How to Identify Good PCB Design Companies?

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the primary elements of electronic components. They are crucial for various industries and most people use them in their everyday life. There are a huge number of applications for the PCBs about which we would discuss today. PCBs are boards used to connect electronic components. 

They are an important part of the electronic items that you use regularly. PCBs are made of non-conductive material. They have pads, lines, and features carved from the copper sheets. They connect the electric components electrically within a particular product. Elements like resistors and capacitors are joined into some of the PCBs. 

The use of PCBs in the electronic field is widespread and there are multiple types of PCBs available. They can be multilayer, single-sided or double-sided. They can even be flexible, rigid, or comprise of both flexible and rigid parts. When you want to design your PCB, you should consider several important factors. 

These factors would include the type of software to use, type of printed circuit board, and many others. You can contact TronicsZone who provides a wide range of engineering services that include Electronic Manufacturing Services, Embedded Systems Design, PCB Design, and others.

Common uses for PCBs

Different sectors use PCBs and you can find them in small consumer devices to large pieces of machinery. Some of the common applications of PCB are as follows:

• Medical devices 

The usage of PCBs has been increasing constantly in the healthcare sector. The PCBs are a result of technological advances that bring in new capabilities. They play a big role in manufacturing devices that are used for monitoring, diagnostics, treatments, and others. 

While producing these medical PCBs, special attention is required for confirming the reliability and accuracy of the products. Proper functioning of the medical devices is mandatory. PCBs used for implants should even meet the set standards of sanitization. Medical PCBs are made of high-density interconnect.

• LEDs 

LEDs are popular as lighting technology that is used for commercial and well as residential lighting. Industries like computer technology, medical, automotive extensively used the LED lights for compactness, long life, and energy efficiency. PCBs have an important role in LED applications. 

They transfer the heat away from the bulb. High temperatures tend to decrease the average life span of LEDs. PCBs that are used in LEDs are made of aluminum and it can transfer heat better than any other metals. It is because of the PCBs, that the LEDs do not require any extra heat sink and their design remains compact.

• Consumer electronics 

There is various consumer electronics product that people use in their everyday life. Computers, smartphones, television, and many other goods require PCBs to operate. In recent times, manufacturers are trying to produce smaller laptops and smartphones with more advanced capabilities. 

This requires small PCBs with a huge volume of connections. The PCBs also need to of low cost so that the price of the final product does not spike up beyond the expectation of the consumers. Manufacturers of the consumer electronic good are always in search of reliable PCBs so that their products function properly and they stay ahead in the business.

Why should you use PCB design services?

There are numerous benefits that you can gain when you use the design service for your PCBs and some of them are as follows:

• Technical proficiency – When you have the access to an external source for technical proficiency, it will be beneficial while you are designing your printed circuit boards. The design expert would ensure that the components and the layouts of the PCB would meet your requirement aptly. The expertise can even help you with the topics of prototypes, schematics, and concept ideas.
• Organize your products – You should take help from the design company, as the design expert would be able to examine your plans closely and spot out any scope of improvements on your products. The design specialists are so well versed in the industry, they can easily identify those parts that could be avoided to save money. The design company reviews the existing boards and schematics to check how the product and be enhanced to perfection by streamlining the design and saving money.
• Lessen the flaws in the design – If there are any design flaws on your PCB, the industry experts would be able to identify them and help to overcome those problems in your design. They would come up with new perspectives on various issues that would help to resolve the problems quickly. To manufacture a perfect product for the consumer, it is important to reduce the design flaws that may occur at any point in time.
• Prototypes produced faster – During the final development of PCBs, Prototypes are essential. To stay on schedule it is mandatory to produce the Prototypes on time. If you come across new ideas and urgently require developing a prototype, the PCB design expert would help you to get the prototype developed and designed as per expectation. The design specialist would assure you of careful planning and detailed testing to assure utmost functionality.

Top 5 factors that you should review while choosing the PCB designing and manufacturing company

Quality and accountability factors are crucial; however, there are many other things to consider. Here are some of the essential criteria that would help you to decide which PCB manufacturing company to go for.

Types of services – While selecting an expert PCB designing company, you should check their range of expertise. You should confirm whether the company assembles rigid circuits, rigid-flex, or flex. You should even confirm if they provide service for both single and multilayer. Ensure with the design specialists of the company if they can work with a wide variety of PCB materials. 

Check out whether they have a length client base. If they have worked with various clients that are more likely to have the appropriate knowledge and experience to design your PCB efficiently. It would be good if you get to know if the company is comfortable working in the aerospace, medical and telecommunications industries.

Service capacities – It is important to check if the PCB designing company offers project management from start to finish. Check the policies of the company that are related to shipping, warehouse, and inventory management. Additionally, just confirm if they assemble the PCB prototype. If a company can provide all of these services, they would be able to help you rightly with streamlined production operations.

Follows timelines – When you are choosing a PCB designing company, you should not ignore the critical step of checking their delivery time. Before you collaborate with them, you should try to acquire a complete understanding of what the company offers. A company that delays responding to your question would hinder your progress. 

If it takes too long to get a quotation or getting other information from the company, you should look for other options. The delays might not be a big deal for the big corporations, however, smaller businesses would be highly impacted. Choose a company that can work as per the timeframe decided by you.

Quality Control – The PCB designing and manufacturing company that you choose should be able to deliver a high-quality result. You might not be able to judge the quality before you get the result, but there are several ways to estimate the quality beforehand. Check what type of equipment the company uses. If they have top types of machinery, there are chances that they would produce quality results. 

If you find a company that has the required certification, it would indicate that the company possesses a certified quality management system. The client feedbacks of the company will also tell you about the company’s quality of work. Check out the previous works of the company and you can get an idea of the quality.

Customer Support facility – Apart from the product quality and technical capability, it is important to check whether they have a proper customer support facility in place. You would certainly want to work with a company that can find the best solution for your problem. They should be able to answer promptly to all your queries that may arise at any given time. Take a note of how the customer support center responds to your questions, their knowledge skills, and if they are polite enough.

The printed circuit board is the name given to the bare boards. The PCB is used to connect the electronic components electrically and mechanically support with the help of conductive pathways that are made of copper sheets. PCBs are widely used for commercially produced electronic devices, hence, when you are looking out for PCB designing companies, you should check every detail. 

Many of the PCB design and manufacturing companies have multiple years of expertise and experience in the industry. They would be able to apply the proper knowledge and experience to build your printed circuit boards. Hence, it would be a good idea to team with them for your industry needs. When you can build a cooperative relationship with the company, it will help to resolve problems quickly.