10 Tips for Choosing the Right PCB Manufacturer and ...

Today's electronic devices and computers being used are helpless without a printed circuit board. You will find many PCB manufacturers who have the professional certifications to produce and design simple or complex circuit boards.

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With so many variables to think about, here are some tips for choosing the right PCB manufacturer in China.

Table of Contents

Make Sure They Have a Proper Set of Guidelines

Over the years, many manufacturers in China poorly source and maintain the production processes, resources, and guidelines. They're more focused on quick mass production rather than effective product manufacturing.

Having a proper set of guidelines is crucial for every production company to avoid any mistakes. Similarly, it allows them to maintain repeatability during the entire production process with a clear and compelling production manual and training scheme.

That is why proper guidelines and training can be seen at the core of every successful company. While having direct control over resources and human error isn't always feasible or practical, providing the proper manuals, instructions and training can maximize production quality, speed, and overall results.

For this reason, utilizing a good operation manual, proper quality management systems, and training schemes for new employees is critical. If a printed circuit board supplier doesn't have any of these, you might face some uncertainty.

Rigidity during designing is not something that most customers would want from a circuit manufacturer. Because of this, it is necessary to arrange with the desired company. They should have available work schemes and guidelines that can be redo and manufacture according to the customer's requirements.

While it is convenient and easy to fix printed circuit boards, it isn't simple for every customer to know the techniques and manage them independently. The PCB manufacturer must be ready to provide professional servicing to satisfy the buyers in such a case.

Check to See the Type, Quality, and Quantity of Machines

The innovation of technology has added new ideas and designs to the industry so that nobody would require any obsolete or old software products. Along those lines, it is ideal for picking a printer circuit manufacturer and supplier that uses the most recent technologies to ensure each circuit works up to the latest standards.

Old design, new model, the accuracy of each component and machine, the number of feeders that they can handle, and whether the devices are Chinese or Japanese models are crucial since they can easily affect productivity and yield.

If machines do not have great accuracy, they will not be able to manage the installation of the more minute components that have small footprint packages, such as the SADkinds.Furthermore, older machines having poor repair and maintenance while being used for manufacturing can, for example, slow down the entire production process because of any defects in the device.

Let's take a scenario where the pick and place of a machine have poor accuracy, or a soldering machine is prone to frequently breaking down.

Because of this, the manufacturing process will not be able to maintain a continuous production flow since one or more cogs in the machine may fail to work.

You hear about numerous PCB manufacturers with their machines constantly breaking down, which leads to several production delays since they cannot get the items sent out on time. Various knock-off PCB manufacturers and suppliers also buy second-hand components or machines to save a few bucks, resulting in poorly constructed circuit boards.

In such situations, operators will have to replace these counterfeit components by hand, leading to more production delays. Having to replace one part manually within a machine, let alone in thousands of devices.

Another thing to remember when choosing a PCB manufacturer is that all the parts of the production process should be done with the company's facilities. Most manufacturers have each step managed within their facility, but low-quality manufacturers can outsource products to other facilities for gluing or drilling.

Outsourcing of manufacturing can be problematic since there is no control over the guidelines and standards by one company, which can result in inconsistency issues. Each process should be performed in-house to ensure proper procedures, efficiency, and quality control.

Know the Type of Quality Inspection Procedure They Use

Any person knows that quality control is essential when undertaking any manufacturing operations in China. You should select a manufacturer partner that performs in-house testing so that it is easier to verify issues at the company level before any shipments are made. PCB testing should never be outsourced because of its unreliability.

There are essentially two or three quality control procedures for circuit board assembly procedures that you can implement. However, not all suppliers use all the methods, and some conduct their examinations poorly. These examinations include:

Part 3.1: Visual Examination by Humans: First, visual observation ensures that all the components are appropriately soldered. It is usually done by operators who can spot abnormal fragments or configurations manually. This examination is an absolute must in any manufacturing organization that produces printed circuit boards.

