PCB Tech - How to find high-quality PCB manufacturing

Even if the designer is working hard to develop a PCB design that meets the needs of a specific project, he must also work hard to find the following PCB manufacturers:

Able to make the final design. Able to meet the project budget when quoting the cost of manufacturing prototypes, final products, or both. Willing to promise product deadlines and manufacturing technology matches the designer's tools to optimize effective communication and final manufacturing results. Committed to quality and on-time delivery.

Recommendations under consideration manufacturers should use automated tools to help PCB designers work with suppliers to solve potential problems before manufacturing actually starts. Even prototyping should be analyzed for potential manufacturing problems so that the designer and manufacturing team can work as a unit to resolve them early in the process. This greatly increases the probability that the produced circuit board meets the designer's specifications and will provide the functionality in the product.

How can PCB designers find the right manufacturer while keeping costs low?

There are many PCB manufacturers with many changes in capacity, cost and quality. These suppliers are all over the world, adding more wrinkles to the choice of manufacturing resources. There are many important considerations for finding the right manufacturer for your project:

Has the manufacturer adopted the technology that can successfully build the PCB? Not all suppliers have advanced computer-aided manufacturing tools that can be used to create the most complex PCB designs. With the rapid shrinking of PCBs tailored to specific products, PCB engineers must keep up with the pace of advanced technology, and manufacturers must do the same. Can the manufacturer provide feedback to your design in the form of analysis to reveal problems or suggestions for improvement before manufacturing begins? This is a sign of experienced and technically capable suppliers who will add value beyond the manufacturing process itself. This level of service can effectively reduce project costs and produce higher quality PCBs. With the extremely high precision required for PCB design and manufacturing, the use of software technology specifically adapted to this type of task becomes crucial. Even if potential suppliers use the highest level of technology, is it effectively used to provide the quality your PCB products require? Make sure that your supplier has any certifications you need and that the certifications are up to date. The quality of the PCB manufacturing process can cause failure of components or circuit boards, which can lead to failures of the PCB or the products it is mounted on. Delivery is also important for any particular project. If the supplier cannot promise-and meet-the required quantity of delivery, they may not be the supplier with whom they have established a long-term relationship. What is the supplier’s record of reliable and consistent delivery? Cost is not everything, but it is definitely a factor in the supplier selection equation. Since companies are located all over the world, it may be cost-effective to source PCBs from countries where the cost is lower than that of local companies or even accessible. However, considering language barriers, communication difficulties in different time zones and widely changing manufacturing techniques and quality control forms. The small savings on the PCB itself may be offset by other complexity and project delays, which can greatly increase the total cost of the project. In addition, the supplier’s low-cost quotes may be due to low-quality materials in the laminate or components. Verify that their manufacturing methods and materials meet all design specifications. What can't be ignored is support. Are there technicians who can discuss issues in the manufacturing or design process? When manufacturing personnel are unavailable, engineers may waste a lot of time waiting for answers to questions or requesting design changes.

All these factors should be considered when selecting high-quality PCB factory resources. Choose a supplier. There are also some suggestions that apply to PCB design to help control costs, while taking into account high-quality circuit boards that take manufacturing design (DFM) into account.