PCB fabrication (outsourcing)

Outsourcing PCB fabrication is to have PCBs professionally produced from the files output by your EDA software.

Advantages

This method might seem more expensive, however in the long term it isn't. Professionally produced PCBs can offer much higher quality multi-layer boards, trimmed to size, tinned, solder masked, silk-screened, drilled and plated through vias. These will make assembly easier and save time that might otherwise be spent on debugging potentially low-quality and unreliable PCBs.

Order pooling

Pooling or panel sharing is when the manufacturer combines several different customers’ orders on the same standard manufacturing panel. Boards sharing the same panel need to be all of the same technology, e.g. all two-layer. It is used to cut costs (by as much as 90%) for prototypes and small batch PCBs, in three ways:

• All the pooled orders share the same set of tooling and machine/process set-up.
• Much better use is made of materials.
• Production is much more efficient with standardised panels.

Online pricing and ordering is simplified as the manufacturer will know the set-up and production costs of standard panels for each technology and the price then depends upon the area of panel used by the circuit.

Manufacturers

A list of PCB manufacturers who are economical for low volume production. Note that a company with the lowest price for one size board won’t have the lowest price for other sizes.

• AllPCB
• Asian Circuits
• Bittele Electronics Canada based, turnkey pcb assembly
• DF Robot Very good Quality, up to 4 Layers, very cheap.
• Dirty PCB, intended for dirt cheap prototype boards
• Elecrow
• EasyEDA
• Fast Circuits Sacramento based
• ITead Studio Very cheap two layer prototype service.
• JLPCB
• OSH Park Based in USA, ship worldwide.
• PCBCart
• PCBWay
• PCBYA Very cheap pcb house for prototypes.
• Screenbond Based in the UK. 1 and 2 layer, low tooling cost and cheap for standard turnrounds.
• Seeed Studio Cheap two layer prototype service with thickness and surface finish options, prototype pcb assembly service provided.
• WELLPCB
• OurPCB

See also

• PCB fabrication (homebrew)

Further reading

• Build Your Own Printed Circuit Board by Al Williams, Tab, 2003, ISBN 978-0-07-142783-8, Chapter 10

External links

• PCB Price Comparison, a calculator showing the prices for prototype PCBs from different manufacturers
• A large list of PCB Manufacturers, EEVblog Electronics Resource Wiki
• Mod Wiggler forum:PCB Prototyping
• Panelizing PCBs, how do you do it?, Mod Wiggler forum, Mar 2016