Blog

Automation Is the Key to Flexibility and Sustainability for Modern Electronics Manufacturers

Like most industries throughout the modern manufacturing realm, today’s electronics manufacturers are increasingly turning to automation to help their businesses remain flexible, efficient, and sustainable. Automated manufacturing technology offers American electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers the increased capacity required to compete with their counterparts overseas. Beyond productivity, automation can also facilitate more consistent quality control and far more versatile product range.

When It Comes to Material Management, Time Is Money

In the fast-paced world of electronics manufacturing, time is money. To stay ahead of the competition, companies must optimize their time investment and streamline their material management processes. In this article, we'll share tips to help manufacturers increase productivity, reduce waste, and achieve impeccable quality control.

Understanding the PCB Assembly Process

PCB assembly is a complex process that requires a high level of expertise and precision. In this article, we explore the PCB assembly process, from the initial design to the final product, and the steps that are taken to ensure a successful outcome.

Top Inventory Management Tips

Mastering inventory management is crucial for start-ups and small businesses to maintain profitability and stay competitive. In this article, we explore top tips and best practices, from consistent receiving methods to utilizing ERP systems, that can help you optimize your inventory processes and achieve success in today's fast-paced market.

Simplifying Advanced PCBs

Tech is getting smaller, but growing smarter. Handheld and wearable devices require smaller boards and increased functionality. The solution is multi-layered PCBs. These space-saving innovations fit more circuitry and capacity in an area much smaller than traditional single-layer and double-sided PCBs. Check out this article to learn more about the manufacturing process for multilayer PCBs.

Tech Awareness for Tomorrow

Technology continues to advance and shape how we experience and interact with our world, reaching wide-ranging areas of our life related to the food we eat, the houses we live in, how we get around, and how we communicate.

Schematics Make Perfect

You’d never go on a trip without a map. If you did, you’d end up lost, unsure of which direction to go and which next step to take, wasting valuable resources like time, money, and peace of mind. When it comes to electronic assembly and manufacturing, we can help you create the schematics your project needs to ensure increasing success.

PCB Assembly Services: Adapting to Today’s Challenges

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged companies to optimize their PCB assembly services to better serve clients and stay competitive. In this article, we'll explore the critical success factors that companies are implementing to improve their services and achieve greater long-term profitability.

The Importance of PCBA Cleanliness for Long-Term Reliability

Regardless of processes, standards, or testing, maintaining a completely foolproof method for cleaning or determining cleanliness standards is extremely challenging. At MPL, we employ a unique combination of engineering, sampling, and strict quality control based on years of experience and innovation to deliver the cleanest and most reliable PCBs on the market.

An Update on the Supply Chain Affecting Your Orders

At MPL, we understand that global supply chain issues are a subject which many of our customers have been keeping close tabs on. This blog post provides an update regarding recent improvements, as well as the areas of industry that we are continuing to monitor.

PCB Design: Cost Saving Tips and Tricks

Have PCB assembly costs become hard to keep up with? Are large production runs creating challenges for your business? If so, MPL has a few cost saving tips and design strategies that can potentially save you significant amounts of time and money.

The Importance of EMS Collaboration

There are many ways PCB assembly companies must strategically operate in order to avoid needless costs as the result of supply chain shortages. One of the most important areas of operation relate to the collaborative approach of working with EMS companies, or electronics manufacturing services companies. Good communication can often become the deciding factor as to whether an order is delivered on time or not - today, more than ever.

Creep Corrosion and How to Prevent It

Creep corrosion is a growing concern for many PCBA customers who work in high-sulfur environments. The best strategy to avoid creep corrosion is to work with a company that understands this type of defect thoroughly and is equipped to prevent it. This post delves into why creep corrosion occurs and what can be done to solve this issue.

How to Rework SMT Connectors

Reworking SMT connectors can be challenging, but the right assembly provider understands how to produce high quality results every time. Read this blog post and discover how our experts carry out a highly efficient rework process.

Bringing Semiconductor "Chip" Production Stateside

The newly passed CHIPS Act has provided U.S. supply bases with the resources necessary to reinvigorate Semiconductor, "Chip", manufacturing and the electronics assembly market as a whole. Through subsidization, tax relief and other incentives, the Government hopes to bring American Semiconductor manufacturing stateside and decrease dependence on foreign entities. MPL invites you to learn more about the details of the CHIPS Act and what it means for our industry.

Common Defects in Surface Mount Technology

As a leading PCBA company, MPL understands the ins and outs of the assembly process, including the most common defects that can arise during SMT assembly. We invite you to learn more about these defects and how MPL avoids them to ensure quality in every order.

The Evolution of SMT Technology

Given the many advantages of surface mount technologies, customers are curious as to how this production strategy was initially conceived and how it has evolved over the years. This blog post maps out SMT’s rich history and discusses how this technology continues to adapt to evolving industry needs.

How Do Manufacturers Accomplish Low Volume, High Mix Production?

Because low volume, high mix production capabilities serve a useful purpose for many customers with increased product line variability, it may be surprising to learn that this type of production is less desired in the industry. Reason being, low volume/high mix production is more "difficult" for a number of factors, but companies like MPL combat challenges using a variety of resources which are detailed here.

Keys to Effective Failure Analysis

Failure analysis is a method of quality assurance used across a wide variety of industries, not limited electronics, that MPL uses to ensure every printed circuit board assembly is in perfect functioning order. Discover what is involved during proper failure analysis procedures.

PCB Cleanliness: Understanding Customer Expectations

Electronic manufacturers produce reliable PCBAs when they communicate with customers to ensure that they fully understand their quality expectations. Explore how leading contract manufacturers improve PCBA reliability by consistently investing in the PCB cleanliness process.

Long-Term Chip Storage vs. Solderability

If the global “chip” shortage has impacted your business, you may be wondering why manufacturers cannot simply stockpile these important components to avoid supply chain issues. MPL addresses these questions by discussing the “lifespan” of semiconductor components, as well as the methods used to increase the timeframe of usability.

Counterfeit Detection Strategies for PCB Components

At MPL, we pay close attention to the factors impacting our industry, including less talked about issues like counterfeit PCB components. Our team eliminates risks that prove detrimental to other PCB assembly companies by implementing strategies to avoid counterfeit parts.

Current Market Trends Driving Quality Concerns and Ways to Combat Them

Looking to mitigate quality issue risks deriving from new market trends in the PCBA industry? MPL is knowledgeable of the most prevalent trends that have affected our industry in recent years and shares that knowledge in our most recent blog post. Furthermore, we provide information on how our company works to solve these potential manufacturing hazards and continues to provide high quality products to our customers.

Keys to a Successful Quick Turn Prototype Assembly Project

If quick turn prototype assembly is the key to full production PCB assembly, then what are the keys to successful prototyping projects? MPL walks through three most important things needed for a PCB assembly company to succeed at fulfilling cost-effective, high-quality prototype assembly orders.

DFM: Your Ticket To Quality, Cost Savings And Happy Customers

Design for Manufacturability is a critical part of the overall manufacturing process and at MPL, we have spent decades perfecting a comprehensive checklist that can help customers avoid expensive mistakes in production. From documentation to test, explore the various factors we consider before the full production process and how these steps improve quality and lower manufacturing costs.