Part 3.2: Visual Examination by Machines: Second, Automated Optical Quality Control is used to speed up the first process of visual quality checking to ensure the results were reliable. Usually, this is done by a machine that uses a camera to make picture comparisons through optical recognition. It helps to locate the proper component at its good location.

Part 3.3: Functional Test: A third functional test ensures that the PCB machine functions appropriately during production. It is usually done by turning on the machine, entering the desired input, and observing and checking the resulting output.

What is the Number of Production Lines They Have?

If you have a large volume of products to manufacture and have a crunch time on your delivery, then you might want to look into how fast a PCB manufacturer can produce and supply your order. If a company has to manage multiple demands simultaneously, it's not a bad thing.

Having multiple lines running at the same time is excellent for multitasking and speeding up the production process. It will enable the PCB manufacturer to handle all the orders quicker by running multiple productions in parallel. Just make sure to choose a PCB company that has a backup plan in case it gets overbooked.

Make Sure They Have Stock for Basic Compon

Generally, printed circuit board assemblers will have standard components like resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, or inductors. These backup stocks can be helpful since you won't have to stock them yourself, making keeping stock inventory much more accessible.

The diversity of components for countless products will require you to buy many different parts and units. Since they mainly sell by a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of around to pieces per reel, you may Lewis have something unnecessary. That is why it is better to have a PCB manufacturer that can handle the cost of other parts.

Components make up a considerable part of the PCB budget, so you should choose a PCB manufacturer of the right size that can optimize the costs of such features using economies of scale. PCB manufacturers with more extensive order lists can quickly maximize these costs due to their size.

Smaller companies, however, will not have ease finding better prices or deals with other component manufacturers. That is why you need to search for more prominent manufacturers that can handle bulk components and get them at a fraction of the cost.

Know the Order Size and Time Limit They Provide

Before starting any mass production, you will have to make some circuit board prototypes that can be used in small-scale productions. That is why you should check to see if a PB manufacturer can manage prototypes and small productions before starting a business with them.

One of the ways you can manage this situation is by having two partner companies: one that works on the prototype and the other for mass production. However, this isn't ideal since there can be consistency issues in the processing and final product.

It is always ideal to have consistency between the two phases of product development and product manufacturing. So, you should make sure that a company can make some small-scale and mass productions to ensure that they can follow through with the processes later on.

Time is also a very crucial element that is a part of any business and production process. The PCB manufacturer and supplier should be able to handle all due dates effectively. They must have the required work capacity to supply the PCBs in time. It is where the poor rate comes in.

The defective rate is the number of PCBs that have to be reworked after production per 100 units produced. This rate is a crucial consideration since it indirectly has a part in the delivery time. Many manufacturers in China falsely advertise that their poor rate is less than 1%. Research and talk with different companies to see which one offers better production styles and rates.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Shenzhen Thriver Digital Tech Co., Ltd. sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

PCB Manufacturer'Find Out Their Application Method for Solder Paste

Is the solder paste application manual or automatic using a machine? Human error is usually more likely to occur than machine error. So, it is ideal to partner with a circuit board manufacturer that uses semi-automatic or automatic machines.

A human applying solder paste with their hand can slide it into the wrong position very easily without noticing it. It can lead to a massive concern of short-circuiting. However, a machine can be programmed to ensure repeatability so that no such mistakes are made. In case of an application error, you need to make repairs, and the process can continue.

Do They Employ Qualified Workers for Pick and Place?

Important to choose a supplier that has the ideal workforce to handle the production of the circuit boards. It is imperative to see if the company has a good team of designers and professionals with the right skills. It can help you to handle the intricate details of production.

Occasionally, you cannot install a specific component with a pick and place machine during production. For example, suppose there is a component with a particular shape that makes it hard to hold. Or, there is one that isn't available in trays or reels. In that case, an operator needs to install the component by hand on the circuit board.

Make sure that the operators of a PCB company have appropriate training to do these installations for any component. There are a lot of times when you need precision and microscopes to install micro-components. So, a company's production team should be able to handle those situations.

