Fully Customizable Workflows

1. Features of the Full-Custom Workflow

Full customization involves designing every aspect of a power supply from scratch, including the circuitry, transformers, circuit boards, and enclosure. We create fully customized power supplies tailored to customer requirements, such as unique specifications that cannot be achieved with standard products, structures integrated into equipment, and compatibility with special operating environments.

The full-custom workflow offers the following features:

• Complete Compliance with Requirements: Dedicated designs can be created to meet all mechanical constraints, electrical requirements, and operating environment requirements of the equipment.
• Support for Equipment-Integrated and Special Form Factors: We support structures that cannot be achieved with standard products, including board-mounted power supplies built into equipment, special enclosures, proprietary connectors, and special cables.
• Differentiation Through Unique Specifications: A proprietary design that competitors cannot easily replicate helps create a competitive advantage for the customer's final Products.
• New Safety Certifications for Each Country: We handle the acquisition of safety certifications required for each destination market, including PSE, UL, CE, GS, CCC, and KC.
• Design for Long-Term Supply: By designing with component procurement continuity and stable mass production in mind, we support a stable long-term supply.

Difference from Semi-Customization: Semi-customization involves modifying certain specifications based on one of our standard products and does not require a new design process. Full customization, on the other hand, involves entirely new development throughout the process, from market analysis, basic design, detailed design, and prototyping to certification and mass production. Although this increases development time and cost, it enables complete compliance with requirements. If your needs can be met using a standard product as the base, please also refer to the Semi-Custom Workflow page.

2. Overall Workflow

The full customization process consists of the following eight steps. We provide comprehensive support from your initial inquiry through new product design, certification, mass production launch, and ongoing supply.

3. Details of Each Step

This section explains what is done at each step and what information is exchanged.

STEP 1: Inquiry and Requirements Consultation

We will discuss your requirements through our inquiry form or with our sales team. For fully customized products, a detailed understanding of the device's mechanical constraints and electrical requirements is directly linked to design quality in subsequent steps.

• Device application and intended usage
• Required output specifications (voltage, current, multiple outputs, USB PD profiles, etc.)
• Mechanical requirements (enclosure size, installation method, integrated or standalone design)
• Operating environment (ambient temperature range, humidity, outdoor installation, vibration, salt damage, lightning surges, etc.)
• Destination and markets (to determine the safety standards that must be obtained)
• Estimated production volume, mass production start date, and long-term supply period
• Required number of prototype samples and preferred delivery date
• Delivery destination (domestic factory, overseas factory, etc.)
• Unique requirements (special shapes, special connectors, branding, device communication features, etc.)

Providing device drawings, specifications, samples of competing products, and other relevant materials will help the subsequent evaluation proceed smoothly. We can also accommodate detailed discussions after an NDA has been signed.

You may consult us even if some items have not yet been decided. Please let us know which items remain undecided. For example, if you have not decided whether to install a cooling fan, we will consider a design that can operate without one.

STEP 2: Proposal of the Basic Design Policy

Based on the information gathered during the consultation, our power supply design department will formulate and propose a basic design policy. At this stage, we will finalize the following details.

• Selection of circuit configuration and topology (flyback, forward, resonant, etc.)
• Selection policy for key components (power devices, transformers, output capacitors, etc.)
• Structural policy (board configuration, heat dissipation method, and insulation design)
• EMC and noise suppression policy
• Applicable safety standards and certification schedule
• Estimates for the development period, development costs, and anticipated unit price for mass production

At this stage, we will present the customer with a draft technical specification and conceptual diagram. Once an agreement has been reached, we will proceed to the detailed design phase.

We will provide separate schedules indicating when prototype samples can be delivered and when procurement of materials for mass production can begin. Once the procurement schedule is known, we can determine in advance with the customer when projected quantities must be provided to meet the mass production start date.

We will also provide information on the minimum order quantity, country of manufacture, and shipping terms along with the quotation. Quotations can also be provided in foreign currencies upon request.

For information about lead times after ordering, small-lot orders, and international delivery, please also see the following pages.

• How long will it take for my order to arrive?
• What is the minimum quantity for small-lot orders?
• Support for Purchasing and Delivery Routes

STEP 3: Detailed Design

Based on the finalized basic design policy, we carry out the detailed design of each element.

