EMC Challenges

As Alfen's EV charging hardware team rapidly scaled from ~2 to ~10 engineers, they faced a critical challenge: how to maintain EMC design quality while increasing hardware development velocity.

• Scaling bottleneck: Multiple EV charging products in development required systematic EMC review capacity that could scale with engineering headcount.
• Hidden EMC blind spots: Internal design reviews were happening, but EMC-critical details could be missed under schedule pressure, creating risks that increase rework.
• Technical patterns accumulating: Excessive ferrite beads patching emissions instead of addressing root causes, termination resistors in non-optimal locations, and insufficient ground stitching vias when high-speed signals crossed reference planes.
• Resource constraint: The team needed EMC expertise embedded into existing workflows—not as a separate bottleneck, but as integrated capability.

While individually small, these issues accumulate impact and increase the likelihood of extra board spins and test cycles, especially when time for deep EMC analysis is limited under development pressure.

Solution: On-Demand EMC Expertise

Alfen partnered with DENPAFLUX for on-demand EMC expertise that integrates seamlessly with existing development workflows, gaining access to EMC experts at any stage of hardware development.

What DENPAFLUX Provides:

• Independent Expert Reviews Reports:
  PCB/layout reviews providing concrete EMC detections with root-cause analysis and clear fix guidance—addressing return-path integrity, stack-up optimization, and stitching strategies instead of "band-aid" solutions.
• Live EMC Consultation with Experts:
  Real-time expert calls that transform written feedback into applied knowledge, where engineers discuss design options, trade-offs, and implementation details in their actual project context.
• Hands-On EMC Workshop:
  On-site workshops focused on practical debugging methods and effective tool usage, enabling engineers to triage EMC issues independently before formal lab testing.
• Flexible EMC Support Model
  EMC Services allocated across reviews, calls, and workshops as needed—capacity matches development pace, not rigid schedules.

Key EMC Pattern Recognition in the project:

Through systematic design reviews, DENPAFLUX identified recurring technical patterns that individually appear minor but accumulate into measurable EMC performance issues:

• Excessive ferrite beads to patch emissions instead of addressing root causes
• Termination resistors placed in non-optimal locations
• Insufficient ground stitching vias when high-speed signals crossed reference planes

This expert pattern recognition enabled engineers to understand not just what to fix, but why these patterns emerge and how to prevent them in future designs.

Results: Enhanced Capability, Protected Schedule

Through 23 EMC expert reviews, 8 live EMC calls, and one full-day hands-on workshop, DENPAFLUX delivered concrete outcomes that directly addressed Alfen's EMC scaling challenges:

• Accelerated Development Cycles:
  Alfen reports 1-2 PCB iterations avoided per development cycle, translating to 3-4 weeks saved per cycle. Identifying and resolving EMC issues during design reviews significantly reduced the risk of discovering them only after full board fabrication, protecting project timelines while building sustainable capability.
  
  
• Comprehensive EMC Risk Detection:
  Across the engagement, the team systematically addressed 271 concrete EMC findings. Key themes included reducing ad-hoc ferrite solutions, optimizing termination placement, and improving stitching at reference-plane transitions—producing cleaner design baselines and reducing rework risk.
  
  
• From "Reviewed" to "Repeatable":
  Repeated exposure to EMC patterns through expert reviews and live calls led engineers to apply EMC fundamentals more consistently in hardware designs. The hands-on workshop at Alfen's Netherlands facility helped the team use current clamps effectively, accelerating bench debugging before formal lab testing.
  
  
• Team Collaboration & EMC Knowledge Sharing:
  An unexpected benefit emerged: DENPAFLUX reviews sparked peer-to-peer EMC discussions within the team. Engineers began sharing common mistakes and best practices with each other. "People are triggered to talk about EMC," notes Corné. "It really feels like we are together learning something about EMC, and then we have discussions afterwards. This was an unexpected benefit I did not foresee before."
  
  
• Scalable EMC Capacity Without New Headcount:
  By integrating DENPAFLUX reviews with internal processes, Alfen gained flexible EMC capacity without fixed headcount, particularly valuable during peak design periods and across multiple concurrent programs.

The Best of Both Worlds: Immediate EMC Capacity + Long-Term Capability

This partnership model delivers EMC capacity today while building internal capability for tomorrow. Engineers learn through EMC design reviews, live EMC expert calls, and hands-on workshops so EMC knowledge transfers permanently and future designs start from a higher baseline.

Over time, routine EMC decisions can be handled internally with confidence, while DENPAFLUX delivers high-impact reviews, tackles complex technical challenges, and provides new team member training.

Ready to Accelerate Your Hardware Development?

Whether you're rapidly expanding your hardware team or looking to build systematic EMC expertise into your development process, DENPAFLUX delivers expert guidance when and where you need it most.

Our team of certified EMC specialists is ready to help you:

• Identify potential EMC issues early when fixes are fast and inexpensive
• Build repeatable EMC capability that scales with your team
• Maintain development velocity without EMC becoming a bottleneck
• Transfer practical debugging skills through hands-on workshops

Don't let EMC capability gaps slow your hardware innovation or create costly iteration cycles. Contact DENPAFLUX today to discover how we can help you build EMC expertise while accelerating hardware development.