Changes in the electronic industry has been a move being made from the use of wire wrap and point to point construction to the use of printed circuit boards. Printed circuit boards electrically connect and mechanically support electronic components by the use of conducive pads etched from layers of copper and laminated onto layers of a non-conducive substrate. They are used in almost all electronic gadgets. In order to get the right printed circuit board, you need to get a company that manufactures high quality products. Some of the things you need to evaluate when looking for such a company include:
- Cost
When looking for a pcb manufacturing company, you need to look at how much they charge. Some companies set their prices quite high which may be out of your budget. For that reason, it is important to have several companies in mind. Find out their prices and compare with what your budget entails. When looking at the price, you need to measure it up against the quality of the products you will be receiving. Settle for the company that offers you affordable products that are of high quality.
- Materials
It is important to know where the company get the materials for their pcb assembly before hiring them. This is because if the company outsources low quality materials, they will produce low quality printed circuit boards. Furthermore, their product will lack uniformity as each batch of products will differ. This can be very annoying as you can end up getting circuit boards that will break down easily. You also need to find out if they used restricted materials such as lead and mercury. These products are fire retardants and should not be used in pcb manufacturing as they are illegal.
- Needs
What are the needs of your company? This may seem like a simple question but it can play a big role in helping you choose a pcb assembly company. If you only want a prototype, you need to look for companies that deal with small scale production. However, if you need large quantities, you need to look for companies that offer the same. This is because large companies are unlikely to produce prototypes for you in small orders. If they do, they may charge you a higher rate as their prices were designed for customers with larger order. In the same way, small companies are unlikely to be able to match any large orders you may have.
Intel,GE Healthcare,EMERSON,Rice University is the author of this article on pcb manufacturing. Find more information, about pcb assembly.