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Offshore conditions provide tough test for electronics
Imagine developing a highly complex piece of electronics engineering that can communicate huge amounts of...Imagine developing a highly complex piece of electronics engineering that can communicate huge amounts of data across long distances, undertake complex analyses of material and guide machinery in a specific direction.
Now imagine manufacturing this type of equipment for the oil and gas industry, which operates in one of the world’s most hostile environments. Extremes of temperature, cutting through rock faces, working hundreds of feet below ground or sea – all of these scenarios are commonplace in the energy exploration and extraction industries.
Typical of this type of work is the guidance and data acquisition unit that Exception EMS manufactures for global business Halliburton.
As one of the largest providers of products and services to the oil and gas industries, Halliburton adds value through the entire lifecycle of oil and gas reservoirs. It provides and integrates products and services, starting with exploration and development, moving through production, operations, maintenance, conversion and refining, to infrastructure and abandonment.
Exception EMS provides a contract manufacturing service to Halliburton, which includes exhaustive environmental stress screening (ESS) tests to ensure that products can operate in the most aggressive environments.
Richard Taylor, manufacturing head of production at Halliburton said: "The relationship we have with Exception spans several decades and says a lot about their understanding of the complexities and culture in the oil and gas industry. We need to be able to rely on electronic sensors in the drill head as the cost of tool failure can run to hundreds of thousands of pounds. We rely on Exception to undertake vital ESS tests as well as providing us with a fast track service for products that are sometimes needed within days, not weeks to minimise rig downtime."
Exception EMS has recently introduced its fourth Flying Probe ATE, the Takaya9411, which has enhanced its in-circuit test (ICT) capability. Flying probe testers use moving test heads to make contact with the copper lands or holes to verify the electrical connectivity of the board under test. The addition of the new 9411 test platform allows production verification to be increased dramatically and enables the group to better service the requirements of customers. This is especially true of its Fastrack department where delivery requirements can be as short as 24hours, and the boards it produces are typically leading edge prototype boards that have to be 100percent error free.
Managing director of Exception EMS, Richard Brighton is clear about the challenges facing electronics manufacturers supplying the offshore sector. "It’s all about getting the mix of innovation, reliability, service and support right, consistently. It’s also very much about understanding the sector and what customers really want. To that end, we have now established specialist business streams that focus on our customers in the oil and gas sector."
Exception EMS is based in Tewkesbury and Calne, Wiltshire, UK. www.exceptionems.com
