Production PCBs

The Various Benefits of Production PCBs

Production PCBs refers to medium to high production cycles. This takes place once the prototyping phase has been completed, and the design has been approved by the client. Medium to high volume production runs can start anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 printed circuit boards.

PCB Offerings

Generally, in large production runs, PCB manufacturers offer all the three basic PCB types:

• Single Sided: This is the conventional offering provided. Single sided PCBs are easier to handle in terms of high volume production.
• Double Sided: PCB manufacturers provide an option to assemble these PCBs with either SMT or PTH technology.
• Multilayer: Generally, PCB manufacturers design a certain set of layers with which they can manufacture multilayer PCBs. Four layered PCBs is a common offering provided.

 PCB Production Capabilities

When moving from the prototyping phase to the production run, PCB manufacturers have the opportunity to offer a variety of options within the manufacturing process. These capabilities of the manufacturer will vary between organizations. A few examples of production capabilities are given below:

• Process Options:
  • Solder Mask
  • CNC chip scoring
  • Hot Air Solder Level (HASL)
  • Solder Mask Over Bare Copper (SMOBC)
  • Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) 

• Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM):
  • Panel optimization
  • Preproduction design checks for components
  • Photo-circuit plotting 

• PCB Processing:
  • Layer count
  • Copper weight
  • Lamination (types and thickness levels)

Benefits of High Volume PCB Production

As you can imagine, there are a number of advantages to choosing production PCBs.

• High volume production can result in competitive pricing for one order.
• It provides more flexibility for the PCB fabrication process in terms of specifications.
• An approved design means that there is less chance of many errors taking place in the production phase.
• The use of latest technologies and manufacturing equipment will allow the PCB manufacturer to complete the production and deliver the PCBs within a short, stipulated time.
• High density PCBs can be manufactured without too many hassles.
• Large volume production also gives the manufacturer the freedom to create replicas of artwork, circuit geometry, etc. This aids the production process, and also saves time if more PCBs are required by the customer.
• Specific requirements of the customers such as point-to-point wiring, package size, weight, etc. can be paid attention to.

The process used for manufacturing production PCBs can be of great help to customers who require PCBs in large quantities. These can be delivered within a short period of time, at the desired quality, and within a competitive price.

×Close