Systems and procedures
An electronics product can be thought of as a system with inputs, processes and outputs. The most common method of
manufacturing electronic products is the batch method - though one-off production and continuous-flow production are also
important.
ICT is used extensively in electronics manufacturing. The use of machines that are controlled by computers is called computer-
aided manufacture or CAM.
Systems in electronics
Electronics systems diagrams are used to show how the parts of a product work together. Many electronic products are made
up of a number of standard system circuits (circuits that are common to many different products), such as sensors, amplifiers,
timers, counters and output devices.
System diagrams usually take the form of a block diagram in which each part of the electronic system is represented by an
input, a process or an output.
The block diagrams below shows two types of system.
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The open-loop system has no feedback mechanism, so the accuracy depends on how well the system was set up
before hand.
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Closed-loop electronic systems use sensors to provide feedback. This means that if the output is not satisfactory, the
inputs or processes can be altered.
Production systems
There are four basic types of production system used in electronics - each one using different types of machine and with
different levels of automation. Which system is used depends generally on how many identical products are to be produced,
and how continuous the production is to be.
One-off or jobbing production
This is used to produce very small amounts or specialised electronic products. This might mean producing a single piece of
switch gear for a factory machine. Workers in this type of industry need to be highly skilled in a range of different areas and
able to work on a number of aspects of the project.
Batch production
This is the most common type of production in the electronics industry. It involves making a set number of exactly the same
product. Some batches will be small, others could be thousands. Batch production might be used to make PCBs for aircraft
controls, for example, or control panels for central-heating boilers.In batch production the operation is sub-divided into a
number of separate stages, with each stage being completed by different (often computer-controlled) machines. The stages in
an PCB batch production process might be:
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making the PCB
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drilling the holes
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populating the board with components
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soldering the components in place
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checking the board, and mounting it into the product
