Functional Test Fixtures: Electronic Test Industry Innovation

Electronic Test Industry InnovationWhile there are some test fixtures that can be purchased and used “out of the box” for industry, there are situations where ground-breaking technology requires a custom functional test option. The electronic test industry is continually growing, evolving, and creating new solutions to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our clients. EMC Technologies works with clients across many different industries, creating a functional test interface for computer servers and networking clients one day, developing new functional test fixtures for telecommunications or satellite companies the next.

Our team works to design and manufacture discretely wired and wireless functional test fixtures that are used for performance verification of both printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electronic assemblies. While we have many individual clients, many of our commercial applications have included work for military/defense technology, the medical industry, networking applications, and electronics companies. Designing a custom functional test or functional test interface is just a part of the services that we offer to meet the needs of our clients.

Interface Test Adapters

Another service that we provide is the development and manufacture of highly customized ITAs or interface test adapters. Some of the clients that require this type of custom ITA work include aerospace, military/defense, and even some subcontracted military programs. We have found that by working with such an advanced and demanding pool of clients, our team has been driven to stay current with the latest testing strategies and innovations in the field. As a result, EMC Technologies has been able to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the development of new ideas in the electronic test industry.

Some of the different types of ITAs that we have developed include a custom backplane printed circuit board (PCB) with power and ground connections, as well as a custom utility board PCB with additional loads, relays, and other options. We have worked to create removable access panels to allow for more adaptation and opportunities, and have successfully developed a redundant interface to provide multiple connections to a single point. We are proud of the work that we have done for our clients and our contributions to the electronic test industry as a whole.

Professional Engineering Services

At EMC Technologies, our engineering and design team go above and beyond the essential services provided within the industry to develop innovations for our customers. This enables us to provide full-service contract design and manufacturing in it’s truest form. We address each project as a complete system, including the overall evaluation of package limitations, interfacing conditions, and other issues. Dimensioning and tolerance, environmental constraints, and even client mounting requirements are all considered in project development by our engineering and design team.

We have applied our mastery within the electronic test industry for electromechanical design to create functional test fixtures and solutions for industrial, avionics, medical, military, and communications markets. The knowledge and experience that we have gained throughout the years have helped EMC Technologies to grow with our clients, producing and manufacturing world-class design more effectively and efficiently. We offer full in-house machining and metal fabrication services, enabling us to fabricate nearly any machined part. We can perform prototyping or run high-volume parts in-house, as required to support a full turn-key project with engineering services, assembly, or simple build-to-print machined prototypes.

Printed Circuit Board Design & Assembly

To better meet the needs of our clients, EMC Technologies can accommodate requirements for printed circuit board (PCB) design that ranges from a simple double-sided option to a more complex, multi-layer design. Our team can design PCBs directly from the client’s requirements, or we can fully develop a solution based on the project’s needs. Our PCB designs can be provided either in PADS or Allegro format. EMC Technologies uses the design and manufacture of custom PCBs as an integral component of the interface test adapter (ITA) for various reasons.

Our development team can provide clients with options that increase signal integrity and repeatability to reduce debugging time. We are also able to create faster and less expensive exact duplicates of ITA and offer better organization of relays, power and ground busses, as well as signal conditioning components. Our team does all this to meet the exact needs of each client, providing better solutions to improve the ease of maintenance for high-volume testing through the use of connector saver adapter cards and other key components.

Contact EMC Technologies

If you are interested in learning more about our engineering and development of innovative solutions for the electronic test industry, give us a call at 508-672-0808. We are ITAR Registered and ISO 9001: 2015 Certified to provide our clients with all of the professional services that they require. Functional test fixtures, functional test interfaces, printed circuit boards, and interface test adapters are just some of the design and manufacturing services that we provide.