| How does the electronics company remain | | | | right they are tasked with such a specialist |
| competitive while remaining innovative? | | | | subject? |
| Outsourcing the product assembly service is one | | | | If you have indulged in the IPod, a seemingly |
| solution. | | | | must-have accessory, you will find its |
| In a rapidly progressing industry, designers are | | | | performance and operation comparable to that of |
| constantly striving to find the next big idea that | | | | any other good MP3 player on the market, yet |
| provides the most cost effective and universal | | | | thus far none has come to such acclaim or |
| appealing solutions. Thanks to advancements in | | | | reached such a wide global demographic as the |
| micro technology, we see products like the | | | | IPod. Undoubtedly, this success cannot be solely |
| telephone and the PC becoming more and more | | | | attributed to the products enclosure; nonetheless |
| compact and designers are utilised as | | | | Apple’s elegant and widely-appealing design |
| modelmakers to help finish prototypes. | | | | carries significant merit. The casing would have |
| Miniaturisation of printed circuit boards (PCBs), | | | | been designed by specialised modelmakers who |
| displays, and other such components allow for | | | | key-skill is in product enclosures. |
| more gigabytes on memory sticks and more | | | | To add complication in a technology-orientated |
| pixels on liquid crystals. However even with such | | | | market, electronic product performance often |
| state-of-the-art design , part of the business case | | | | suffers due to RFI (Radio Frequency |
| for releasing new products has to include the | | | | Interference). To combat RFI, an EMC |
| prototyping and manufacturing costs which are | | | | (Electromagnetic Compatibility) shield will be applied |
| seemingly under estimated. | | | | to the enclosure. |
| To reduce costs, services such as modelmakers | | | | One such company that specialises in |
| to produce prototypes can be outsourced. As can | | | | modelmaking and enclosure manufacturing is Iota |
| the product assembly service. | | | | Sigma. Based in Wales and serving the UK, they |
| One example in micro-tech advancements is the | | | | offer speciality services but at a price that is |
| shrinking of products. The intelligent enclosure of | | | | affordable to all business types small and large. |
| a product’s mechanics holds a lot of weight | | | | They recognise that when working with |
| and can mean the difference between success | | | | companies to develop products that the |
| and failure in such a competitive market. | | | | consumer demands a prettier, safer, faster |
| We’re talking product enclosures. The plastic | | | | product but they most of all they want it cheap. |
| or metal boxes that cradle the workings of the | | | | Working with Iota Sigma with their specialist |
| products. Who designs the enclosures? | | | | modelmakers and product assembly services, |
| Electronics design engineers soon find themselves | | | | they are setup to help companies innovate. |
| out of their depths when designing enclosures, is it | | | | |