What an audit is for
A smart glasses plant is part eyewear workshop and part electronics line. Many suppliers are strong in one half and buy in the other, which is not a problem as long as the buyer knows which half is done in-house and which is subcontracted. The desk's audit answers three questions before samples are approved: which processes the plant runs itself, whether the equipment and controls are adequate for a wearable with small cells and a radio, and whether the records exist to trace a defect back to a station and a date. Templora does not own production; the audit is how a plant enters the verified partner factory network for a given program, and it is repeated when a program changes scope.
Equipment is described in the audit notes by capability and parameters rather than by maker, because what matters to a buyer is what a station can measure and hold, not the name on the casing.
The checklist by area
| Area | What the desk checks | Why it matters for smart glasses |
|---|---|---|
| SMT and PCBA | Placement range down to the smallest passive size on the temple board; reflow profile records per product; solder paste inspection and AOI after reflow; X-ray where fine-pitch or BGA packages are used | Temple boards are narrow and dense; solder defects show up later as intermittent pairing or charging faults |
| Temple and final assembly | Station layout, work instructions at each station, torque-controlled screwdrivers with set values recorded, adhesive dispensing with curing time logged | Hinge screws, flex routing and adhesive curing decide durability and sweat resistance |
| ESD control | Grounded benches and floor in the electronics area, wrist strap checks logged per shift, ionisers where boards are handled, humidity monitoring, ESD-safe trays and bags | Bluetooth SoCs and microphone inputs are static-sensitive; damage may not appear until the field |
| Aging and runtime | Aging racks with charge-discharge cycling, temperature of the aging area, number of positions against planned daily output | Catches early cell and board failures before packing |
| RF test | Shielded test boxes for conducted or radiated checks, pairing and range tests at a defined distance, records per unit or per batch | Antenna placement in a thin temple is sensitive to assembly variation |
| Acoustic test | Acoustic test boxes with reference microphone, frequency response and leakage measurement, microphone pickup check | Speaker port alignment and seals vary unit to unit |
| Lens supply | Where lenses come from, incoming inspection for UV and transmission category, edging and fitting in-house or bought in | Lens fit against the front groove and the stated lens category on the label |
| Documents | Controlled spec sheets and BOMs, change records, calibration records for test equipment, test reports linked to the program | Without records, a defect cannot be traced and a certificate cannot be matched to the product |
Electronics side: SMT, ESD and test stations
On the electronics side the desk looks for evidence that the line is set up for wearables rather than adapted from a larger product. A temple board is often only a few millimetres wide, so placement accuracy, stencil control and inspection after reflow matter more than raw line speed. ESD control is checked as a system: grounding, daily wrist strap and footwear checks with records, ionisation where bare boards are handled and humidity logging. The aging area is counted in positions against planned output, because an aging rack that is too small for the batch tends to be shortened under schedule pressure. RF and acoustic boxes are checked for calibration records and for a written pass window agreed with the program, not just for their presence.
The test plan those stations execute is described on testing and inspection.
Eyewear side: frames, hinges and lenses
On the eyewear side the desk checks how fronts and temples are moulded or machined, how hinge screws are torqued and secured, and whether the flex cable route through the hinge is protected in assembly. For metal frames, plating and coating thickness checks are reviewed against the finish specified. Lens supply is traced back to its source, often in Danyang or Xiamen, and the plant's incoming check is reviewed: UV cut-off, transmission category under ISO 12312-1 or ANSI Z80.3 and lens surface quality. Frame and lens choices are covered on frame materials and lens options.
Documents, traceability and audit output
The last part of an audit is the paperwork. The desk samples records rather than taking them on trust: a reflow profile from a past date, a calibration certificate for an RF box, a change record for a BOM revision, a test report that names the product it covers. Certificates such as FCC grants, CE test reports or UN 38.3 summaries are issued by test labs to the partner plant or to the brand; the desk checks that their scope matches the model being bought, as described on compliance and certifications.
After the audit, the plant builds samples under the program's spec sheet, and quantities follow the ranges on MOQ and lead time. To begin a shortlist, use the quote form.