At Baulds we continuously innovate and improve. Baulds' hardware engineering development team develops several products per year. The lead time for a development can easily take a year.
Due to a shortage of (hardware) engineers, efficient working has become even more important so that the available capacity can be used effectively. In addition to efficiency gains, it offers more advantages. That is why we have a new working method at Baulds: modular hardware development.
1. Quality increase
As mentioned earlier, there is a shortage of good technical staff, which makes an efficient way of working even more necessary.
This is an important reason, but not the only reason. By using modular building blocks we also increase quality.
A building block consists of a circuit that has one primary function. This building block goes through the same development steps as a product. We extensively test a new modular building block in product development.
This already proven building block can then be used again in subsequent product development. By applying many proven modular building blocks in product development, the chance of a successful first prototype is significantly greater.
1.1 Modular hardware provides shorter development time
Because only one prototype is needed (first time right), development time is reduced. A redesign and having a second prototype made can cost months of additional lead time.
In addition, time is saved when documenting. By drawing up the documentation for a modular building block once, you save a lot of time during subsequent product development.
1.2 Altium is the right tool
There is also time savings during implementation. At Baulds we use Altium Designer for the hardware designs. Altium is already set up to use modular schemes. We have added modular layouts from Baulds.
It is easy to add a modular building block to the diagram, as a functional block. This makes it possible to create a complete schedule in a short time.
In the layout we combine all building blocks into one whole. Because all building blocks have already been prepared, only routing between the building blocks is required. This significantly reduces implementation time.
Finally, there is also time savings during testing. By extensively testing a new modular building block, only a short functional test is required for reuse.
2. Modular hardware allows for fewer different components
Modular building blocks also have advantages in terms of components. Using a building block more often results in fewer different components than with product development in which everything is developed from scratch, without reusing previous circuits.
This reduces the risk of component shortages in times of component scarcity, as is currently the case.
2.1 Obsolete management
In addition, obsolete management is also easier because it involves fewer different components. With an obsolete component (component soon or no longer available at all), only an adjustment of the modular building block is required.
All products can then be updated to the latest version of the modular building block. This significantly reduces the time of an obsolete adjustment. Of course there are also financial benefits. By using many of the same components, purchasing larger quantities with higher quantities is possible.
3. High quality
Because we use modular hardware building blocks at Baulds, we are not reinventing the wheel every time with a new development. This gives us a nice one portfolio of products.
We are working on new building blocks that we do not yet have in our modular building block portfolio. In other words, a new development really means something new. With every development we add new building blocks to our portfolio, thus creating an extensive library of modular building blocks.
This saves time and money for the client. This allows us to make “your product smarter” in a high-quality manner, in a short time and for the best price.
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