-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueOpportunities and Challenges
In this issue, our expert contributors discuss the many opportunities and challenges in the PCB design community, and what can be done to grow the numbers of PCB designers—and design instructors.
Embedded Design Techniques
Our expert contributors provide the knowledge this month that designers need to be aware of to make intelligent, educated decisions about embedded design. Many design and manufacturing hurdles can trip up designers who are new to this technology.
Manufacturing Know-how
For this issue, we asked our expert contributors to share their thoughts on the absolute “must-know” aspects of fab, assembly and test that all designers should understand. In the end, we’re all in this together.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
How to Successfully Purchase PCBs
June 8, 2015 | NCAB GroupEstimated reading time: 1 minute
How do you go about purchasing reliable and durable PCBs at the lowest possible cost? A key success factor is to provide the prospective suppliers with accurate and clear specifications, and to keep a close eye on the quality of the boards once they are in production. This in turn requires the parties involved to establish and maintain a close and efficient dialogue to ensure that the process builds on correct and relevant information.
PCBs are not standard components and thus not an easy product to purchase. The cost is determined to a large extent, by the complexity of the design.
”This means that factors determining the costs of a new PCB are established at a very early stage, long before the buyer has started asking for quotations from prospective suppliers. The major proportion of the cost is determined already at the engineering and design phase,”says Bo Andersson, technical manager at the NCAB Group. The best way of reducing costs is to think in terms of volume right from the start. You should start gathering appropriate data from the EMS and PCB suppliers at the design stage; this to enable the boards to be optimized for series production, taking into account what they are they going to be used for.
”There is a great deal to be gained by looking twice at such factors as the material and technical specifications, for example track and gap, tolerances and aspect ratios. It can, in some cases be extremely difficult and costly to put right design solutions that haven’t been optimised before they go into production. For example, an unnecessarily high aspect ratio affects so many parameters that it can be extremely time consuming to correct. I know of a case where it took a year to put right design shortcomings, since almost all the PCBs needed to be redesigned,” says Andersson.
”Issues that may lead to unnecessary costs can often be corrected. It is important to familiarize yourself with and get a firm grasp of the specific requirements, and then work to achieve those requirements,” he observes.
Suggested Items
PCBflow Helps Designers Choose Best Manufacturer for the Job
03/28/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineI recently spoke with a few technologists who have first-hand experience with PCBflow: Susan Kayesar, technical product manager with Siemens; Evgeny Makhline, CTO of Nistec, a CEM based in Israel; and Peter Tranitz, senior director of technology solutions and leader of the IPC Design Initiative. They explain how PCBflow functions, from the designer’s and manufacturer’s viewpoint, and how this database helps break down the wall between these stakeholders.
ICAPE Webinar: Want to Know How to Order PCBs in 5 Minutes?
03/28/2024 | ICAPE GroupIn today's fast-paced world, efficiency is key. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of PCB procurement. But what if we told you that ordering PCBs could be as easy as a few clicks and take just 5 minutes?
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Ensuring Design Integrity
03/28/2024 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonBack in February, many of us watched the "Big Game." It reminded me of the saying, “It's not how you start that is important, but rather how you finish." It is perfectly okay when you are talking about sports, you get off to a bad first half and need to recover in the second half. However, when it comes to PCB design, this is not a good practice. If things start badly, they usually don't recover. They continue down that same path, costing more money and losing design time.
Punching Out: Acquiring a PCB/EMS Shop: Brownfield vs. Greenfield
03/27/2024 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!We often get asked about establishing a new company (greenfield) rather than buying an existing PCB or EMS shop (brownfield). There are many criteria to consider. Many buyers want to grow through M&A, but they cannot find acquisition targets that fit their criteria. Perhaps they can find the right shop, or at least one that fits five out of 10 criteria, but they encounter obstacles, such as owners who do not want to sell, price expectations that are too high, or negotiations that are too difficult. Despite the interest in building new facilities, since 2000, few companies have gone the greenfield route. Here is a look at the pros and cons of buying vs. building.
Ventec to Launch New Bondply Dielectrics and Value-Added Services at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/26/2024 | Ventec International GroupVentec International Group is to reveal new products for advanced signal integrity and thermal performance, and introduce services, during IPC APEX EXPO 2024, April 9-11 on booth # 4309.