Where to Get Your PCBs Fabricated?

You have a circuit board designed and ready for building. But where should you get the work done? Local or off-shore?

Not an easy question at answer. So, let’s look at some of the factors that you should be considering before you decide your PCB manufacturer. Here are 4 key factors that should influence your decision.

• Turn around / delivery – how long will it take?
• Quality – will the board be reliable
• Supply Chain – will the board have the   expected parts
• Innovation  

Let’s dig in:

Turnaround  

Turn around could be a factor if you require a quick build so that can get on with your project.  Some off-shore PCB manufacturers offer fast turnaround (as little as 24 hours) but what they don’t tell you is the amount of unpredictable time your project may sit in various holding areas waiting for shipping. Three weeks in not unheard of.

You can avoid all that by working with a local firm.  At CCI Canadian Circuits, we excel with rush orders, and have a proven record of 99.3% on-time delivery.  

Quality

Our core strength is building custom PCBs and we have latest in technology and equipment, and we work with the most superior quality materials required to manufacture reliable PCBs. We are constantly evaluating our inventory and updating it to add the latest materials to complete your custom projects on-time. We stock BERGQUIST, ISOLA, NANYA, SHENGYI, NELCO, ARLON, ROGERS, TACONIC, DU-POINT, and OHMEGA at our manufacturing plant for prototype and rush needs.

We have active certifications from the established global organizations that monitor, evaluate, and validate safety and manufacturing processes across the industries.

Supply Chain 

The pandemic and its aftermath coupled with the sanctions being imposed on offshore manufacturers scrambling to source parts to make quality for PCBs as their inventories run out.

Because of their tight deadlines, offshore suppliers may not tell you when they have substituted components. The result?  Compromised quality that could seriously impact the reliability of your board. 

Innovation

In PCB manufacturing, a key component is the ability to work with the client with the client to change, innovate, and help to make a better product.  Off-shore suppliers are simply that – offshore, meaning little or no opportunity for discussions around design change.

To learn more about PCB manufacturing, contact us