February, 2016
www.us-tech.com
Page 39 National Circuit Assembly: Doing What it Takes Continued from page 22
duction local. Some high-volume production still migrates
offshore. The company worked with a customer to develop small dome lights that would maintain a constant color, or be programmed from a smart- phone for different settings. “Museums like the constant color,” Alvarado explains. “A department store might change settings to evoke a ski slope for a winter wear display, or a Hawaiian sunset dur- ing the summer.” Alverado states that offering a variety of serv-
ices is particularly useful when working with start- ups. The customers often have engineering skills, yet lack supply chain or manufacturing experience. He first works with another company to help
the customer develop a schematic, and works with other partners in sheet metal and plastic. Finally, NCA helps develop a good design for manufacturing. Not every start-up will succeed, but the company’s goal for each customer is, “to give them confidence, and to go as far as possible with them,” since forming a solid relationship can lead to further business.
Contract manufacturers serve as a critical link in the industry chain
running from start-ups to OEMs.
The company has recently helped
develop a sight aid, which attaches to the underside of a rifle barrel. It con- tains sensors that track the speed, drop angle, and direction of a bullet. NCA has been producing around 500 units a month, but with the customer having garnered a military contract, production is rising to 10 times the amount.
Another of the company’s recent
projects is a circuit board for a GPS locator system used in commercial aircraft. By 2017 the system will be required for all planes, and the mar- ket is expected to grow significantly.
The Right Tools for the Job NCA has done a considerable
amount of work with BGAs over the past decade. The arrays are included in many of the products the company manufactures. In production, all assemblies
containing BGAs undergo X-ray in- spection. “The full array must be per- fect,” Alverado says. For this process, NCA uses Glenbrook Technologies’ Jewel Box 70T real-time X-ray sys- tem. With a 10µ MicroTech™ X-ray source, the machine provides magni- fication from 7X to 2000X and a reso- lution of 100 line pairs/mm. The sys- tem’s GTI-5000 software can export results directly to an Excel spread- sheet.
Each of NCA’s facilities has a
Jewel Box system, which Alverado describes as “reliable and easy to use.” He adds that the system is also popular with customers, who often bring their own products to the facil- ity and rent time on the X-ray sys- tem.
Alvarado calls the X-ray system
one of the company’s three “differen- tiators,” along with its in-line AOI and its selective soldering system. Used in conjunction with through-hole place- ment for products with components on both sides of a board, selective solder- ing eliminates the need for the mask- ing required by wave soldering. “Cus- tomers have asked why our bid is so low,” he says. “It’s because selective
CondensoX-Series Condensation Soldering
For more information visit
www.rehm-group.com or call + 1 770 442 8913
Voids ratios below 2 % possible Controllable vacuum process Prepared for Industry 4.0
Best possible soldering results with and without vacuum
soldering saves them time and money.” Emphasis on Relationships However, Alvarado knows that the equipment
is only a part of the story. “We have good relation- ships with our customers,” he explains. With his own background as a manufacturing engineer for Apple, he understands the demands of OEMs. “To jump through hoops for a customer is just what we do,” he says, “we have a good reputation for service and quick turnaround.” That attitude is important to the entire com-
pany. NCA has numerous certifications, including ISO 9001 and ITAR, and all its employees are IPC 610 and J Standard certified. The company has an on-staff trainer to keep workers up to date and welcomes customers’ employees to join its training sessions.
What Alvarado believes sets the company
apart, is its commitment to work closely with each customer in whatever capacity is needed. This ap- proach has brought success to the company and it is expected to continue to grow. Whether taking a start-up from a the paper
napkin stage to a finished product, or helping devel- op a new concept for an experienced manufacturer, Alvarado concludes, “We know how to do what it takes to get the job done.” Contact: National Circuit Assembly, 2908
National Drive, Suite 100, Garland, TX 75041 % 972-278-2009 E-mail:
info@ncatx.com Web:
www.ncatx.com Glenbrook Technologies, Inc., 11 Emery Avenue, Randolph, NJ 07869 % 973-361-8866 fax: 973-361-9286 Web:
www.glenbrooktech.com r
IPC
Apex Expo Las Vegas, March, 15–17 #1569
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