Low Volume PCB Assembly
1
Overview
of PCB industry
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) refers to a functional board with conductive circuit
patterns or printed components formed on an insulating substrate according to a
predetermined design by using printing technology, which is used to realize the
interconnection and relay transmission between electronic components. It is an
indispensable basic component of electronic information products. The manufacturing
quality of PCB directly affects the reliability of electronic products and the overall
competitiveness of system products, so PCB is called "the mother of electronic system
products". To some extent, the development level of PCB industry reflects the
development speed and technical level of electronic industry in a country or region.
PCB exists in almost all electronic devices, and the reliability and competitiveness of
electronic products depend on the manufacturing quality of PCB to a great extent. PCB is
the basic industry for the application of electronic information products, and the
application industry covers a wide range, bearing the development of downstream
industries such as industrial control, communication equipment, automotive electronics,
consumer electronics, medical health and semiconductors. The upgrading and product
iteration of emerging 5G, integrated circuits, new energy vehicles and digital economy
industries will continue to promote the development of PCB.
2
Overview of sample
and low volume PCB assembly industry
There are many types of PCB, which can usually be classified according to the standard of
order area, product layer number, characteristic process or material. According to the
difference of PCB enterprises' emphasis on order area market, there are differences in
delivery time, product usage, product model, customer structure, production technology and
pricing strategy. The PCB industry is further subdivided into sample PCBA, low volume PCB
assembly industry and high volume PCB assembly industry.
PCB demand mainly comes from the R&D stage of customer's electronic products, such as
research, development and testing. It is the front link of low or high volume PCB assembly,
and has certain professional characteristics. After the electronic products are successfully
developed and finalized, the project will enter the low or high volume PCB assembly stage.
Therefore, the sample orders in R&D stage are characterized by multi-varieties, low volume
and quick delivery.
Batch PCB boards can be further divided into low volume PCB assembly and high volume PCB
assembly according to the order quantity. Among them, low volume PCB assembly are mainly
used for the needs of professional user terminals such as communication equipment,
industrial control, medical health and automotive electronics, while high volume PCB
assembly are mainly used for the needs of ordinary user terminals such as consumer
electronics and some automotive electronics.
The downstream application fields of professional PCB mainly cover enterprise-level
industries such as communication equipment, industrial control, medical health and
automotive electronics. Usually, PCB products are required to have the characteristics of
high reliability, long service life and strong traceability, with higher requirements for
PCB manufacturers' processes and materials. The downstream application fields of general
consumer terminals mainly cover consumer electronics and some automotive electronics, and
PCB products are usually required to be thin, small and flexible. Because of the large
demand of general consumer terminals and the relatively more standardized PCB, the
production scale of PCB manufacturers is required to be higher. And the sample and small
batch board products are rich in variety, so they are not easily affected by macroeconomic
disturbance.
As there are great differences in the R&D, production, management and sales modes among
sample PCBA, low volume PCB assembly and high volume PCB assembly, different types of PCB
enterprises have their own characteristics in terms of customers, products and production.
3
Development trend of China's
sample and low volume PCB assembly market
Based on the existing policy, population and market advantages in mainland China, the PCB
manufacturing industry will continue to shift to mainland China in the future, and the
output value of PCB in mainland China will be further enhanced. From the downstream market
of PCB, the market demand of terminal electronic products is becoming more and more
diversified, customized and low volume. The production capacity of middle and high-end
templates and low volume PCB assembly in Europe, America and Japan will be further
transferred to Chinese mainland, and the demand of middle and high-end templates and low
volume PCB assembly in China's PCB will be greatly increased. In the future, the growth rate
of China's mid-to high-end templates and low volume PCB assembly will be higher than that of
the overall PCB industry demand, and the diversified development trend of terminal
electronic products will promote the proportion of templates and low volume PCB assembly to
gradually increase.
R&D investment promotes
the continuous expansion of
the model market.
PCB is the basic component of electronic information products, involving
many downstream industries. The prototype is mainly used for R&D, pilot test and new
product development of downstream electronic information products manufacturing
enterprises. Professional PCB manufacturers are required to assist in the production
of the prototype in the product R&D stage, and the growth of R&D investment in the
whole industry drives the continuous expansion of the prototype market.
The downstream application
fields of templates and low
volume PCB assembly are
developing rapidly.
PCB runs through all stages of electronic information product research
and
testing, and is widely used in high-tech industries with high R&D investment
intensity,
such as communication equipment, industrial control, automotive electronics,
semiconductors and national defense and military industry. Similarly, the downstream
of
low volume PCB assembly is mainly used in enterprise-level professional user
application
industries such as communication equipment, industrial control and automotive
electronics.
Analysis of Development
Barriers of Low Volume
PCB Assembly Industry in China
1
Management
Ability Barriers
Low volume PCB assembly production mode puts forward high requirements for operators'
production management ability. In terms of production planning, material supply,
engineering data storage, production variety switching and uncertainty management, low
volume PCB assembly manufacturer need more reasonable operation management to achieve
their goals. In low volume PCB manufacturing, the probability of uncertain factors will
be higher. Effective and rapid adjustment and allocation of limited resources are the
key management capabilities that low volume PCB assembly manufacturer enterprises must
have for effective operation. How to ensure the optimization and orderly connection of
various production links, do a good job in quality control of many products and ensure
the delivery date of products are the embodiment of the core competitiveness of Low
volume PCB assembly manufacturer. For new entrants, to build a highly flexible
production line must go through a long-term accumulation process, which builds a high
barrier of production management.