Besides training qualifications, employees should also have a strong on hold of communication skills at each level. So, you can deal with all issues through each group properly. It includes order placements, designing, fabrication, assembly, quality checks, and shipment. If each partner is on the same page, the production becomes faster with reduced chances of any crude output.

PCB Manufacturer'Are Their Lead and Non-lead Production Lines Separated?

Sometimes, a PCB manufacturer and supplier can use a solder that uses lead for a specific market. On the other hand, they simultaneously make use of non-lead solder paste. It would help ensure that the manufacturer doesn't mix those two production lines up in such situations.

Official circuit board manufacturers will use physical separations for each production line. It helps eliminate even the possibility of lead dust contaminating lead-free production. These companies usually make use of walls or nets.

PCB Manufacturer'Check to See if They Have Proper Storag

China is famous for its humidity levels and hot temperatures, especially during the monsoon season. When you get your PCB components or circuit boards, you must know that they usually deliver in vacuum seals. The packages have silica gel to deal with humidity. That's because, without these packaging essentials, oxidation comes into play.

Printed circuit boards and their components pads will oxidize when exposed to air and humidity. It tends to make it hard to reflow or repair them when you have to solder all over again. It makes for waster products.

Be sure that your PCB manufacturer and supplier properly seal each package using vacuum sealing. It also includes the remaining extra components, which can then be used for later production.

PCB Manufacturer'Conclusion

You should know that the PCB market is quite competitive. Chinese business companies are now offering competitive rates. So, you don't have to worry about not finding the right one for your business. There's no shortage of choices.

You should make sure to pick the manufacturing company that has your best interests. There should be no compromise on quality, precision, price, or time.

You need to clearly understand any company regarding your due dates, manufacturing preference, and cost rates.

WELLPCB is the preferred supplier of PCB. We have the right equipment, procedures, teams, and designs that meet your pcb manufacturing requirements.

We can help you understand any PCB material and provide you with a one-stop turnkey service to build the best-in-class PCB electronics.

If you still have any questions, you can contact us at . Our team of experts and engineers will be more than happy to help you out.

Picture yourself in a scenario where you are receiving multiple complaints due to defective PCBs. You then arrange shipment of the defective parts and facilitate endless meetings to analyze, contain, correct, and prevent the issue. If done right in the beginning of PCB fabrication, these time-consuming and expensive fixes could have been avoided.

There are various issues in the finished products that are being pinned down to the gaps and weaknesses in PCB fabrication. With the advent of automation where low-cost mass production products are being offered, PCB fabrication manufacturers in China have also grown in numbers that you will most likely start with a long list of potential suppliers. Choosing a reliable PCB supplier is a key step in your decision-making process. We will itemize the significant factors that you need to weigh and evaluate to single out the best PCB supplier for your project.

• PCB Quality

• Cost

• Delivery and Leadtimes

• Technical Know-How and Capability

• Customer Service

PCB Quality

You will hear Quality as the most-used marketing pitch among suppliers and we cannot overemphasize more. Quality is defined based on compliance to certain international standards. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a broadly known certifying body that validates and tests the safety and reliability of PCBs. UL has several test methods that vary according to end-user hazard such as electrical shock, flammability, and mechanical strength. This certification ensures that components are compliant with requirements. So we should also find a PCB fabrication manufacturer with a UL certificate.

IPC is also an association that have set of standards for electronics industry suppliers. They have set out standards in PCB design, assembly, inspection, and testing. Adhering to the IPC standards means that the supplier has control over quality. The widely used IPC standards for PCB fabrication are IPC-A-600 and IPC-A-610.

