Tips For Subcontracting PCB Assembly And Small Volume Prototype Producing

It often does not make sense to invest in expensive production machines if you simply want to spin a couple of prototypes and instead subcontract your manufacturing of PCB prototypes to a trustworthy vendor. I am going to assist you find a suitable supplier and give some guidelines as to what to look out for when picking a supplier.

Frequently you will find a quote system on contract manufacturer websites. Utilizing this system, you can get an instant quotation for your board or assembly. This will help you save time when comparing several vendors. You should be able to enter all of the board information like board thickness, material etc. and particular requirements such as milling, surface treatments into the quote system. This will ensure an accurate quote without the risk of surcharges afterward.

The per-board cost will generally decrease with growing quantity due to the manufacturing setup cost. A number of prototype manufacturers will mix boards from several clients to help distribute the setup cost and lower the expense per board for small volumes. When you are still in the design phase of your product, you do not wish to spin a large quantity of boards initially. As soon as you refine your design you may slowly want to increase the board quantity.

If you are making a prototype board then vendors will typically only offer particular types of standard materials and thicknesses because they are looking to combine production of your boards with other customer boards. The production cost will usually decrease with a longer lead time which will give the vendor more freedom in scheduling the production. You should notice that the quotation will vary depending on the lead time when you input your information in the instant quote section.

Be certain that you can offer the file formats that your supplier needs. The most common format is the Gerber format for PCB production. Several companies will also be able to read design software-specific file formats. If you go with a vendor that also provides circuit board design services, your supplier will usually be capable to correct problems that may exist in your board files. That will help avoid unnecessary delays.

When outsourcing PCB assembly, make certain that your supplier can assemble all of the package types that your board uses. Some vendors can’t mount certain type of IC packages such as BGA, chip-scale packages or very small component types. It is best to get in touch with your vendor ahead of time to eliminate problems down the road.

Some manufacturers will have stock of normally used components which you can pull from rather than ordering each component yourself. If you pull inventory from your vendor, you need to include in your BOM data on which components you are consigning yourself. Then transmit your BOM with that information to your supplier.

Your vendor may normally also manufacture the SMT stencil which is required for SMT board assembly. Manufacture of the stencil takes some time. So make sure to order the stencil right away when buying your boards to minimize the PCB assembly time.

To ensure that your circuit boards will work, ensure that your vendor is quality certified and offers the tests and board inspection methods that are required. Please notice, though, that certain tests, such as ICT testing requires additional time and cost to prepare appropriate test fixtures.