during the injection molding, and the trace part appears hidden or cracked under the action of external force. The main solution is to increase the mold temperature and injection pressure. If it is still not solved, the gate size needs to be increased.

Conclusion

To sum up, with the rapid development of science and technology today, the types of home appliances are more diversified, smaller in size and more comprehensive in functions. Today, consumers pay more attention to product performance, but also put forward more suggestions on the appearance and mechanical design of home appliances. In the process of designing the injection molding shell structure of home appliances, the key lies in the treatment of details, so as to ensure the aesthetics of home appliances and effectively save the design cost.

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Here are commonly used electronics components mounted on a printed circuit board: 

Stacked boards

The complete product stacking board includes PCB, handset, LCD screen, keyboard, microphone, speaker, camera, motor, battery connector, battery, TF card holder, TF card, SIM card holder, SIM card, antenna, USB connector, Various electronic components, product chips, etc.

Receiver

It is a component that processes sound. Its main function is to answer the other party’s voice during a call. The connection between the receiver and the main board is usually shrapnel, spring, or lead welding. There is a layer of foam on the top of the receiver, which is mainly used for sealing. Sound cavity, but also anti-vibration buffer and protection.

LED display

A flat panel display consists of small LED module panels. LED, light emitting diode (light emitting diode abbreviation). LED displays are generally used to display text, images, videos, video signals, and other information.

Buttons

There are many ways to connect the buttons and the main board. In addition to the BB connector, the commonly used FPC connection. The buttons cannot be suspended in the air, and there must be a bracket or other flat objects to support them .

Microphone (MIC)

Also known as microphone, receiver, commonly known as microphone head, which is a component that receives sound. The MIC and the main board are commonly soldered with lead wires. The MIC can be placed on the front or vertically, but do not place it on both sides of the main board, so as not to block the sound hole with your hands. The MIC should be kept away from magnetic electronic components, such as motors, speakers, etc., so as not to affect the effect.

Main PCB

The main PCB is a stacked board around which all electronic components are stacked. 

RF Antenna

The RF antenna is an important component for receiving product signals and is connected to the main board through a feed point. The types of RF antennas are often divided into PIFA (picofarad antennas) and MONOPOLE (monopole antennas). It is best to keep the RF Antenna Away from Electronic Components with Metal Such As Speaker, Motors, and Shielding COVERS. There Should Be No Large-Area Hardware Decon, and the shell should not be electroplate with conftion. main board, and the greater the elasticity of the antenna shrapnel, the better (in the theory of electronics, a current flows through a conductor, and a magnetic field will be formed around the conductor; an alternating current passes through the conductor,and an alternating electromagnetic field will be formed around the conductor, called electromagnetic waves. When the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is lower than 100kHz, the electromagnetic wave will be absorbed by the surface and cannot form an effective transmission, but when the frequency of the Electromagnetic wave is higher than 100kHz, the electromagnetic wave can propagate in the air and be reflected by the ionosphere at the outer edge of the atmosphere, forming a long-distance transmission capability. High-frequency electromagnetic waves that have the ability to transmit over long distances are called radio frequencies.)but when the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is higher than 100kHz, the electromagnetic wave can propagate in the air and be reflected by the ionosphere at the outer edge of the atmosphere, forming a long-distance transmission capability. High-frequency electromagnetic w aves that have The ability to transmit over long distances are called radio frequencies.)but when the frequency of the electromagnetic wave is higher than 100kHz, the electromagnetic wave can propagate in the air and be reflected by the ionosphere at the outer edge of the atmosphere, forming a long-distance transmission capability. High-frequency electromagnetic w aves that have The ability to transmit over long distances are called radio frequencies.)

Bluetooth antenna

The Bluetooth antenna is a component used for short-distance wireless transmission (UHF radio waves in the ISM band of 2.4-2.485GHz). The Bluetooth antenna has low requirements and no specific location requirements. It can be placed close to the RF antenna.

Test head

The test head is used when testing the RF antenna and is set near the RF antenna.

The camera

It is a video input device. Its function in the product is to take pictures and videos. The camera is directly connected to the main board with the BB connector, or FPC plus BB connector, FPC direct welding, etc.

Speaker

It is a component that processes sound, and its main function is sound output. The speaker and the main board are usually connected by wire welding or shrapnel. The shape of the horn is round, oval (also known as runway shape), square, and so on. Generally speaking, the larger the size of the speaker, the louder the sound. There is a layer of foam on the top surface of the speaker, and there must be a supporting part at the bottom of the speaker, and it is best to seal the rear sound cavity.

Speaker bracket

The structure for fixing the speaker is called a speaker bracket, the structure for fixing the antenna is called an antenna bracket, and the speaker bracket and the antenna bracket can share one.

Electric motor

The main function of the motor is to generate vibration. The motor and the main board are usually connected with lead wires or shrapnel. The shape of the motor is rectangular and flat.

Battery connector

The main function of the battery connector is to connect the main board and the battery and solder it on the main board through the patch. Common types of battery connectors are vertical, horizontal, blade, etc.

Battery

The battery is the power source for the main board and provides power to the main board through the battery connector. The size of the battery capacity depends on the capacity of the cell, the larger the cell, the greater the battery capacity. The positive and negative poles of the battery feed point should be consistent with the main board and should be clearly marked on the battery. The battery should reserve a button position on the side with the feed point. In the mechanical design, the button should be used to fix the battery to prevent the battery from powering down. Calculate the maximum battery capacity formula according to the battery shape: (length-3.00) × (width-1.40) × (thickness-0.20) × 0.11 ( coefficient). The value obtained by subtracting the above formula is the external dimension of the cell. Major cell manufacturers have standard cell sizes. It is best to use standard size cells when designing.

USB connector

The main function of the USB connector is data input/output, which is the channel between the product and external devices, and there is no requirement for the position on the main board.

TF card and connector

The main function of the TF card connector (TF card holder) is to fix the TF card and read the TF card information. The types of TF card connectors are often flip-up, pop-up, and plug- in.

SIM card and connector

It is a miniature smart card that conforms to the ISO standard and is an important part of the product communication system. The main function of the SIM card connector (SIM card holder) is to fix the SIM card and read the SIM card information.

Product main board battery

The function of the mainboard battery of the product is the same as that of the CMOS battery on the computer mainboard. When the main board is powered off, it will supply micro-power to the mainboard so as to store the basic information of the product.

DC connector

The DC connector is the charging interface of the product, which is connected to the main board through the shrapnel. The DC connector is not a necessary part, as the USB connector can also charge.

Headphone connector

The headphone connector is an interface for plugging in headphones and is soldered on the main board through a patch. The headphone connector is not necessary, as the USB connector can also plug in headphones.

Touch screen FPC connector

The touch screen FPC connector is used to connect the touch screen, and it is soldered on the main board by SMD.

Shield

The main function of the shield is to shield various electronic components in the main board to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI).

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