• Circuit Design: Main circuits, protection circuits, feedback control, inrush current countermeasures, etc.
• Transformer Design: Winding design, insulation structure, leakage inductance, and temperature rise
• Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design: Trace layout, thermal design, insulation distance, and manufacturability
• Enclosure and Mold Design: Mechanical strength, heat dissipation, ease of assembly, and compatibility with equipment
• EMC/EMI Design: Noise filters, shielding, and grounding design
• Finalization of Component Selection: Considering component availability and long-term supply

At each stage of the detailed design process, we conduct design reviews to verify quality and compliance with specifications.

STEP 4: Prototyping and Customer Evaluation

Based on the detailed design, we manufacture a prototype. Before producing the enclosure using production tooling, we may create a prototype using soft tooling, 3D printing, or other methods.

We conduct electrical characteristics evaluations, temperature tests, and reliability evaluations, and provide the evaluation data to the customer. The customer also evaluates the prototype in combination with the actual equipment and verifies its operation.

If the evaluation results indicate that the design needs to be reviewed, we will redesign and produce another prototype. The design is finalized once the prototype evaluation has been completed.

STEP 5: Obtaining Safety Certifications

After the design is finalized, we obtain new safety certifications appropriate for the destination market. For a fully customized product, certifications must be obtained from scratch and are issued after testing and assessment by an accredited laboratory.

The primary safety standards and certifications we support are as follows.

• Japan: PSE
• North America: UL, cUL, FCC
• Europe: CE, GS, UKCA
• China: CCC
• South Korea: KC
• Taiwan: BSMI
• India: BIS
• Oceania: RCM
• Other regions: Handled individually according to the destination market

Depending on the destination market, obtaining certification takes approximately 1-6 months. In line with the schedule, we prioritize obtaining the required certifications.

STEP 6: Pilot Production Run

After preparing the production molds, jigs, and inspection equipment, we conduct a pilot run at the mass production plant. This is the final verification process before mass production begins, during which we verify the following:

• Ease of assembly and operability in the mass production process
• Variations in the electrical characteristics of mass-produced units
• Validity of the inspection process
• Quality stability of the initial lot
• Expected lead time and yield

We also provide samples from the pilot run to the customer and obtain final approval to begin mass production.

STEP 7: Mass Production and Quality Inspection

Production begins at the mass production plant. We conduct the following three stages of quality inspection for mass-produced units:

• Incoming Quality Control (IQC): With the exception of certain packaging components, all components undergo sampling-based incoming inspections and hazardous substance testing.
• In-Process Quality Control (IPQC): For every lot, we verify that production conforms to specifications, ultrasonic welding is performed reliably, and processes are carried out in accordance with work instructions.
  We also conduct insulation resistance tests, dielectric withstand voltage tests, and other tests on semi-Products and finished products for every production lot to verify quality.
• Outgoing Quality Control (OQC): Electrical characteristics specified by safety standard requirements and specifications are inspected for every production lot using a sampling method.

We use Level-II of ANSI/ASQ Standard Z1.4 for our inspection criteria and establish AQL standards for critical, major, and minor defects. For details, please refer to our Commitment to Quality page.

STEP 8: Continuous Supply and After-Sales Service

After mass production begins, we provide long-term continuous supply and after-sales support. Because fully customized products are designed specifically for each customer, another advantage is the ease of developing a long-term supply strategy aligned with the customer's business plan.

• Traceability Management: We retain production history data for 20 years, enabling long-term quality tracking.
• Defect Response: If a defect occurs, we conduct an analysis, identify the cause of occurrence and the cause of escape, and implement measures to prevent recurrence.
• Support for Derivative Products and Additional Specifications: Even after mass production begins, we can flexibly accommodate derivative products with different cables and additional specifications for specific markets.
• Component EOL Support: If a component reaches end of life (EOL), we evaluate switching to an alternative component and handle recertification to maintain long-term supply.
• Long-Term Supply: We monitor component procurement conditions to support a stable long-term supply.

4. Contact Us

For full-custom solutions, we provide comprehensive support, from gathering requirements and proposing a basic design policy to detailed design, certification, and mass production. Please feel free to contact us if you have requirements that cannot be met by standard products, are considering a power supply integrated into your equipment, or want to differentiate your products with unique specifications.

Inquire About Full-Custom Solutions

Request a General Products Catalog