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How to Choose the Best PCB Manufacturer in 2021

Quickturn PCBs Needed

Several effective R&D practices can help to increase the speed at which technology and electronics companies go to market. But there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account in order to achieve the necessary speed.

Finding a circuit board manufacturing company that can provide quickturn services is key in this capacity. For the vast majority of businesses focusing on the new technologies, Hdl MICRONand/or flex PCBS will play an important role in every prototype developed. Those PCBs combine the size, flexibility, and resilience that can prove invaluable in the electronics market, where device sizes are shrinking, filling more roles, and are often used in difficult to replace or repair capacities.

Electronics companies need a means of getting their hands on a high-reliability PCB as soon as they’ve developed a new prototype circuit board design. This will speed up research and development, and allow for quicker prototype turnaround times.

That’s where the importance of quickturn enters the picture. Many PCB manufacturers are based outside the U.S., and as a result, there will usually be a minimum of several days between the finalized design and the receiving of the prototype PCB. This delay can undermine a business’s ability to operate as quickly as possible in the technology space.

Follow your PCB Manufacturer Guidelines

Firms eager to speed up their R&D efforts need to choose the best PCB manufacturer and meet them halfway.

What does this mean? Companies need to have processes in place to meet the PCB design requirements for any circuit board prototype. By adhering to these guidelines, businesses will be able to significantly cut down on the risk of delays due to miscommunication or incongruities. This isn’t just beneficial for the manufacturer—it also ensures that the business receives their prototype circuit board in a timely manner, and that the PCB itself meets all requirements and expectations. This involves following the manufacturer guidelines as closely as possible to ensure the design will function as intended once it’s been produced.

Fabrication, Assembly, or Turnkey?

PCB manufacturing consists of two high-level steps: board fabrication and board assembly. Some firms only provide one service and not the other. The term “turnkey solution” also gets thrown around a lot when referring to PCB manufacturing, as well as in other industries like software. Very simply, a turnkey manufacturer provides fabrication, assembly, and component sourcing services into a single package. Some companies will offer fabrication with turnkey assembly through a partner as a single service package.

Before you order components, be sure to check the assembler’s attrition requirements. Small components can sometimes get lost on the factory floor, so it helps to purchase 5% to 10% extra to account for this. If you don’t feel comfortable sourcing your components for a new project, or you don’t have time to go through the exercise, then a turnkey solution is a viable option. A turnkey manufacturer will add a markup to component costs (this can double your component costs in some cases), and they may add an additional fee to their regular fab + assembly costs.

Certifications and Regulatory Compliance

If you’re manufacturing a medical device an automotive product, military or aerospace hardware, or other regulated products, make sure your manufacturer has certifications attesting to their quality systems in these areas. Quality assurance programs are required for some products, and a manufacturer should be able to produce proof of compliance on demand. The best pcb for regulated products will be able to spot any design choices that might reduce yQuote, Design Review, and Release

Once you’ve found the best PCB manufacturer for your project, your design will go through several stages before it gets to a fab line. The design will need to pass a review before a price can be quoted, and the board can be released for production. If you’ve already gone through a process to ensure your board’s fab and assembly requirements match the manufacturer’s capabilities. You can rest assured you’ll have a high-quality product at

Board testing

Better quality PCB manufacturers and suppliers will test boards, possibly on a sample basis to make sure they conform. Check that the company has the ability to undertake this in the way that is needed.

Order quantities

It is worth matching the capabilities of the PCB manufacturer to the likely quantities of printed circuit bards that need to be supplied. It may be that prototype PCBs are required and these will have very small quantities, or it may be that small production run quantities are need. In other instances huge quantities of PCBs may be needed.

It is worth trying to match the PCB manufacturer capabilities to what is needed.

Companies set up to manufacture huge quantities of PCBs for large production runs will not be able to accommodate small quantities, and conversely a small company normally set up to produce prototype PCBs or small production quantities could easily be overwhelmed by a large order.

Selecting the right PCB manufacturer is not always easy. However it is of key importance to any PCB assembling or electronics equipment manufacturer. Time spent in selecting the right PCB manufacturer is well spent and can pay major dividends in the long term.