When a specific piece of technology becomes common, we quickly learn to take it for granted. It wasn’t so long ago that we had to travel without GPS, had to meet friends and acquaintances without the constant contact of a cellphone, and we never even imagined the convenience that is Wi-Fi.
We often credit visionaries like Steve Jobs for pushing these inventions, but the truth is the manufacturing and assembly of these electronics are some of the most vital steps to making electronics functional and accessible at an affordable price.
A Massive Change in Manufacturing
Since the early 2000s, computer technology has become truly mobile, and much of this is due to evolving assembly technologies. In the past, computers and electronics tended to be larger, weigh more, and require more space simply because of the constraints of their assembly. Larger parts, many made of metal, were often welded or screwed into place, and items like computers tended to be more like pieces of furniture rather than something you would consider in any way mobile.
It can be easy to take modern technology for granted. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are modern marvels. Smaller, sleeker, and with larger computing power than ever before, much of this is thanks to shrinking parts and the way we assemble them.
Modern assembly has also allowed for another advantage—lower pricing. Technology today is remarkably inexpensive, and this is due to the mass production that is made possible by modern parts and adhesives. These advancements, though very often we may not consider them, have allowed us the technology that enables us to work and play on the go.
Historic Manufacturing and Assembly
Technology, and the way it is manufactured and assembled, has undergone a rapid advancement. The assembly of our modern conveniences is as important as the parts that go into them. After all, an assembly requirement that is too technical, complex, or time-consuming means the price of a given product will be too high for most to afford.
Modern manufacturing finds its roots in the ideas put forward by the Ford Motor Company. Mass production of cars with a parts process in mind, done on a wide scale, was the first experiment in making prohibitively expensive technologies affordable. By breaking down the way we put together consumer goods, the Ford Company paved the way for the modern assembly of our smartphones, tablets, and computers.
The first televisions and other home conveniences like blenders and vacuums, were unthinkable before mass production and mass assembly, which soon became the norm. Mass production has helped to drive the development of modern electronics. As materials, adhesives, and assembly procedures advanced, inventors and creative business communities found a way to bring technology into people’s homes and lives in a way that they never did before.
Overseas Assembly
When you get a new smartphone, tablet, or computer, your thoughts likely concern the things you can do to enjoy your new toy, rather than where it came from. Most of our modern technologies are manufactured and assembled overseas and shipped to consumers throughout the United States. Our electronics contain many parts, and these parts are often sourced from a number of different manufacturers, being brought together for central assembly and production.
Smartphones: The majority of smartphone assembly takes place in Taiwan and China. Manufacturing of parts may take place throughout the world, but Hungary is emerging as a supplier of smartphone elements. If you check out most of the major smartphone brands, you’ll find that parts are sourced from all over the world.
Tablets: Before a tablet is completed, almost 100 people will have taken part in manufacturing and assembling all the complex parts that go into creating an amazing user experience. Individual workers are responsible for making parts, placing them, and gluing tablets into the final position.
Computers: Most laptop components are manufactured in Taiwan, and assembly is completed in mainland China before worldwide shipping takes place. Malaysia and the Philippines are also heavily involved in laptop assembly and are emerging as major electronics assemblers in the global market. Unlike smartphones and tablets, some laptops are assembled in the United States, though this practice is becoming rarer.
Each person in the production process is responsible for one crucial aspect of your electronics. Often, a person on an assembly line will take on one task—inserting a camera part, gluing on the touchscreen, or testing each phone for functionality. Breaking down the assembly of items like smartphones ensures they can be put together by non-experts, and that a very complex technology can be assembled quickly, inexpensively, and with quality in mind.
Many Types of Adhesives
Hot melt adhesives are an essential part of making smartphones, tablets, and computers function well. Rather than screwing in or soldering parts into your mobile devices, the tiny parts that make it function can be carefully placed. Adhesives are essential to our mobile devices, making them more watertight and ensuring that delicate internal parts stay in place despite our enthusiastic use.
Adhesives that adhere chips, touchscreens, card readers, and cameras are just some of the components in modern smartphones, tablets, and computer assembly, and these assembly components are being improved with every new electronic technology development. Clever ways of adhering parts and putting together our electronics are ultimately the things that allow us to enjoy technology in new and exciting ways!
The Future of Production
The evolution of smartphones, computers, and tablets is continuing at a rapid pace. The components needed in manufacturing, and more flexible and durable adhesives, continue to be perfected to help make for superior technology that fits better with our lives. It can be hard to imagine the next iteration of these electronics before a visionary has invented it, but, if you consider how much the average home computer has developed in the past twenty years, the new technologies that the future holds are sure to be impressive.
The next challenges for inventors, visionaries, manufacturers, and assemblers is handling smaller and more wearable technologies and coping with flexible screens. Imagine rolling up your tablet like a scroll or folding up a massive computer screen to tuck away in a drawer!
There are a lot of new conveniences emerging, and experts all over the world are busy trying to predict what will come next. These enhanced user experiences, increased memory, faster processors, and more flexible smartphones, tablets, and computers are in the future. Electronics assemblers are already preparing to find ways to put the next wave of technology in your hands at an affordable price.
