• Order minimums – The vast majority of reputable PCB makers will require a minimum order and this would necessitate investing in more than a single prototype PCB in order to get basic testing done. In other words, it will require wasted money and the prototype PCB may not perform as needed, forcing the company to sit on or discard a whole batch of PCBs.
• Lengthy production times – A cheap and fast production process is ideal for a prototype PCB as it is needed to do product testing. Few firms can deliver on a rapid-fire turnaround time, such as one to five days, and so many companies have to hit the proverbial pause button when doing prototype PCB design.
• Costly design processes – Hiring experts, buying complicated and costly software, running printed films or evaluating digital files all cost a lot of money, and are also another part of the prototype PCB process.

The entire production process of any prototype PCB or standard PCB (from generating blueprints to making the substrate, printing the layers, UV hardening, copper removal, laminations, inspections, pressing, drilling, plating, imaging, etching, soldering, and silk screening stages and testing) can be time consuming and costly. It is why companies that extend one-day turnaround times are usually greeted with the proverbial raised eyebrow and a healthy amount of concern by any firms familiar with the challenges of prototype PCB manufacturing.

However, the team at Advanced Circuits has a proven record in making the production of a prototype PCB, as well as large batch PCBs, affordable, fast, and almost fail-proof. Our cost-effective tools and protocols are a reason we rate at the top of the industry.

How to Perfect the Prototype PCB Production Process

Anyone involved in electronics or an industry that uses PCBs will be aware that the points made above are not the only factors that cause a prototype PCB to be a more complex matter than many outside the industry realize. There are also issues associated with designing PCBs of two or more layers that can make things challenging. This is why all of the solutions offered through Advanced Circuits will be of significance to designers, manufacturers and others. For example:

• No minimums – With the ability to order a single, affordable PCB, the idea of rapid-fire prototype design is made real, and with one-day turnarounds, the production or design process is not significantly halted.
• Free software – Whether it is a startup or a company financially stressed, the need to invest in high-priced and high-tech design software can be quite limiting. Advanced Circuits’ proprietary and exclusive PCB Artist software is available in an unrestricted format and entirely for free. It comes with tutorials and those who use it enjoy discounts on even single PCB orders. Clients simply download the free software and use the industry-best program to create a prototype of up to 28 layers and featuring any of the half a million parts and components contained in the software’s library. It has integrated functions that also enhance the process, including auto router options and more.
• CAM Engineer Evaluations – All products are evaluated by one of the in-house engineers long before production begins in order to spare clients any costly mistakes.
• FreeDFM evaluation software – In addition to the use of advanced design software and human evaluations, there is a simple to use option that allows a client to upload their Gerber files to the site and generate a report indicating potential showstoppers and also auto-correcting the most common errors.
• Full tech support – And while the resources above are often more than enough for many designers, Advanced Circuits also provides 24-hour tech support that features direct access to a CAM engineer to help troubleshoot prototype or standard design issues.
• Software-based ordering – Running the design through the free software also enables immediate ordering. That means that a prototype can be generated in the software, get the FreeDFM and CAM engineer review, and receive a discount on the single PCB ordered.

And when the design process is done, and the prototype is ready for full production, Advanced Circuits can make it happen at the pace required. An industry leader with more than 25 years of experience in creating prototypes and full batches of PCBs, we serve companies large and small.

Start to Finish PCB Services

With our massive production facility, and both production and assembly capabilities, Advanced Circuits ensures a premium, streamlined, and cost efficient process. In addition to our prototype-friendly services above, we also feature:

• Quality – While many in the PCB industry approve of Advanced Circuits’ array of design resources, they also appreciate the inspection process that begins with a full CAM review before any manufacturing begins as well as visual inspections of the final circuit boards produced.
• Full support – Unlike many other manufacturers, our team works with you every step of the way. We begin with a quote based on initial design spec uploads, and walk all clients through to the final production and assembly phases.
• Clear pricing – Also unlike many other producers, we do not ask for stenciling fees, setup fees, and other add-on charges.
• One-stop production – It cannot be ignored that Advanced Circuits’ “one-stop” destination for PCB design tools, production services, assembly and anything else needed for printed circuit board manufacturing is also the most cost-effective and trouble-free.

When only a prototype PCB is needed, ensure the easiest and most affordable approach, but don’t overlook the value of a US-based, one-stop provider offering comprehensive services from beginning to end. If that PCB fabrication shop offers no minimums, full support and quality production, then the choice is easy. Advanced Circuits offers all of these benefits and more. Learn about our PCB capabilities here.

What is the Difference Between Standard & Custom Spec Printed Circuit Boards?

This partial table highlights some of the main differences between our Standard Spec and Custom Spec ordering options.  Click on the table below to view all board specifications/capabilities available.

