The Journey of a PCB Through the EMP Designs Workshop

Every electronic product begins with an idea. Whether it's a wireless lighting controller for a film set, a motion control system for a visitor attraction, or a bespoke industrial control solution, almost every project at EMP Designs starts life as a printed circuit board (PCB).

While a finished PCB may only be a small part of the final product, the journey from concept to completed assembly is one of the most fascinating parts of what we do. Here's a look behind the scenes at how a PCB travels through the EMP Designs workshop.

It Starts with the Design

Before a single component is placed, our engineers begin by defining exactly what the product needs to achieve.

Working from the project specification, we develop the electronic schematic, selecting every component that will become part of the finished design. This includes choosing the most appropriate microprocessors, integrated circuits, power supplies, communications hardware and supporting electronics.

Every decision is carefully considered. How much processing power is required? How much current is available? What communications protocols are needed? Which components offer the best long-term availability?

The schematic undergoes detailed design reviews before we move on to the next stage.

Turning a Schematic into a PCB

With the circuit finalised, attention turns to PCB layout.

This is where the electronic design becomes a physical product.

Although PCB auto-routing software has improved significantly in recent years, including the latest AI-assisted tools, we've yet to find one capable of matching an experienced engineer. Every track, via and component position is carefully placed by hand to optimise signal integrity, thermal performance, manufacturability and reliability.

External connectors, switches, LEDs and mounting points all have to work together while thousands of electrical connections are routed across multiple PCB layers.

Good PCB layout is part engineering, part experience, and part craftsmanship.

Manufacturing the Bare PCB

One of the few stages we don't carry out ourselves is manufacturing the bare PCB.

Producing multilayer circuit boards requires specialist chemical processing, so once the design files are complete they are sent to one of our trusted manufacturing partners.

Depending on the project requirements, the finished PCBs typically return to our workshop within one to seven days.

While the boards are being manufactured, plenty is still happening behind the scenes.

Preparing for Production

Before the first PCB even arrives, our manufacturing team is already preparing everything needed for assembly.

Production data is generated directly from the design files, including:

• Bill of Materials (BOM)

• Pick-and-place component files

• Solder paste data

• Manufacturing documentation

• Programming and test information

Any components not already held in our extensive stores are ordered, ensuring everything is ready the moment the boards arrive.

By overlapping these stages, we significantly reduce lead times.

Applying the Solder Paste

Once the bare PCBs arrive, the first manufacturing step is applying solder paste.

Traditionally this is achieved using a laser-cut stencil that deposits solder paste onto every component pad in a single operation. This is extremely effective for high-volume production.

However, because EMP Designs specialises in bespoke electronics and low-to-medium production runs, we've invested in a different approach.

Jet Printing Instead of Stencils

Our solder paste jet printer deposits thousands of microscopic dots of solder paste directly onto each PCB pad without the need for a stencil.

Although this process takes slightly longer than traditional screen printing, it offers enormous advantages for the type of work we do.

Because every PCB can have a unique paste profile, we can:

• Build one-off prototype boards immediately

• Optimise solder volumes for different component types

• Modify paste patterns without manufacturing new stencils

• Eliminate stencil storage and cleaning

• Switch rapidly between different products

For a workshop building many different products every week, this flexibility is invaluable.

Automated Component Placement

After solder paste has been applied, the PCB moves to our pick-and-place machine.

Using the placement data generated during PCB design, the machine accurately positions every surface-mount component onto the board.

From tiny passive resistors smaller than a grain of rice to complex microprocessors and wireless modules, thousands of components can be placed with exceptional speed and precision.

Our component reels are loaded into the machine in advance, allowing production to move quickly once assembly begins.

Vapour Phase Reflow

With every component in place, the board is ready for soldering.

Rather than using conventional tunnel reflow ovens, EMP Designs uses vapour phase soldering.

This process gently heats the entire PCB using the condensation of a specialised fluid, ensuring every part reaches exactly the same temperature.

For us, this offers several important benefits:

• Extremely even heating

• Reduced thermal stress

• Excellent solder quality

• Improved reliability for sensitive components

• Particularly well suited to delicate LEDs and mixed-technology assemblies

It's a process that complements the diverse range of products we manufacture, whether we're building a single prototype or a production batch of up to 1,000 boards.

Automatic Optical Inspection

Once soldering is complete, every PCB is inspected using our Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) system.

The AOI machine compares the assembled PCB against the original design, checking for:

• Missing components

• Incorrect component orientation

• Component alignment

• Solder joint quality

• Assembly defects

This automated inspection provides an additional level of quality assurance before the board progresses to testing.

Programming and Functional Testing

A visually perfect PCB isn't necessarily a working PCB.

Once inspection is complete, the board moves into programming and functional testing.

Because we design both the hardware and the embedded software in-house, our firmware and test software are often ready before the first PCB leaves the production line.

That means we can:

• Program the microcontroller immediately

• Verify every hardware function

• Confirm communications are working correctly

• Test product-specific features

• Identify design improvements rapidly during development

If we're building the very first prototype, this stage tells us whether the design behaves exactly as intended. If everything performs correctly, production can immediately continue with the remaining boards.

Why In-House Manufacturing Matters

Keeping almost the entire manufacturing process under one roof gives us a huge advantage.

Many companies outsource assembly, programming and testing, often resulting in lead times of three to nine weeks before a board can be evaluated.

By contrast, our integrated workflow allows us to move from PCB delivery to a fully tested prototype in just a matter of days.

For research and development projects, this speed is invaluable. We can identify issues quickly, make design changes immediately, and produce revised boards without waiting weeks between iterations.

For our customers, that means faster development, quicker problem-solving and shorter overall project times.

More Than Just a Circuit Board

A PCB might only be a small part of the finished product, but every one represents hundreds of engineering decisions, careful planning and a highly coordinated manufacturing process.

From the first schematic to the final functional test, every stage is carried out with the same goal: producing reliable, high-quality electronics that perform exactly as intended.

Whether we're building a single prototype or manufacturing thousands of assemblies, every PCB follows the same carefully managed journey through the EMP Designs workshop—and it's this combination of engineering expertise and in-house manufacturing that allows us to develop innovative electronics quickly, efficiently and to the highest standards.