subject: Guidelines For Subcontracting PCB Assembly And Small Volume Prototype Manufacturing [print this page] Guidelines For Subcontracting PCB Assembly And Small Volume Prototype Manufacturing
Purchasing costly production equipment isn't feasible if you simply want to run the PCB assembly of several prototypes. Instead you probably want to outsource the prototype assembly to a dependable contract manufacturer. I will provide some tips as to what to watch out for when seeking a contract manufacturer.
Many contract manufacturers will offer an immediate quotation mechanism on their website for manufacture of circuit boards and assembly of prototypes. This will save you time when evaluating different vendors. This quote system should let you to enter all of the board information. Such details include board thickness, material and any special manufacturing requirements including milling. This will help you avoid any surprises in case of surcharges for special manufacturing requirements.
Frequently the cost per board will decrease as volume increases. This is a result of the relatively high setup expense of circuit board making and component assembly. Several prototype manufacturers will combine boards from numerous customers to help distribute the setup cost and lower the cost per board for small volumes. In the design stage of your product, you may want to start out with a smaller volume of boards initially. After that you can work out the issues with your design. Finally you will be able to increase the build volume
One limitation with small-quantity prototypes still is that the choice of materials and material thicknesses will be restricted. If you are utilizing a special material then chances are there won't be any other customers utilizing the same material. Most vendors will charge differently depending on how quick you want them to complete the manufacture. A longer lead time will afford the vendor more freedom to slot the assembly. Moreover, they can more easily combine your order with other customer's orders. You should find that the quotation will change based on the lead time when you input your data in the instant quote section.
Be certain that you can provide the file formats that your supplier requires. The most common format is the Gerber format for PCB production. A few companies will also be capable to read design software-specific file formats. If you choose a vendor which also offers circuit board design services then you can rest assured that there won't be any extensive delays in case your board files have a problem that needs to be corrected.
Ensure that your vendor can handle the package type of each component on your board if you plan on subcontracting the PCB assembly. You should find a list of which types of components your vendor can assemble online. Some vendors may not be capable to assemble special BGA or chip-scale packages. Get in touch with your vendor if you have questions about what kind of components can be assembled. That will avoid problems later on.
A number of manufacturers will have inventory of commonly used components which you can pull from as opposed to purchasing each component yourself. If you pull stock from your supplier, you have to include in your BOM information on which parts you are consigning yourself. Then send your BOM with that data to your supplier.
Most manufacturers will also offer manufacture of the SMT stencil which is needed for PCB assembly. Be sure to buy the stencil immediately when buying the circuit boards themselves to avoid delays.
To ensure quality, be sure that your supplier carries the usual quality approvals. Also, if your board requires particular testing, be sure your vendor has suitable testing equipment. Some testing will require extra time and cost.