*Partial table shown above.  Click image to expand PCB capabilities.

Standard Spec Printed Circuit Boards

While both ordering options are made with the same high-quality standards customers have come to expect from Advanced Circuits, the Standard Spec ordering option parameters were set to let customers know how they can lower the cost of their PCB fabrication.  Staying within the parameters of a Standard Spec order can help customers lower their costs, especially when prototyping (small quantities and quick turn around).  The Standard Spec option also includes free tooling to help lower costs further.

• Free Tooling
• Same Day – 5 Day Turns
• Up to 10 Layer PCB Designs
• Great for Prototyping
• Great for Quickturn
• Great for Small Quantity

Custom Spec Printed Circuit Boards

Our Custom Spec ordering option opens up all of our expanded printed circuit board manufacturing capabilities, certification/qualification options, mechanical capabilities, and all Advanced Circuits has to offer.

• Up to 40 Layer PCB Designs
• Great for Production Circuits Boards
• Great for Both Small and High-Volume Orders
• Same Day – 4 Week Turns Available
• Longer Lead Times Available to Reduce Costs

For more information, please call your Regional Sales Manager or visit our Standard & Custom Spec PCB page.

Cheap PCB sourcing from less than reputable vendors can be costly.  Poor quality standards is a typical issue, but there are other important factors to take into consideration, such as turnaround time, consistency, and service.  Cheap PCB manufacturers in China and Taiwan usually have long lead times and since boards have to be shipped across the world there are high shipping costs if faster shipping is required.  Not to mention frequent U.S. Customs delays and even import duties to be paid once you receive the boards.  Communication and customer service from some of these “no touch” PCB manufacturers can also be an issue.

Looking for Cheap PCB Prototyping without Sacrificing Quality & Lead-Time?

Advanced Circuits has created a special pricing option for 2 and 4 layer printed circuit boards that are made using the same high-tech equipment, materials, and quality standards as our Standard Spec and Custom Spec options.  This option is great for prototyping because it was created for those that need very small quantities and are shipped in as fast as one day.  There are three low-cost PCB prototyping options available:

For 2 Layer PCBs:

• BareBones – Our BareBones is a very basic board on FR4 material with 1 oz. copper and Tin Finish.  BareBones do not have solder mask or silkscreen, but the biggest benefit to ordering these boards for prototyping is the ability to order as few as just 1 piece with the turn time of just 1 day!  Note that you can get your BareBones for free when you place a Standard or Custom Spec order for the same part number – click here for details.
• $33Each – Our $33Each deal is also a simple 2 layer board on FR4 material with 1 oz. copper and Lead-Free Solder Finish but it does include solder mask and silkscreen on both sides.  The great benefit to using this deal is you can order as few as just 3 pieces that ship in 5 days and you can have a board as big as 60 square inches without additional charges for the size of your board.

For 4 Layer PCBs:

• $66 Layers – This deal is great for simple 4 layer boards with 1 oz. copper and Lead-Free Solder Finish.  Boards can be as big as 30 square inches and still qualify for this deal!  Order as few as 4 pieces with a turn time of just 5 days.

These low-cost alternatives can give you peace-of-mind knowing that your prototypes will be manufactured quickly and arrive on time with the high quality standards you can expect from Advanced Circuits.

Advanced Circuits “Hands-On” Approach: Did you know all circuit board design files are manually inspected by our experienced CAM engineers to find manufacturability issues prior to production?  This helps customers fix any possible issue before production starts to avoid receiving boards that are not usable.

To learn more about our 2 and 4 layer PCB special pricing options, please click here for details.

Advanced Circuits Offers High Quality Options for Cheap PCB Prototyping

Our 2 and 4 layer prototyping special allows customers to cut cost without sacrificing PCB quality or turnaround speed.  Our 2 & 4 Layer Special options are manufactured in our state-of-the-art Colorado facility using the same high tech equipment as our regular production of Standard and Custom Spec options.

Our BareBones™ option for 2 layer design ships in just 1 day with no minimum quantity requirements .  This options is made without Soldermask and without Silkscreen, hence the “BareBones™” name.  This option is great for those that need a very quick prototype to test out a simple design.  The BareBones™ special is not only popular because it is a cheap PCB prototyping option, but also because of you can choose to be reimbursed the cost of the BareBones™ boards when you “upgrade” your part number to a Standard Spec on your next run.

Another great option for 2 layer prototype boards is the $33 Each Special.  This special pricing option allows you to manufacture any size PCB (up to 60 square inches) for the fixed price of only $33.  That’s correct, your design can be for small boards, medium boards, or large boards up to 60 square inches and it will only cost $33 each.  Custom shapes are allowed and the minimum order quantity is only 3 pieces – ships in just 5 days!  You may also use as much of the 60 square inches available with a multi-part or array for a small fee.

