subject: A Handy Guide To Selecting Pcb Assembly Services [print this page] There are very few sectors today that dont rely on a printed circuit board for automation, processing, or testing operations. Right from the industrial sector to the consumer sector, PCBs are everywhere. This also brings into focus the need and importance of PCB assembly services. Most OEMs cannot afford to invest in PCB design and assembly because of the following reasons:
Expensive: Setting up the latest high-speed SMT and DIP line management capabilities calls for a significant amount of investment. In addition to setting up these lines, it is also important to maintain the entire infrastructure. Most firms find it difficult to set up and manage PCB manufacturing facilities.
Non-core operation: For an OEM, setting up SMT and DIP lines would be a non-core operation. For instance, a firm that is engaged in the manufacture of digital cameras would rather focus on research and development than on PCB assembly for the camera. Thus, such a firm would outsource PCB assembly services to a contract manufacturing firm.
What do OEMs look for in a printed circuit board assembly services firm?
There are several different desirable features that you would expect from such a PCB assembly firm. Here is a list of a few such attributes:
Experience counts. Hence, it is imperative that your chosen firm has all the required machinery and equipment for designing, prototyping and manufacturing the best printed circuit boards.
Speaking of technical abilities, the firm should ideally be able to work with different conductive materials such as tin, copper, gold, based on the nature of your requirement.
Technological advancement needs to be matched with speed. Hence, it is very important that your chosen firm can provide you with SMT lines with a speed of up to 0.09 second per chip. Thus, even if you need thousands of PCBs assembled, the task can be completed in a matter of hours.
You might want to give preference to firms that use the Ball-Grill Array technology. In addition to this, it is a veritable plus point if your firm can work with several different board sizesfrom the smallest possible to larger.
If you need a fully functional prototype before you can go ahead with final order, your chosen firm should be able to offer you these services too. Prototyping is a very critical stage, hence you need a firm that can honor your most unique requirements.
All of these services are enhanced by box build services that are often required by electrical and electronic product manufacturers. Do remember to check if your chosen box build services are UL approved.
To sum it up, it can be concluded that a firm that provides PCB assembly services along with other ancillary services is sure to offer you better value for your money.
