Depending on a number of variables, including the complexity of the design, the availability of raw materials, and the manufacturer's manufacturing schedule, the manufacture of an RF connector may take several weeks or even months.

Design

The analysis of the client's requirements and verification of the mechanical profile are the initial steps in producing an RF connector. Typically, the customer will merely provide a brief description of the SMA connector, such as "SMA plug for RG316 cable," or a plain specification document. To check the desired electric performance and mechanical profile, we will first create our own specification sheet.

The electrical operation of the connector is then simulated using HFSS software, and precise drawings for each part are made with a tolerance of 0.005 to 0.20 mm depending on the connector's function and desired performance by Autocad, solidwork .

Raw Material

The raw materials for each component of the connector must be purchased once the design is complete. Depending on the availability of the material, this procedure may take three to fifteen days. One day may be all it takes to deliver popular supplies that are kept in stock, like the brass rod for SMA connectors, which is in high demand. Special dimension could take anywhere between 7 and 20 days. Check out this article to learn more about the various materials used to make RF connectors. Some of them will be purchased from a subcontractor.

Production of parts

The production phase, which comes next, entails employing CNC machines, punching machines, and injection machines to create the connector pieces in accordance with the design drawings. For instance, before beginning the CNC manufacturing of CNC parts, the CNC program must be designed, which takes 1-2 days, and the production schedule must be created. Because of this, the production process will take 3 to 7 days, depending on how busy the production line is. To verify that every part, regardless of the product on site or the subcontractor, matches the specified standards, a quality check is conducted after the production process.

Plating

Following production, the connector parts are delivered to a plating facility to get various plating types, such as gold or silver plating, which can help the connector function electrically better. Another quality check is performed after plating. This process takes 3-5 days, while more complex plating techniques, such as chemical nickel, require 7–15 days. Before moving on to the next phase, we will perform a quality check on the plated pieces, looking at things like thickness, stiffness, appearance, etc.

Assembly

The connector pieces are then put together using an organized assembly process. Before beginning to create large quantities, we perform a first article inspection to make sure it complies with all requirements, including those related to appearance, dimension, VSWR, withstand voltage, etc. It will take 3 to 7 days, depending on the complexity and volume of the assembly line. After assembly, the final product passes through a second quality inspection, same as the first piece inspection‘s result.

Summary

Conclusion

The connector is finally packaged and prepared for shipping to the customer. Depending on a lot of variables, the complete process of creating an RF connector may take several weeks or even months.

Furthermore, the same procedure and time are used for sample production, whether there are 10 or 500 PCS.

Appendix

Reference of other supplier’s lead time, the data come from Digikey.com