2
Customer Resources
and Sales Network Barriers
The average order area of low volume PCB assembly is small, and the average order area
is only about 10 square meters. Enterprises need a large number of orders and customers
to achieve higher sales revenue. The establishment of a large number of customer
resources and sales network is a gradual process, and enterprises that enter first will
have obvious first-Mover advantage in this respect. In addition, the establishment cost
of sales network is high, while the maintenance cost is relatively low. Once the
first-entering enterprises establish a stable cooperative relationship with big
customers, it will be difficult for new-entering enterprises to compete for their market
share.
In low volume PCB manufacturing, in order to meet customers' demands for products with
different precision, it is necessary to invest more money to purchase advanced
production equipment, and enhance the production and testing capabilities, flexible
production capabilities and continuous research and development capabilities of
enterprises. There are more than a dozen low volume PCB fabrication processes, a wide
variety of production equipment, high unit price of advanced machinery and equipment,
complicated product production process and large occupation of working capital, so there
are high capital barriers. For example, a PCB production line needs dozens of expensive
equipment such as exposure machine, vacuum air compressor, automatic optical testing
machine, laser drilling machine and pattern etching line. Expensive production equipment
and complicated technological process make the investment in fixed assets huge, which
forms a high financial barrier for new entrants.
PCB manufacturing industry is a technology-intensive industry with high technical barriers.
PCB industry integrates electronics, machinery, computer, optics, materials, chemical
engineering and other disciplines to engage in product manufacturing services. Therefore, it
is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the corresponding disciplines and have
the ability to comprehensively apply them to actual production.
From the point of view of manufacturing process, with the development of PCB products
towards high precision and high density, the production of various low volume PCB assembly
products, especially various high-end products or special substrate products, requires
different engineering organization and process adjustment, and involves different patented
technologies, proprietary know-how and special processes, which have strong flexible
manufacturing characteristics. Secondly, in the process of product manufacturing,
enterprises need to have various abilities (such as electroplating, etching, drilling,
surface treatment, etc.) in the production of all kinds of low volume PCB assembly products.
Any defects in the process will lead to the decrease of the finished product rate, thus
affecting the operation of the whole supply chain where the enterprise is located.
From the perspective of application fields, the downstream application fields of low volume
PCB assembly industry are extensive, involving industrial control, medical instruments,
security electronics, communication equipment, aerospace and many other industries.
Customers in various industries have different demands for PCB products, and PCB products
have the characteristics of various varieties, complex processes, and endless applications
of new technologies and materials. PCB manufacturing enterprises need to have the ability to
provide solutions for customers in different fields. With the rapid development of the
industry, PCB orders are increasingly concentrated in companies with high technical and
manufacturing capabilities, and in large companies that can quickly provide customers with
comprehensive solutions. However, the small-scale companies are limited by their own
technical ability, so there will be few orders, which will lead to smaller and smaller
profit margins, which will increase the market risk of new entrants in the industry.
Why Choose PCBasic as Your Low Volume PCB Assembly Manufacturer?
As one of the leading medium and low volume PCB assembly manufacturers in China, PCBasic is able to provide customers with printed circuit board assembly services that meet international standards. PCBasic has advanced production equipment to support single, two-sided and multi-layer board assembly, including SMT assembly, through-hole assembly and hybrid technologies.
PCBasic’s Low Volume PCB Assembly Services
PCBasic focuses on providing efficient and reliable low volume PCB assembly services, which are widely used in medical, industrial control, automotive electronics, consumer electronics and other fields. We support from 1 piece order, flexible to meet the needs of customers from proofing to small batch trial production, is your ideal partner from prototype development to mass production.
PCBasic's low-volume assembly services not only include:
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One-stop PCB assembly service: covering PCB manufacturing, component procurement and installation
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Support custom BOM and special component purchasing
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Offer expedited delivery and quick proofing options to shorten lead times
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The whole process quality inspection: AOI automatic optical inspection, X-ray inspection, flying probe test and functional test full coverage
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A variety of transport options, flexible and reliable delivery
PCBasic also has a complete automated production line and advanced equipment, including solder paste printing machine, high-speed pick-and-place machine, reflow soldering machine, wave soldering machine, etc., to ensure that each circuit board assembly is accurate, consistent and reliable. All of your low-volume PCB assembly processes follow IPC standards to ensure superior performance in terms of function, stability and service life.
As an experienced low volume PCB assembly manufacturer in China, PCBasic has provided high-quality circuit board assembly services to customers from the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia and other countries and regions, and has won wide recognition. We have stable supply chain management capabilities, and the whole process of the project can be tracked to ensure that every project is efficiently and transparently advanced.
Whether you're looking for a wholesale low-volume PCB assembly manufacturer or want to build a long-term relationship with a reliable low volume PCB assembly manufacturer, PCBasic is your trusted partner.
