Global Citizenship: What I’ve Learned About the American PCB Business
Global Sourcing Spotlight: The Best Products to Buy Offshore Through Global Sourcing
Nolan's Notes: The Rise (and Risk) of Data
A Look at the High-Reliability Interconnect Market
July 15, 2015 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I-Connect007 Publisher Barry Matties recently met with Mark Cormier of Miraco Inc. to discuss the latest trends and drivers in the high-reliability segment, and their customers' increasing demand for quality.
Barry Matties: Mark, let’s start with an overview of Miraco.
Mark Cormier: We design interconnects and source interconnects. Most of our business is created from the need for a custom interconnect. The vast majority of our opportunities (~85%) are in the medical and military fields that require Class 3 high-reliability solutions. Our commercial business is only 15% of our total business.
The military designs we do are mostly avionics. We've had history in the past with doing a lot of ordinance, but right now that's not our big driver. Our ITAR registration has helped improve our visibility to more military designs.
Our medical designs are predominately medical device types of products. We seem to do very well in that area. It is long lead time, long design cycle.
Matties: What sorts of needs do your customers currently have?
Cormier: Typically they need an interconnect and they are short of time, short of manpower, or short of material knowledge. Miraco’s advantage is we're unbiased in the approach. We don't care if the design requires a flexible printed circuit, a flat flex cable or a wire harness. We can design and source any of the three options and have the capability of building the complete solution at either our North American facilities located in Manchester, New Hampshire or in Tijuana, Mexico. When volumes dictate, and with customer approval, we also have the option of building a full turnkey solution at our off-shore partner’s facilities. In summary, our customers benefit from our local design capability, our global sourcing network, and our multiple assembly options while keeping the quality assurance group in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Matties: When we look at medical electronics, that's a fast-moving market with a lot of changes being made.
Cormier: Yes, it is fast moving, and it slows down because the design cycles are so long from when you do prototyping to actually getting it into production. We just delivered a prototype that got a first-time order for something that we've been working on for eight years. We understand the material traceability requirements that our medical customers operate under.
Matties: When you say design, are you talking about from concept?Page 1 of 2
Share on:
Suggested Items
Rules of Thumb for PCB Layout
11/21/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007The dictionary defines a “rule of thumb” as “a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.” Rules of thumb are often the foundation of a PCB designer’s thought process when tackling a layout. Ultimately, a product spec or design guideline will provide the detailed design guidance, but rules of thumb can help to provide the general guidance that will help to streamline the layout process and avoid design or manufacturing issues.
PCB Design Software Market Expected to Hit $9.2B by 2031
11/21/2024 | openPRThis report provides an overview of the PCB design software market, detailing key market drivers, challenges, technological advancements, regional dynamics, and future trends. With a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% from 2024 to 2031, the market is expected to grow from USD 3.9 billion in 2024 to USD 9.2 billion by 2031.
KYZEN to Spotlight KYZEN E5631, AQUANOX A4618 and Process Control at SMTA Silicon Valley Expo and Tech Forum
11/21/2024 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally friendly cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Silicon Valley Expo & Tech Forum on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at the Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley in Fremont, CA.
Flexible Thinking: Rules of Thumb: A Word to the Wise
11/20/2024 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingIn the early days of electronics manufacturing—especially with PCBs—there were no rules. Engineers, scientists, and technicians largely felt their way around in the dark, making things up as they went along. There was a great deal of innovation, guessing, and testing to make sure that early guidelines and estimates were correct by testing them. Still, they frequently made mistakes.
Cadence Unveils Arm-Based System Chiplet
11/20/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsCadence has announced a groundbreaking achievement with the development and successful tapeout of its first Arm-based system chiplet. This innovation marks a pivotal advancement in chiplet technology, showcasing Cadence's commitment to driving industry-leading solutions through its chiplet architecture and framework.