Electronics That Drive the
Modern Production Environment
Industrial automation electronics sit at the heart of the modern production environment. Lighting control systems that adapt to line speed and operational state. Motor drive electronics that move materials, components, and finished products with precision and repeatability. Servo control systems that position, actuate, and monitor with the accuracy and speed that automated production demands. These are not background systems: they are the electronics that determine whether a production line runs at capacity or stands still.
At Arkle Electronic Systems, we manufacture electronics for industrial automation applications. Our PCB assembly, box build, and cable harness capabilities cover the range of automation electronics our customers require: from lighting control boards for high-speed assembly lines to motor drive and servo control electronics for automated material handling and process control. With over 50 years of electronics manufacturing experience, we understand what industrial automation electronics demand from their manufacturer.
Automation Applications We Manufacture For
Lighting Control Systems for Production Line Management
Intelligent lighting control for production and assembly environments goes well beyond simple on-off switching. High-speed production lines use lighting control electronics to trigger strobed illumination in synchronisation with line speed, enabling machine vision inspection systems to capture consistent, blur-free images of components and assemblies moving at high velocity. The control electronics that drive these systems must respond with the timing precision and repeatability that machine vision applications demand: a lighting trigger that is even marginally out of synchronisation generates inspection images that are inconsistent across the production batch.
Arkle manufactures lighting control PCB assemblies for production line applications, building on the experience developed across our LED lighting sector work. The electronics combine timing and control circuits, driver stages, and communications interfaces that connect the lighting system to the line management and machine vision infrastructure. Mixed-technology assembly capability handles the combination of precision surface mount control electronics and through-hole power components that these boards typically require.
Lighting control electronics for production environments must also be reliable in the industrial setting. Temperature variation, electrical noise from motor drives and other plant, and the vibration of a working production facility all affect the electronic assemblies that manage lighting. Conformal coating where the installation environment demands it, robust connector selection, and full functional test before release are standard elements of Arkle's production line lighting control builds.
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Motor Drive Control Electronics
Motor drive and motion control electronics are central to industrial automation across almost every sector. Conveyor systems, robotic end effectors, automated guided vehicles, material handling systems, and process control actuators all depend on motor drive electronics that convert control signals into precise, repeatable mechanical motion.
The motor drive boards that Arkle manufactures combine power electronics for motor drive with control and feedback processing, position and speed sensing interfaces, communications circuits for integration with PLC and supervisory control systems, and protection electronics covering overcurrent, overvoltage, and thermal shutdown. Thermal management is one of the most critical manufacturing considerations for motor drive electronics: power output stages dissipate significant heat under load, requiring heavy copper on power layers, thermal via arrays beneath heat-generating components, and enclosure design that allows effective heat transfer to the surrounding environment.
EMC discipline is equally important. Motor drive switching generates broadband electrical noise that can interfere with sensitive control, sensing, and communications circuits. PCB layout management, ground plane integrity, and cable routing practices that prevent switching noise from coupling into signal circuits are manufacturing disciplines that Arkle's experience with motor drive applications has developed and refined.
Servo Control
Electronics
Servo control electronics add precision positioning and closed-loop feedback to motor drive applications, enabling the accurate, repeatable positioning that robotic assembly, pick-and-place systems, and precision manufacturing processes require. Servo control boards integrate position encoder interfaces, speed and current feedback loops, and the high-bandwidth control processing that closed-loop servo systems demand.
Arkle's servo control experience spans both the industrial automation sector and adjacent applications including remotely operated surveillance systems in our security sector work. This cross-sector experience with the common technical challenges of servo control electronics, EMC management, feedback signal integrity, and power stage thermal management, informs our approach to every servo control build.
The Technical Requirements of Industrial Automation Electronics
Reliability Under Continuous
Industrial Operation
Industrial automation electronics run continuously, often across multiple shifts and without scheduled downtime for maintenance. A production line that stops because of an electronics failure costs money immediately, in lost output, wasted materials, and idle labour. The manufacturing standard for automation electronics must reflect this: not simply meeting specification at the point of test, but maintaining that performance across months and years of continuous operation in an industrial environment.
The manufacturing responses include component selection for rated industrial operating life, solder joint quality processes that produce fatigue-resistant joints for assemblies subject to thermal cycling and vibration, and conformal coating where the installation environment exposes the electronics to moisture, contamination, or aggressive cleaning agents common in food, pharmaceutical, and industrial production environments.
Thermal Management in
Motor Drive Applications
Power electronics for motor drive and servo control applications dissipate heat that must be managed at the assembly level. Heavy copper weights on power layers, thermal via arrays beneath output stage components, and thermal interface material selection between components and heatsinks are all manufacturing decisions that affect how effectively heat moves from the junction to the environment. Getting this wrong results in premature component failure and shortened product service life. Arkle specifies copper weight and thermal via design to match the dissipation requirements of each motor drive application.
EMC in the Industrial
Environment
Industrial production environments are electrically noisy. Variable frequency drives, servo amplifiers, contactors, solenoids, and welding equipment all generate electromagnetic interference that can affect sensitive control and sensing electronics. Automation electronics must be designed and manufactured with adequate EMC immunity to function correctly in this environment. PCB layout discipline, ground plane integrity, shielded cable harnesses, and filtered power entry are all manufacturing considerations that affect EMC performance in service.
Mixed Technology
Assembly
Industrial automation electronics characteristically combine surface mount microcontrollers, FPGAs, and communications electronics with through-hole power components, large capacitors, terminal blocks, and heavy-duty connectors. Managing mixed-technology builds requires genuine through-hole capability alongside SMT, with selective soldering processes for the through-hole sections that do not compromise the already-assembled surface mount electronics. Arkle's Panasonic SMT lines are complemented by skilled through-hole assembly capability enabling the mixed builds that automation electronics typically require.
Our Automation Electronics
Manufacturing Capabilities
Standards and Quality
Arkle holds ISO 9001:2015 quality management and ISO 14001:2015 environmental certification, with Cyber Essentials Plus achieved in 2026. Defence Cyber Certification (DCC) and ISO 27001 are in progress.
Assembly and process standards:
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IPC-A-610 Class 3 (assembly acceptability for high-reliability industrial applications)
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IPC/WHMA-A-620 (cable and harness assembly)
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IPC J-STD-001 (soldering requirements)
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IPC-CC-830C (conformal coating qualification and performance)
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IPC-7711/7721 (rework and repair)
Industrial automation electronics manufacturers need a contract manufacturing partner who understands that downtime is the enemy. Every build that leaves Arkle is tested, documented, and traceable: the foundation of a product that performs reliably from installation through to the end of its operational life.
Our 50-plus years of experience across motor drive, control electronics, and industrial applications, combined with UK-based manufacturing in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, means direct engineering communication, short supply chains, and fast response when design changes or production requirements evolve. We work with automation electronics manufacturers from prototype through to production.
Why Automation Electronics Manufacturers Choose Arkle
Get in Touch
If you manufacture electronics for industrial automation applications and need a contract manufacturing partner with the right capability, quality systems, and sector understanding, we would welcome the conversation. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your automation electronics manufacturing requirements.
Contact us | +44 (0)1438 721710 | info@arkle-electronics.co.uk
Arkle Electronic Systems Limited | Unit 15, Wedgwood Gate, Wedgwood Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4SU
ISO 9001:2015 | ISO 14001:2015 | Cyber Essentials Plus | IPC-A-610 | IPC/WHMA-A-620
