Low-Volume PCB Assembly Services

The Highest Levels of Manufacturing Quality, with Flexible Services to Meet Your Needs

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The success of an electronic product depends on manufacturing high-quality circuit boards that are built on time and within their budgets. Original equipment manufacturers like you have schedules to meet to keep commitments, and you can’t afford any delays from a vendor that doesn’t deliver as promised. Unfortunately, too many OEMs have found themselves working with PCB contract manufacturers that don’t deliver what they’ve promised. Perhaps you have experienced some of the following:

  • Undocumented changes
  • Inconsistent manufacturing practices
  • Inadequate or non-existent documentation
  • Non-existent guidance for DFM optimizations
  • Too many returns due to manufacturing issues

At VSE, we understand these difficulties and have made it our goal to raise the bar on our low-volume PCB assembly services to set it apart from our competition. We are pleased to provide the highest levels of quality you would expect from a premier circuit board assembly facility while retaining the flexibility of a low-volume manufacturer. Here’s how:

Quality in Low-Volume PCB Assembly Starts with Precise Engineering

The key to a successful low-volume build is to understand all the details before production starts, so there aren’t any surprises that can slow down manufacturing. Therefore, before we begin to build your circuit board, we meet with you to understand the requirements of your project. We’ll identify the design and layout constraints you have set and review critical milestone goals. From there, our engineering staff will take over and conduct the following technical reviews of your design.

BOM Analysis:

Our component engineers will examine your bill of materials for the following:

  • Components at the end of their life cycle that are obsolete or not recommended for new designs (EOL/OBS/NRND)
  • Components that are too expensive or are unavailable for production
  • Recommendations for alternative components or design changes

Design for Manufacturability (DFM):

Our design engineers will review your design for the following manufacturability issues:

  • Component placement that won’t work with our automated assembly processes
  • Accessibility of key functional areas of the board for test and debug
  • Part locations to ensure that connectors, switches, and other interface devices are easily accessible.

Testability:

Our test engineers will work with you on the following:

  • Developing a test plan that will meet your project’s needs.
  • Enhance an existing test fixture, or design a new one.
  • Optimize the test software for the circuit board.

Procurement: Ensuring the Best Parts are Available for Your PCB Assembly

The next step in your low-volume PCB assembly is to procure the parts and materials required for production. This critical step must be accomplished quickly to keep manufacturing on schedule. At VSE, our procurement team has years of experience doing this and has developed a robust structure and process to ensure that all of our customer’s projects meet their deadlines. Here are some examples of what makes our procurement team unique:

  • Supplier network: Our procurement team has developed a vast network of component manufacturers, distributors, and brokers that they interact with daily to stay on top of the PCB component supply chain.
  • Component research: Using part searching tools within the network, our procurement team will find the best prices and availability, or form, fit, and functional replacements.
  • Develop an open AVL: In collaboration with you, our procurement team will develop an approved vendor list giving us greater flexibility in sourcing parts for your design.
  • Advanced part sourcing: While you are still finalizing your design, our procurement team will be working with you on the parts list so that the necessary parts will be ready for production.
  • Direct customer communication: Our team will be working with your team. The communication that we will build helps to avoid delays and keep the procurement process moving efficiently.

With all of the parts and materials ready, the next step is manufacturing your circuit board.

Manufacturing: PCB Assembly and Test

The manufacturing process at VSE is designed to handle the intricacies and needs of low-volume PCB assembly. From the various inspection points throughout the process to the capabilities of our staff to make quick changes. So whether you are ordering a thousand boards or only a couple, we can build it. Here are the assembly processes that we use to accomplish this:

Assembly Preparation

  • Application of solder paste on SMT boards
  • Component installation with pick and place machines
  • Manual component insertion
  • Fixturing and other wave solder preparations

Automated Assembly

  • Surface mount assembly with solder reflow ovens
  • Thru-hole assembly with wave solder equipment
  • Mixed assembly with selective soldering machines

Manual Assembly

  • Hand assembly and manual soldering
  • Component changes on the board
  • Rework assembly defects

Automated Test

  • In-Circuit Test (ICT)
  • Flying Probe Test
  • Cablescan Test

Inspection and Shipping

  • Final assembly inspection
  • Anti-static shipping containers
  • Quick local delivery

The PCB Assembly Services Your Project Needs for Success

At VSE, we to ensure the success of your low-volume PCB assembly with:

  • A full engineering team with years of experience
  • A well-developed procurement department with extensive resources
  • A state-of-the-art manufacturing facility staffed by skilled technicians and engineer

We have been building printed circuit boards for over 35 years, during which we have constantly improved and updated our processes and procedures. As a result, you can be sure the boards we build for you are at the highest levels of quality and service.

Providing high-quality, low-volume PCB assembly is only one of the services we offer you at VSE. We also feature the following:

  • Prototyping and NPI Support
  • Quick Turn PCB Assembly
  • Scalability to Full Production
  • Full Turnkey PCB Assembly
  • Box Build, Wire Harness, and Cable Assembly

Give us a call and find out how our low-volume PCB assembly services can help you.

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