Similar to our “$33 Each” special, our 4 layer prototyping option also ships in just 5 days.  You can order any size 4 layer board (up to 30 square inches) for the fixed price of only $66 each.  The high quality prototypes can have a custom shape an are not limited to rectangular outlines.

All PCB orders placed with Advanced Circuits receive a full CAM review prior to manufacturing to ensure that any design issues the PCB design may have are corrected prior to production.

PCB designers are continuously challenged to meet the needs of electronic products through engineering boards with the most effective placement of components that will accommodate the required functionality while meeting the specifications of the product to contain the board. Components that are smaller in size must, therefore, be placed closer together while avoiding potential negative impact from placement issues.

The truth is that preparation plays an important role in PCB layout results. Beginning with the most important requirements can help streamline the design process by determining the constraints on the design. Sizing and placement of critical elements, including minimum and maximum tolerances, required components, electrical demands including impedance factors and power needs all combine to generate an initial set of constraints for the PCB design. It’s also a good practice to create and save sets of like constraints and templates for subsequent designs or projects. Having time-proven templates available can streamline the design of new boards or upgrades to existing PCBs. Once constraints are set and understood, it makes the details much less error-prone, saving time and money.

Board layout techniques can include such strategies as devices embedded on inner layers of PCBs to reduce board size. This must be evaluated with manufacturers to verify that these capabilities can be met in actual fabrication.

Errors or lack of planning in the layout specification of PCB design can cause multiple problems:

• Manufactured products that don’t perform as specified or designed
• Quality or functional issues may surface due to components and circuit paths that conflict with other board elements from factors such as electromagnetic interference, current flow, track width, component size, and physical board limitations.
• Boards may not be able to be manufactured exactly as specified, resulting in back-and-forth decisions between the designer and manufacturer. This extends lead time and increases cost.
• Worst case – the engineer goes back to the “drawing board” to rework the design for manufacturability.

In practice, most PCBs are designed with CAD or other PCB design tools that the technician is most familiar and comfortable with. In truth, once the design has been completed the fabricator will manufacture the board from files or documentation generated from the design tools using their own automation tools and sophisticated Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) manufacturing techniques. The two processes may not be totally synchronized in their processing, resulting in boards that may not produce the desired results, or may not be easily manufactured, causing delays and increasing costs.

How Should PCB Designers Meet the Demands of Effective PCB Layout?

Designers are therefore incentivized to produce a design that will not only produce the desired functionality consistently, but will generate a layout that allows efficient manufacturing at the desired cost point. Engineers need to understand the manufacturing process to some level in order to comprehend how fabrication methodology will react to their designs. Multi-layer boards and double-sided laminates or double-sided component placement designs can make the layout all the more critical in designing for manufacturing (DFM).

Placement of components may vary during manufacturing as determined by automation tools with results that are not precisely what the designer intended. In many cases, the end product is acceptable and functions properly, but failures could also be an unintended consequence.

Routing of circuit paths can be altered during manufacturing that will still produce a workable PCB, but may also result in boards that are more difficult to install or repair than the original design had intended.

An effective tool available to PCB designers prior to prototype creation is DFM software. Such tools analyze the designer’s files and evaluate them for any issues or omissions related to fabrication. Combining the use of PCB design tools and DFM applications is the best solution to designing PCBs of the highest quality that will be functional and cost-effective to manufacture.

It’s also important to work with a fabricator who provides 24/7 support of all technical aspects of PCB orders, including a detailed review of submitted designs with CAM tools.

As an engineer you are given an important task for every project you work on. You must be able to find the balance between the quality of your printed circuit boards and their cost. While you can save money for your organization with the choices you make for laminates and complexity, you might be costing yourself more in the long run. Many engineers work to achieve the highest level of quality by having a tighter tolerance on their PCBs. The thought is that this improves quality and functionality, but it could also lead to higher unit costs. As a result, you may find less room in the budget and fewer contracts for your organization.

How Tolerance Variations Affect Printed Circuit Boards

The question of balancing performance and cost most often comes down to tolerances for components and connections on printed circuit boards. The size of the hole and gauge of the pin used impact the manufacturing cost. It the hole is too large the pin could fall out, but if the pin is too large you will have to go back to the drawing board and pay more during the production process. The key then may be to find an option that gives you a bit less precision so you can save money while not sacrificing overall quality. To do this, experiment with various types of connectors and designs so you can produce the PCBs you need for less. The result will allow you to bid for more contracts and create more business for your company. Contact a representative at Advanced Circuits to learn more about PCB tolerances and the manufacturing and assembly processes.