The key is to understand everything that goes into building your prototype and the prototype PCB assembly costs associated with that so you can make a decision about the best CM to partner with.
Let’s take a look at some of the issues that could cause PCB manufacturing problems, and how you can best work with the engineering team of your contract manufacturer to avoid them.
Without processes performed by your contract manufacturer to ensure critical printed circuit board inspection criteria are met, you wouldn’t have the assurance that your board was built to the highest levels of quality.
You’re finally finished with your latest printed circuit board design. Here you are, ready to go, and yet you are faced with a very important question: Are you giving the right PCB assembly file format to your CM?
Most PCBs do not need to be built to the highest standard—Class 3. In fact, you may get better overall results by having them built to IPC-A-610 class 2 requirements instead.
Your contract manufacturer should have processes in place for inspection and cleanup of assembled boards. Let’s take a moment to talk about why you should expect full attention to printed circuit board assembly cleanliness specifications from your CM.
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