Acon, Inc. The DC Converter Specialist

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© ACON, INC., 2005-2008

Quality Assurance

A DC-DC Converter manufacturer Acon is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products. Our product quality is ensured through the following key factors: an effective Total Quality Management (TQM) System, a customer-oriented approach, concurrent engineering and high-reliability requirements design-in, and the application of state-of-art technology throughout our production process.

Acon's Quality System

Acon follows the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach and all processes affecting the quality of products are clearly defined and documented. We adopted this process in order to improve the effectiveness of our quality system. The flow chart shows Acon's operational processes and their relationships. Our quality system is ISO 9001 certified, which contains all key elements that are required by the standard, such as document and data control, review and continual improvement of the quality management system, resource management, design control, supplier control, production planning, inspection and testing, internal audit and corrective and preventive action. We have obtained certification of registration from UL since January 2000. The UL listing number is A7835. To find out more details of Acon's quality system, please refer to our Quality Manual

Customer-Oriented Approach

The registration of Acon's quality managment system has helped Acon to improve its quality performance in many ways. In particular, it has significantly optimized Acon's processes and has shifted Acon to a customer-oriented company. All of our business processes work towards fulfilling the needs of our customers.

As shown in the figure, customer satisfaction is at the center of Acon's business goals. Customer needs are understood through various communication channels, such as customer satisfaction surveys, market research, contract reviews, engineering benchmarking, technical support, collection and analysis of returns and complaints, and customer onsite auditing. We cordially encourage our customers to make use these communication channels in order for us to continually improve our products.

Acon is capable of serving our customers' standard and/or custom requirements. We have developed over 3,000 standard models, which comprise almost all combinations of input and output voltages and current range used in the electronic and telecommunication industries. Currently, we manufacture standard and custom high density and high power multiple output modules. Acon is also capable of quick turn-around on designs to satisfy any customer's special needs. Acon's advantage is that we are able to complete custom designs at a reasonable cost.

Concurrent Engineering Approach

Acon's product development process adopts the concurrent engineering approach, in which all factors that affect the reliability and quality of product are considered at the initial design phase (see figure at left). These factors include environmental requirements, technical requirements, economical requirements, regulatory requirements, quality and reliability, testablility, manufacturability, and design. This systematic approach brings talents from various disciplines, such as design, manufacturing, testing, and QA, in order to form an effective union to ensure the quality and reliability of the final product.

As shown in the figure below, Acon's design process has the following four phases: design planning; detail design; design verification, validation and pre-production run; and production and support.

At the design-planning phase, all functional, regulatory, and other requirements are studied. The functional requirements will be defined in the production specification. Products are designed and constructed to optimize inherent reliability and to comply with international regulatory, safety and environmental standards.

Regulatory and Safety Requirement

Standards
The major issue on the electrical safety concerning the DC-DC converter is isolation. There are several safety standards used throughout the world for the isolation of electrical circuits. The International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) has harmonized the standards into a single one, IEC 60950. The IEC 60950 is embodied in several other national and regional standards, including EN60950 (European Community), UL 1950 (U.S.), CSA C22.2950 (Canada), B.S. 16204 (U.K.), and VDE 0805 part 100 (Germany). In general, the major portions of these individual standards are the same as IEC 950. This standard now is becoming the world wide standard for safety of electrical equipment covering office equipment, data processing and telecommunications products.

Acon's safety features are designed-in
Acon, Inc. has adopted latest version IEC 60950-1 as the safety standard against which to obtain component approval. Acon has consulted with experts from TUV, a nationally recognized test laboratory, to implement isolation and separation requirements into the PCB layout. By default, all of Acon's newly designed products have enough physical clearance between any conductors across the isolation barrier (i.e. between primary and secondary circuits). This will provide sufficient voltage isolation according to IEC 60950-1 standard. All of Acon's new products are ready for safety certification when the design stage is completed. All newly designed standard model series will be submitted to a nationally recognized laboratory, such as UL or TUV for testing and certification. For a model that is specially designed for a customer, the safety certification is optional to that customer. If they would like the model to be listed and pay the proper fee, Acon will apply for certification.

In addition to the specification requirements outlined above, all polymeric material used in the product are UL recognized and traceable to UL94 V0 rating.

Tests
Also units produced by Acon must pass a high voltage isolation (high-pot) test. For existing products, the isolation voltage is usually set to 500 V. For all newly designed products, the isolation voltage test is set to 1500 V.

The Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) test can also be conducted in-house. We are able to recommend filters that will reduce EMI noise.

Reliability and Quality are Built-In

Reliability and quality are built into Acon's products naturally throughout the design and production processes. During design phase, we conduct Component Stress Analysis. We examine worst-case operating stresses for each key component and determine stress limit margins. We choose components to guarantee the units are not overstressed. We calculate reliability of each design product according to the Bellcore (TR-332) method. The estimated MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) is typically over one million hours.

Acon has also implemented a detailed closed-loop testing, failure analysis, reporting and corrective action system for tracking all failures found during in-house design and manufacturing and on units returned from field service. During the design phase, two types of testing are conducted: Electrical Verification Test(EVT) and Extended Design Evaluation Test (EDET). The EVT test ensures the designed product conforms to its design requirements. The EDET includes thermal shock and thermal and power cycling tests. EDET will provide important data for design validation and qualification. During the production phase, Acon products are functionally tested and must undergo burn-in for the appropriate proper period of time.

State-of-the-Art Production Technology

Acon has about 17,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space. This area includes the latest state-of-the-art surface mount technology (SMT) equipment which allows us to proactively control quality and maintain the integrity of our design. Acon has invested heavily in new technologies and continues to regard these investments as a top priority. As a result, we have improved the quality of our products, increased the overall level of productivity and successfully met the growing demand for our products.

ACON, Inc. 22 Bristol Drive, S. Easton, MA 02375 USA, Tel:(508)230.8022