Back in the day, getting the tech gear you desire, not the one you truly need, was reserved only for the ones with strong connections and deeper pockets. Fortunately, technological advancements have bestowed us with an utterly different trend, thus, nowadays, you can get almost everything you want and need from the comfort of your chair by placing items in an online shopping cart.
Even though the approach is viral for some time, an overwhelming majority of individuals lack the knowledge of contemporary opportunities. Therefore, we suggest you read through the following lines and learn about the things to know about turnkey PCB assembly and manufacturing that should upgrade your tech gear assembly experience by far.
PCB Brief Introduction
You should be aware that any modern electronic device people use worldwide depends on its PCB. Without it, gadgets would be useless. On the other hand, the complexity of PCB influences the potential of a peculiar device. Now, the more complicated the composition, the likewise is the assembly process. Fortunately, a customer has the privilege to introduce the manufacturer with either a special demand or a custom sketch and lay back until the product is finished.
1. Time-Saving Practice
If you reckon that time equals money, then this paragraph should be up to your taste. Jokes aside, we urge you to consider how much time the process can save, and compare it to alternative solutions to PCB assembly and manufacturing.
The service provider does it all, from manufacturing the PCB to soldering the components. Your job would be to pick the model according to its performance features or price and authorize the manufacturer to do the trick.
2. Customization
Not all PCBs are crafted equal, and a vast majority of clients tend either to change the usual design or request a brand-new model to be produced according to customized designs and sketches. Even an amateur who has no idea how the PCB functions can say what they want and need while the production team should introduce them to important details and provide a satisfactory solution.
3. Checking for Errors
When custom designs are concerned, we should emphasize that they do not always function as the client expects them to. One might presume that the job of a manufacturer would be finished upon delivering the piece requested by the one who pays for the service.
In a nutshell, it makes sense, but the point of handing out the finished product is to satisfy the customer, not solely to take their money for the work done. Thus, it is of vital importance for the custom designs to be tested and checked for potential errors in design or functionality before moving on to mass production.
4. An Opportunity to Save Up
Not only is the process of turnkey PCB assembly and manufacturing envisaged to save your time, but also your money. Let’s put the assembly process on the side and imagine how expensive would be to pay for numerous shippings for different parts you would want to combine into a whole. Not a sum a sane and informed individual would accept at any terms.
What you should also consider is the amount of cash you would save in the long run, especially if you stick to a single manufacturer who meets your quality criteria. How the whole concept works intrigues many, so we recommend you check out this website for more detailed info.
5. Sourcing for Parts
The quality of a PCB depends on numerous factors, so we should skip to one that you should pay attention to before the manufacturing process begins. As with any other craft, the features of a finished product depend on the components that make it.
If you care not about the price tag, then you should skip this paragraph and go for the most expensive PSBs you can find and go with the flow. Now, if the price worries you, we recommend you either do your homework and consult various sources before you go for a peculiar piece, or reach out to your manufacturer and ask them for a piece of advice.
A single burnout component can destroy the whole PCB; thus, we propose you not to attempt on saving up at the expense of quality. The market for components is bigger than ever, so you should devote some time to sourcing the pieces that meet peculiar criteria. Remember that buying in bulks can only be profitable if you buy quality tested merch. Otherwise, the whole venture would be doomed to failure sooner or later.
6. Testing
A finished product should not be shipped to a client until it has passed a series of tests. Now, if you stumble upon a manufacturer that offers you a better price because they do not test the gear they assemble, we urge you to bypass their offer in a wide arc, regardless of how alluring it might sound.
The FCT implies functionality testing of both the manufactured PCB and individual components. In a nutshell, it should state whether the craft has what it takes to perform as it should.
Another form of testing checks if the components can withstand the power they are designed to conduct, and it is known as ICT. Additionally, ICT analyses the issues related to short and opened circuits, misplaced or faulty parts, resistance, capacitance, etc.
What we should also mention when testing is concerned is the AOI. As its name suggests, the Automated Optical Inspection focuses on visual defects and the concept relies on using sophisticated cameras to inspect the finished product. Furthermore, the faulty models are set aside and dealt with if necessary.
Hopefully, the aforementioned pieces of information and suggestions have brought you closer to what you should know about turnkey PCB assembly and manufacturing processes. Even though the concept represents a sort of technological wonder, we urge you not to rush into making conclusions before you assess potential solutions using tips from the lines above. Experience has shown that most frequently it pays off to spend a few bucks more for a fine piece of craft than to go for the cheapest offer in order to make a profit in the long run. Thus, do your homework and choose your PCB manufacturers with caution.