Develop
Through careful, observant engineering, Avo maximizes quality and highlights sources for pre-production improvement. Through an iterative process, refinement leads to pilot and then production-ready design, materials, and assembly processes.
Key Activities
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Material vendor selection, procurement, and incoming inspection criteria development
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Creation, assembly, and calibration of custom assembly and test stations
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Derivation and refinement of assembly processes
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Defining test points and deriving pass/fail criteria for subassemblies
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Production of Prototype units
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Environmental exposure testing (temperature, humidity, vibration)
Deliverables
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Prototypes
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Performance Assessment
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Analysis of Design, Materials, and Assembly Processes
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Derivation of Cost Drivers and Proposed Improvements
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Recommended Modifications
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Anticipated, Yielded Production Pricing at Various Volumes
Process Engineering
Avo seeks the best performing, highest quality, yet lowest price opto-electronic assembly process possible. Through the Design phase, the manufacturing processes were considered. In the Development phase, these Processes are performed and refined to utilize automation wherever practical and focus on product performance, yield, quality, and repeatability while decreasing cost.
Tools Creation
Yield and thereby Manufacturing Costs are directly linked to the quality of the Tool Design. Whether these Tools are for automated equipment or human assembly, elegance and stability will enable the production of lower-cost optical assemblies. Capturing, moving, and holding parts to sub-micron tolerances, without damaging the micro-components is challenging, but Avo knows the solutions.
Prototype Build and Documentation
After being excited with the detail and depth of understanding through the Design phase, the proof of the model is in the production of the first Prototype units. Here all aspects of the Design, Material Specification, and Assembly Processes come together to produce the planned photonic Prototypes. In addition, the beginning of the Quality Records (Work Instruction, Travelers, Work Aids, Inspection Records, Test Methods, and Data Sheets) are generated.
Test Stations
Avo is fully equipped to measure, monitor, and record almost every optical parameter: Power, Pulsewidth, Beam Profile, Pointing, Wavelength, Linewidth, Phase Front, ... This is in addition to all the mechanical, electrical, and thermal drive and measurement equipment that is needed in our diverse opto-electronic production business. All equipment is independently calibrated and NIST traceable.
Ruggedness Testing
It's not good enough to Design and produce a high-performing product. It must survive the real-world in which the product will be operating. Combining micron-level tolerances and challenging environments makes opto-electronics one of the most difficult assemblies to produce. We need to know that the Developed solution is acceptable. For this reason we expose Prototypes to Thermal and Mechanical stresses utilizing Avo-owned equipment including temperature, humidity, and pressure chambers as well as a vibration table.
Yield & Improvement Analysis
When Avo fully understands the product we are producing for you, we can find ways to lower the price without comprising any of the features. This is possible through a deep knowledge of the physics making up the Design, the materials, and the manufacturing tolerances. Through controlled optimization, with an understanding of the impact of change on other features, Avo delivers high-quality, low-cost, repeatable photonic products in high volume.