What is an EMC Design Review?
An EMC Design Review focuses on particular EMC issues. It is not a full blown review as it does not consider issues like weight, power, reliability etc.
An EMC design review can cover mechanical issues, system level issues or circuit board issues, depending upon the product. It also throws light on regulatory requirements as well as threats, various constraints like volume and cost constraint, and design strategies.
When is the Best Time to Perform the Review?
Generally, the best time to conduct an EMC Design Review is in the initial mechanical and electrical design phases. In case of circuit boards, the best time to conduct the review is when the board layout is complete and the initial artwork is ready. This is because, at this stage, the design is ready enough to make recommendations and flexible enough to incorporate changes.
Sometimes, the EMC issues are sought out early in the concept stage. This proves helpful while tackling packaging issues like shielding and cabling. This can also be applicable to circuit boards at the time of I/O or bus design or connector placement.
Duration of an EMC Design Review
Most of these reviews can be completed in a day or less. In fact, for a single circuit board or a simple system, it only takes a few hours! It is advisable to grab a co-worker and go over the issues together. Often, you uncover unexpected issues when explaining the design to someone else.
Why do an EMC Design Review?
- Increased costs as a result of failure: EMC failure can cost your company a lot of its hard earned money. A lot of money will go towards the expenses of renting a de-bugging equipment, hiring a consultant, re-working on designs and re-manufacturing, and of course, paying for the re-test.
- Delay to enter the market: The major concern for a company in case of an EMC failure is the delay to launch the product in the market. An EMC approval is essential before legally selling your product in the market and an EMC failure can delay your market entry for several days to several weeks (and even for a couple or two months!). Generally, a delay to the market reduces the peak sales volume of any given product by a few percentage. Depending on the nature of your product, the duration of the overall sales window is also reduced.
- Improve the performance of your product: An effective EMC Design Review improves the performance of your product. This results in reduced number of returns from the customers. A good EMC Design Review can reduce a lot of issues.
ITC India is an NABL accredited testing laboratory providing EMC EMI Testing Services along with many other testing services as per the client’s requirement. We also provide EMC Design Review services and consultancy. Contact b.vig@itcindia.org for more information or visit our website https://itcindia.org/emc-emi-testing/ to know more about EMC EMI Testing.
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