OREANDA-NEWS. GE’s (NYSE: GE) Measurement & Control business has opened a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) center to provide prototypes and testing for all Measurement & Control products. Located in GE’s Bently Nevada facility in Minden, Nev., the center’s state-of-the-art surface mount assembly line represents a USD 4.3 million investment in quality and productivity.

The new PCBA center builds on in-house infrastructure and process expertise to offer high product reliability and fast turnaround times. A team of engineering experts will work the line, ensuring testability and manufacturability. They will collaborate early in the development cycle with global sourcing, design, layout and product applications teams.

“Reliable electronics are critical to the product lines and customers of Measurement & Control, and a robust PCBA design process is a major element of this reliability,” said Julie DeWane, global supply chain leader for GE Measurement & Control, a GE Oil & Gas division. “The PCBA Prototype Center of Excellence (COE) will produce state of the art designs incorporating best-in-class manufacturability and testability standards. Focusing on these elements during the product development process will drive a greater level of reliability and sustainability throughout the product lifecycle. Additionally, it will enable a faster development cycle allowing us to bring products to market faster, which is good for our customers. The Prototype COE is an example of the advanced manufacturing capabilities we embrace that enable new product design possibilities, improve and automate critical technologies, and increase productivity while reducing costs.”

The Bently Nevada facility houses the company’s line of condition monitoring products and services.

“The Minden team is our largest group of PCBA in-house experts, so the prototype center was installed here to leverage the knowledge and skills of these employees for the benefit of all Measurement & Control products requiring PCBAs,” said Ernest Carey, GE Measurement & Control global supply chain leader for Bently Nevada and control solutions products.

Project discussions have begun, and several prototypes have already completed processes in the new PCBA center. Engineers in the center not only develop the physical prototype; they also are involved in the customer product requirements and applications, the testing and sourcing strategies and the design constraints. The intent is to bring the expertise into the discussions from the beginning to improve and speed up the redesign and new product introduction processes.

”We are excited to provide a focal point to drive the manufacturability and testability of our printed circuit boards,” said Rei Wahl, leader of the PCBA center. “By building prototypes through one center, the experts here in Minden can share what works best for reliability and fast cycle with the rest of our business, making us all stronger.”