Another standard that is globally recognized is ISO certification. If you are looking for a PCB supplier that has stringent quality management systems and policies, ISO certification is a must-have. If you are eyeing for the best PCB supplier, these certifications from their external auditors must be evident. Aside from external auditing being done in regular frequency, the supplier must also have a system to internally audit their assembly facility. These types of audits must be openly discussed to you with the findings, root cause and corrective actions that are to be implemented. ISO certification is important to ensure that a PCB fabrication manufacturer will follow a quality management system in their PCB board fabrication. And besides, ISO is qualified management system for medical PCB fabrication.

A quality PCB also means that the product has undergone a series of quality inspections prior to shipment of the PCB. You can start to assess the PCB fabrication manufacturer by asking them to respond to a self-assessment checklist. The checklist should ask the type of inspection methods and testing that they are implementing to ensure only good parts are shipped to their customer. Only the qualified operators and inspectors should be placed on each process during fabrication. Souring teams must jointly assess the production line together with a technical expert and engineer.

Cost

The PCB needs not only to be working based on its intended performance, but it also needs to be price competitive. As there are increasing options for PCB fabrication manufacturers in china, you must consider the one with reasonable quotation that fits right into your allocated budget. Cost is a metric that can quickly be compared among suppliers. This sourcing phase is called Request for Quotation or RFQ wherein the scope of the pricing is put into details such as minimum order quantity, board specifications, quality requirements, delivery lead-time and validity period of the quote. The review of suppliers' costing is very crucial and must be put into well-stated and airtight contract to avoid misunderstanding and re-costing in the future. Depending on your business strategy, cost is often the first-to-second consideration in shortlisting a supplier list.

Delivery and Lead-times

A PCB fabrication manufacturer that is resilient against changing customer demands has greater advantage. Being able to deliver on time speaks volumes about a company's assembly facility, logistics system and resource utilization. Know the suppliers' average lead-time and expedite rules to ensure that your expectations are met. Logically, transportation and logistics will be more complex if the PCB supplier has farther proximity from your location. There will be higher chances of delay in the shipment. You must also probe the supplier's relationships with shipping services and logistics providers in your area. To have an easy communication, check if the fabricator has local support that can monitor shipment and has the means to expedite if necessary. The fabricator should also have contingency plans to mitigate and address potential supply chain or logistic issues.

Technical Know-How and Capability

With the recent advancements in electronic assemblies, PCB designs have become smaller, denser, and more complex. The right PCB supplier is the one equipped with technical capability and sufficient expertise in executing and interpreting your design requirements. During the beginning phase, you can ask the supplier to accomplish a capability matric for you to have an immediate assessment and comparison among fabricators. The technical information may include minimum conductor width, via width and spacing, lead pitching, tolerances and process flow. You can also take a hint during prototyping services and engineering about the PCB design and manufacturability.

If not done right, redesign of PCB layouts implies reprogramming of component placement machines and revision of production instructions. The best supplier is not the one that always accept and agree with your requirements but also the one that foresees potential issues and risks. As there are specific design rules in every assembly house, design and manufacturing engineers should work collaboratively to understand the technical details.

Customer Service

Customer support should be consistent throughout the lifecycle of the product. The responsiveness of a PCB supplier can either be technical or non-technical and must be carefully assessed to avoid headaches prior, during and after production. As there are unavoidable situations where you need to communicate product issues, requests and improvements, the PCB board fabrication supplier must be able to respond to your requirements actively and effectively. The supplier should also be transparent and open to site audits to help you verify their quality systems and capability. These attributes of the supplier's responsiveness give you higher confidence and better reference on the performance of various potential suppliers.

A Short Summary

There are many decision-making tools and methods that you can employ to determine the best supplier for your PCB project. One popular technique is by listing down all the factors that contribute to your objective and putting weight to each factor. The total score can be obtained by summing the individual score for each essential factor. The factors that we listed are the most critical considerations and must be scrutinized elaborately to ensure you have a logical and practical conclusion when choosing a PCB fabrication manufacturer. Another step to consider in your supplier analysis and selection is through actual plant visits. You can verify on-site the manufacturer's quality management systems, capability, and line controls rather than just having a supplier fill out a written checklist.

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