Medical device design is a slow process. Yet, you can improve the pace of iterative engineering design build and test while reducing risks by catching engineering mistakes and requirements misses early. This will also speed time-to-market and provide testers and users with working variations at a faster pace.

You can increase the velocity of design and prototyping through AI component sourcing, schematic generation, and cloud-based 3D PCB layout tools. In the MD&M Minneapolis session, Same Day PCBA Prototyping Using 3D Printing: The Puma Process, on Wednesday, October 16 at 9:30 Central, Dave Jones, president of DE Design Works, will walk attendees through the process.

Jones will discuss batch inventory, laser FR4 lamination equipment, all-in-one 3D dispensed paste, adhesives, and pick-and-place with in-line auto inspection and using vapor phase ovens to create a same day very high quality PCBA. The SLA 3D printed components provide same day custom modular test fixtures for rapid testing of the new assembly.

The DE Puma process uses AI to eliminate traditional BOM supply chain ordering, eliminates stencils and SPI completely, and reduces oven tuning time and test fixturing dramatically for small batch prototype runs. These efforts increase the speed of medical device engineering iteration without sacrificing the quality of the PCBA prototypes or traceability. That leaves more time for documentation, firmware, and testing.

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We caught up with Jones to get more details on his MD&M Minneapolis presentation.

First off, could you describe the work and services of DE Design Works? 

Dave Jones: DE Design Works is a US full-service end to end B2B engineering firm specializing in napkin sketch to production product development with core competency in embedded firmware, application software development, printed circuit board (PCBA) hardware design, rapid prototyping, pre-certification testing, and management consulting for scaling the manufacturing of electronic assemblies to volume production.

Could you explain (briefly) how AI, sourcing, schematic generation, and cloud-based 3D PCB can speed design and prototyping?

Jones: Sure, there are four basics to the process:

1. Immediate access to supply chain inventory and cost data.

1. Requirements-based inputs (instead of web research and viewing datasheet details) is important as well as working in block diagram form to provide recommendations on part selection. Expertise is still critical here, since the tools are not fully evolved and may never be.

2. Schematic generation and layout generation instead of manual entry. Expertise is also critical here, since tools are not fully evolved and may never be.

3. Cloud based collaborative review and approval.

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All of these lead to faster design iteration and approval to build prototypes. Using equipment for prototyping that is separate from your production equipment also speeds up the process, since prototype iteration, design, and manufacturing have different needs.

Could you explain the rapid testing effort?

Jones: Modular test fixtures for low volume production using 3D printed parts increases the quality and consistency of beta field protos.

How does 3D printing figure into the process of accelerated time-to-market?

Jones: It speeds up the feedback loop: You need to get the physical working prototypes (PCB, enclosure, and UI) in the hands of users, customers, investors, manufacturers, and buyers to reduce project misdirection due to communication and mis-expectations in the development process. The goal is to get the right product as quick as possible and get as much feedback as quick as possible, so the design team gets as much time as possible to iterate. You can use 3D printed enclosures and test fixtures as well as solder dispensing to eliminate silk screens. You can use new substrates and smaller components to verify and test more concepts early, which will provide faster feedback in closed-loop design cycles.

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