Customers who are sourcing their PCBs for the first time frequently run into challenges because of their lack of understanding with respect to the PCB manufacturing timeline. If you are in the process of ordering your PCBs for the first time then you should know that PCB manufacturing is not a single step process. Instead, this is a multi-step process that involves a lot of time.
Only when you have a clear understanding of the PCB manufacturing process and the timeline involved you will be in a position to plan your PCB sourcing calendar. There are several steps before you could get your product idea to a fully functional PCB. If you are not sure about the steps in the PCB manufacturing process, find a highly experienced and an honest PCB manufacturer and they will help you understand the PCB manufacturing process and the steps involved.
Everything starts with the designing of your PCB layout. It has to be designed by a seasoned PCB layout design expert. Once the layout design is completed then the PCBs have to be printed. Before taking the board printing to large scale production you should have finalized your PCB prototype. The prototype is the first working model designed based on your idea. Do not expect your prototype to be fully functional right at the first attempt. You may need to revise the design and make amendments to the layout a number of times before everything falls in place. There are no shortcuts here because only by resolving all the issues at the prototype building stage you will be able to build a fully functional and dependable PCB that you could use in your device. You could go over as many iterations as required before you take things to large scale production.
Once the boards are printed you need to assemble the PCB components on the board as per the design. You should source the PCB components first only then it would be possible to seamlessly complete the assembly process. You will be in need of numerous components and all of them have to be sourced in the required quantities. Even if a single resistor is missing then the circuit cannot be completed and your assembly process would be incomplete. The complexity of PCB component sourcing process would vary. When you are narrowing down on your PCB manufacturer you need to take this factor also into account because you will need a manufacturer that is ready to take care of the component sourcing process. If you were to source the components yourself then you will be subjecting yourself to unnecessary challenges. Your manufacturer would have access to a more reliable and larger sourcing networks which you may or may not have access to. Therefore, it is best to get your manufacturer to handle the component sourcing process.
Keep all these factors in mind when you are planning the production timeline. Ideally you would need someone that offers end to end PCB manufacturing service.
ChinaPCBOne Technology LTD. is the author of this article on PCB manufacturer. Find more information, about PCB manufacturing.