It frequently does not make sense to invest in high priced production equipment if you just want to spin a handful of prototypes and as an alternative outsource your PCB assembly and prototype manufacturing to a dependable vendor. I will give some ideas as to what to watch out for when searching for a contract manufacturer.
A lot of contract producers will offer an immediate quote mechanism on their website for manufacture of circuit boards and assembly of prototypes. This will save you time when comparing various vendors. Make confident that the quote system enables you to enter all of the specifics, such as board material, thickness, copper thickness, milling etc. so that you can get an accurate quote with out any surprises later on.
Commonly the cost per board will reduce as quantity increases. This is due to the relatively high setup expense of circuit board manufacturing and element assembly. Some vendors will use a program exactly where they combine boards from a number of customers. This way the setup cost will be distributed amongst various buyers. When you manufacture a item, you obviously do not want to have to manufacture a significant quantity of boards correct away though you refine your style.
1 limitation with small-quantity prototypes although is that the option of materials and material thicknesses will be restricted. If you are employing a specific material then possibilities are there won’t be any other buyers employing the similar material. In addition, lead time plays a big part in figuring out price. types of electronic connections allows the manufacturer far more freedom in slotting your production. This is generally reflected in reduce expenses which you will see in the quote section. Of course if you are in a rush and want to be moved to the top rated of the pile you will need to commit extra funds.
Make confident that your contract manufacturer will assistance the file format for manufacture that you provide. The most widespread format for PCB manufacture is the Gerber format but some vendors will also accept board files from common PCB software merchandise. Some suppliers also provide in-home PCB style. Even if you style your board yourself, picking a vendor with design services could prove helpful in case there is a issue with your files. In this case your vendor can make swift alterations which will stay clear of costly delays.
When subcontracting PCB assembly, make certain that your vendor can assemble all of the package forms that your board makes use of. Some vendors can’t assemble particular sort of IC packages such as BGA, chip-scale packages or extremely little component kinds. If in doubt be confident to contact your vendor ahead of time.
Some contract suppliers will carry an inventory of standard SMT and by way of-hole components. You will save time if you can pull from your vendor’s inventory rather than acquiring each and every component oneself. Make certain to specify which elements you want to consign your self when you upload your bill of materials.
Most vendors will also provide manufacture of the SMT stencil which is essential for PCB assembly. Be certain to order the stencil ideal away when ordering the circuit boards themselves to prevent delays.