East West Manufacturing Blog

We write a lot about electronically commutated motors, sometimes called EC Motors or ECM. But what's the difference between EC motors and other traditionally used motors like shaded pole motors or permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors? How much will those differences cost you and more importantly, save you? Let's spend a few minutes comparing...

When you work with engineers prepare yourself for a heaping helping of acronym soup! You’ll hear it all: PCB, PCBA, DFM, FMEA, PO, IP and of course the BOM, which stands for Bill of Materials. And while all those other acronyms are highly important to the product development process, it’s the BOM that gets you on your way.

It's a question for the ages...What's the difference between a Permanent Split Capacitor (PSC) motor and an Electronically Commutated Motor, also known as an EC Motor or ECM?

(Okay, maybe not a question for the ages, but it's an important question.)

Third party testing and certification is one of the most important and expensive decisions you'll make in the product development process.Certification marks — whether UL, ETL or some other entity — demonstrate that the testing facility has tested samples of the product and found that it met that entities' requirements. The mark guarantees the...

Our engineers work with a lot of Gerber files. You probably know what that means, but just in case you don’t, Gerber is the file format for submitting printed circuit board (PCB) file designs to a PCB manufacturer. When you’re developing a product that includes electronics, you will have to supply Gerber files along with all your other product...

You’ve found your new manufacturing services provider! YAY!

But that manufacturer is only as good as its weakest link. It’s up to you to know all about the companies supplying your manufacturer. It’s time for supplier evaluations, and we've got a list of questions for a supplier evaluation checklist.

Lower cost. That's the goal of every sourcing or procurement manager, right? Well, it's certainly one goal. But how is cost measured? How great is a cheaper part or component if you can't get it on time or it isn't up to spec? 

Hey, we get it. No one, NO ONE, likes to wait. But there are ways to mitigate the potential delays in ordering electronic assemblies containing long lead time (LLT) components.

Of all the questions we hear, "why did my quote change" is one of the simplest and toughest to answer. The quote changed because of...well...change. But the reasons for the change can be complicated. In fact there might be more than one reason why your quote changed. Let's take a look at some of the factors that can cause an adjustment to your...

Last year we wrote about preparing your company for the supply chain disruptors described in one white paper as a "tsunami of new technology."