Case study | How is the Bluetooth headset made step by step?

Bluetooth headset is the application of Bluetooth technology to modern smartphones so that users can avoid the inconvenience caused by wired headsets. Since the advent of Bluetooth headsets, they have been favored by the public. Some earphone suppliers have opened molds for production. The Bluetooth earphone shell needs to be verified by the first board of the earphone shell after the drawing design is completed, and the product design is tested for deficiencies. Then the finished product is processed by the injection mold. Let me tell you about the injection molding process of the Bluetooth headset:

1) Open the mold, open the mold according to the drawings provided by the customer.

2) Injection molding. After the mold is completed, the injection molding and proofing production will start. After the samples are confirmed, the mass production of shells will begin. The products produced by the injection molding machine must undergo quality inspection to check whether there are product defects.

3) Cable assembly, after the product quality, is correct after injection molding, start the next operation, cable assembly, and assemble related cables.

4) The sound head (or speaker drive unit) is manufactured. The sound head and the speaker determine the sound quality of a headphone. When choosing, you need to find a manufacturer with technical strength.

5) PCBA assembly, the PCBA board, controls the current transmission inside the Bluetooth headset like the central nervous system and is connected to various electronic components through processing and welding. For example, IC, resistor, capacitor, transformer, etc. In addition, unlike wired headsets, Bluetooth headsets also need to add special components such as Bluetooth modules and Bluetooth chips to ensure the distance, stability, battery life, and sensitivity of Bluetooth transmission.

6) Painting and screen printing, the products produced should be painted and screen printed on the outer packaging, mainly for a more durable and beautiful appearance.

7) Assemble; assembling is to combine all parts of the product into a complete product.

8) Quality control test. The quality control test is the test of product quality. Generally, there are abrasion test, vibration test, tensile test, high and low temperature/humidity test. Tests typically use spectrum analyzers, signal generators, dual-frequency RF power meters, high-frequency RF amplifiers, network generators, Bluetooth testers, audio generators, oscilloscopes, and withstand voltage meters, etc.

9) Packaging means packaging the finished product according to customer requirements. For example, wrap bubble bags to improve the protection against wireless charging during transportation, stick barcodes and price stickers on the products according to customer requirements, and put the products into cartons according to the packing specifications, and pack them for convenient transportation.

The above is the entire production process of the wireless Bluetooth headset. Many buyers think that the supplier will complete the whole process from PCBA production to packaging alone. In fact, this is not the case. Usually, after receiving the order, the factory will not complete the PCBA production process to packaging alone—the entire process. Most factories will only be responsible for some of these links, and other links will be outsourced to other suppliers.

The specific operation depends on the scale of the project because the size of the factory determines the production links the factory is responsible for:

After receiving an order, a small factory is usually only responsible for a small part of the production process (assembly + testing + packaging). The other links (housing + board + battery + speaker + label + carton + LOGO printing) are all outsourcing. Outsourcing refers to purchasing from a factory that specializes in this part.

How to distinguish the difference between a large factory and a small factory?

The medium-sized factories complete most of the links themselves: shell + LOGO printing + assembly + testing + packaging.

Outsourcing: PCBA+battery+speaker+label+carton

Large factories are responsible for the core links: shell + PCBA + LOGO printing + assembly + testing + packaging

Unimportant parts are usually made by a cooperating factory or small factory: battery + speaker + label + carton.

Of course, large factories do not exclude all production and design by themselves. Because large factories have their own advantages, both technology and workforce are definitely better than in small factories.

Therefore, when suppliers are talking about quotation and delivery, they will try to extend the delivery time as much as possible. Sometimes, they are not sure how long the production will be completed. Many uncertain factors are beyond their control.

So when it comes to the delivery date, sometimes the supplier is not sure about how long it will take to complete the production because he produces not every process. It is produced by multiple suppliers together. It is just him. To assemble or coordinate.

Before cooperating with suppliers, be sure to evaluate suppliers in order to find the most suitable supplier, otherwise, it will lead to higher costs and longer time. If you can’t tell, you can read our previous article:

Or contact us, we hope to make sourcing easier.