EPR operates as an internal electronics assembly service at CERN, from PCB layout through to board and crate assembly. While some at CERN decide to manage the electronics production process themselves, we offer our expertise to organise the process. Our services are available to anyone working at CERN or an external institute or university linked to a CERN experiment.

New Job Submission Checklist

• Job Submission Checklist: Please check this every time you request a new job.
• See also: Frequently Asked Questions

Flexible Services

Do you only want us to layout the design? Or do you need fully populated cards, assembled into a crate?

• Complete service: Beginning with your schematic, we can manage PCB layout and package design, bare PCB procurement, electronics assembly and mechanical parts.
• Flexible/partial service: You are welcome to use our design services but organise production yourself, or bring a complete design for only assembly to be managed by our section. Please discuss this with us well in advance, to make sure it can be properly planned and any hurdles can be discussed.
  • Please note that while we will do everything we can to help you foresee problems in advance, we cannot take responsibility manufacturing or assembly issues due to designs not managed by us.
• Consultation: We are also available for consultation and can provide production expertise on your projects. This includes external analysis, problem solving and advice, even on projects that are not being managed by us.

If you are not sure, send us an email to te-mpe-em-po@cern.ch

Subcontractors

Where possible, we subcontract PCB manufacturing and assembly to external subcontractors. We have strict production documentation to maintain a very high standard of quality, and all designs finalised by our design office produce a standard set of production files to avoid unexpected surprises. All of our PCB manufacturers and assembly subcontractors undergo audits and we work hard to maintain good relationships. This means that when things do go wrong, we can discuss the situation with confidence and transparency.

At each stage, subcontractors are chosen according to assembly complexity; a highly specialised firm equipped for complex assemblies will not offer competitive prices for simpler designs.

Project Sizes

The scale of our projects can be broadly classified as follows:

• small (<10 units)
• medium (10 - 200 units)
• large (>200 units)

For series production, it is possible to request a pre-series of five or ten units for testing and validation, prior to launching the larger scale production.

Components

All components should be supplied in proper industrial packaging and in appropriate quantities (spares + machine waste). Please read our Frequently Asked Questions carefully for more information.

Timelines and Costs

Electronics production takes time. The standard and shortest possible lead times depend on many factors and vary significantly from project to project. Of course there is always room to adapt, but shorter deadlines cost more money. The table below gives a good overview, but should only be seen as a "rule of thumb".

Nomenclature:

• Client: CERN requester of a job (you)
• BE: Design Office
• PO: Planning Office
• WS: Assembly Workshop

 

Step		Process	Lead Time (WD, working days)	Cost
Layout by BE (Design Office)		Client sends NDI form (see: Design Office), schematics and design specification to create the job request. Meeting to discuss if necessary. BE email the client when the work starts. BE create the design in communication the client. BE email the client when the design is ready for validation. Client validates the design to give the green light for production.	Dependant on project, to be discussed at the beginning.	72 CHF per hour, estimated in advance and managed in consultation with the client.
PCB Manufacturing	Outsourced (external subcontractor)	PO request necessary quotes and create the DAI. Client checks the quote and approves the DAI. Subcontractor manufactures and delivers the PCBs. If the PCB is your own design (without the help of the Design Office), please fill the PCB Specification form (see: Planning Office).	Standard: 12 - 20 WD (depending on batch size) + transport time Short: 5 - 9 WD (costs significantly more, can be double the price) + transport time   Unusual features (ie. filled and capped vias) can add extra days. Large batches can take longer (ie. >100 units). Shipping takes a few more days.	Cost charged directly, no cost for time taken by BE-CEM-EPR.
	Internal (by EP-DT-EF, small batches only) https://ep-dep.web.cern.ch/organisation/dt	PO (Planning Office) request the quote and confirms whether it is acceptable by the client. PO confirms the request to EP-DT-EF. EP-DT-EF manufacture and deliver the PCBs. If the PCB is your own design (without the help of the Design Office), please fill the PCB Specification form (see: Planning Office).	Standard: 15 WD, depending on workload. Short: 5 WD, strongly depending on workload, not always possible.	Cost charged directly, no cost for time taken by BE-CEM-EPR.
Assembly	Outsourced (external subcontractor)	Client delivers non-standard components. PO requests quote and creates DAI. Client checks quote and approves DAI. PO provides standard components, receives mechanical parts and prepares the kit. PO ships the kit to the subcontractor. Subcontractor assembles boards (with mechanical parts if necessar/possible). Boards are delivered back to WS for inspection. WS inspects the boards and informs the client when they are ready.	Standard: 20 WD after receipt of material + transport time Short: 5 - 10 WD after receipt of material + transport time   Shipping time of about one week (variable) must be added at both ends, for outgoing and incoming shipments (material for assembly and final product respectively). 1 - 3 WD required for incoming inspection.	Material and assembly costs charged directly, no cost for time taken by BE-CEM-EPR.
	Internal (BE-CEM-EPR Assembly Workshop, small batches only) Cabling by EN-EA-AS: https://en.web.cern.ch/group/ea	Client delivers non-standard components. WS provides standard components, prepares production plan. WS assembles boards. WS delivers material to EN-EA-AS for cabling, if required. After final inspection, WS informs the client when the boards are ready. WS provides quotes only upon request.	Standard: 10 - 20 WD Short: 5 WD   Only for small batches or specialised jobs. Varies depending on workload.	Material cost charged directly, assembly charged at: SMT: 90 CHF per hour THT: ~70 CHF per hour
Mechanical parts	Internal (by EN-MME-MA) https://en.web.cern.ch/group/mme)	Mechanical parts (chassis, front panels, etc) are managed in parallel by EN-MME-MA, beginning at the same point as PCB manufacturing. Depending on the project, beginning electronics assembly may need to wait for these parts.	Minimum 1.5 months but often 2 - 4 months. Unfortunately we are not able to accurately predict or accelerate the delivery of mechanical parts for urgent projects. If waiting a few months is not possible for your project, please manage procurement of mechanical parts yourself or speak directly to the EN-MME-MA department (contact Yann Farys: yann.sylvain.farys@cern.ch).	Charged as material cost + EN-MME-MA service fees.
TOTAL: Normal expectations for PCB manufacturing and assembly			<10 units: ~15 WD to be discussed <50 units: 2 - 2.5 months <200 units: 2 - 4 months >200 units: to be discussed Not including mechanical parts.	No charge for time taken by BE-CEM-EPR in project management and paperwork. Costs charged directly to client budget code where possible, remaining costs invoiced after completion.

Notes on timelines:

• When we talk about a "delivery date", we are usually referring to the date of outgoing shipment by a subcontractor and not accounting for transport time.
• In practice, shipping time varies widely and can take 3 working days or 3 working weeks (up to 2 weeks to CERN + 1 week for internal transport after CERN reception). This must be accounted for in reception of PCBs to CERN, outgoing material shipment to an assembly subcontractor and incoming shipment of the final assembly back to CERN.
• EDH documents take time. A subcontractor can't start production and we can't ship material to an assembler until the DAI is fully authorised. There are often many people in the chain of EDH signatures and it is not unusual for this to cause a couple of days delay.
• Problems in production or component packaging may require your feedback or validation before we can continue; be attentive to your emails and if you are on leave, nominate someone else to be contacted instead.