Printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) are an integral part of many products builds. But finding the right electronic manufacturing services company to help you create one makes a significant difference to product optimization. On this page, we examine the different ways EMS companies offer PCBA manufacturing services to their customers, and how you can form the right partnership to serve your production needs.
The difference may seem slight, but knowing how PCBs and PCBAs differ will ensure your search for an appropriate manufacturing partner doesn’t go unrewarded.
A PCB, or Printed Circuit Board, connects electronic components onto a non-conductive substrate. A simple PCB consists of a flat sheet of insulating material and a layer of copper foil, laminated to the substrate. A PCB might consist of multiple layers, and electrical current passes around and between boards through circuit traces (conducting lines created through chemical etching), and copper-plated holes called “vias”.
A Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) is a PCB that’s had electronic components soldered onto it. This makes a PCB functional and able to perform the electronic task for which it was designed. PCBAs are found in almost every industry. From Smart Home products to electric cars, medical diagnosis equipment, and wearable devices, PCBAs lie at the heart of technology we now take to be ubiquitous. Read more about AsteelFlash’s PCBA manufacturing. You’ll see how it forms the basis of a productive partnership with Asteelflash that optimizes your product value every step of the way.
When you’re choosing an electronic manufacturing services partner to fulfill a PCBA order, it pays to know what you can expect from a typical manufacturing process. You’ll be better equipped to recognize whether they can fulfill your needs and ensure reliable service that safeguards against production delays or low-quality products. At Asteelflash, we follow these key steps to manufacture the highest quality PCBAs:
For double-sided assembly, the PCBs are flipped and the process is repeated. Before products are sent to customers, they’re subjected to a range of inspection tests. You can read more about this form of quality assurance in this blog post on the Asteelflash PCBA manufacturing process.
Not all PCBA services are equal. Here are some reasons why :
Choosing the right EMS company to partner on your project from A to Z can improve your time to market, ensure on-time delivery, and guarantee standardized quality on a global scale.
How would you vet a potential PCBA manufacturer? Here are 5 considerations to help you make the best choice:
We’re living through the fourth industrial revolution — the age of AI, the Internet of Things, robotics, and other disruptive technologies. By embracing AI, smart technology, robotics, and the like, PCBA manufacturers can offer you improved efficiency, cost-effective design and production, and improved product reliability.
For example, using artificial intelligence (AI) gives EMS and PCBA manufacturing companies the following advantages: improved performance, effective asset management, reduced scrap rate, and better supply chain management. With the increasing efficiency of AI in PCBA manufacturing, the future looks bright. Read more on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on PCBA optimization here.
An expert PCBA manufacturing partner can help you anticipate market needs, and serve them reliably and in a cost-effective way. Learn more about how Asteelflash helps improve your product value and impact through their approach to PCBA manufacture in their latest guide.
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