Low Volume PCB Assembly Services
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Need Low-volume PCB Assembly Services?
Need low-volume PCB assembly services? As a leading PCBA manufacturer, we at OurPCB are ready to assist you, with services ranging from only 25 pieces to 5,000 units. OurPCB is a group of experienced professionals offering state-of-the-art PCB assembly services. With many satisfied customers worldwide, particularly in the USA, you can rely on OurPCB to provide exceptional quality and service.
What is Low Volume PCB Assembly?
Low-volume PCB assembly refers to manufacturing and assembling circuit board orders that typically range from only 25 pieces to 5,000 units.
You might need such low order quantities if you’re starting an electronics project/business, testing a new product line before launch (prototyping), or have a small niche market, especially if the complete device is expensive and high-end.
Benefits of Low-Volume PCB Assembly
Low-volume PCB assembly introduces several benefits to the electronics business environment, including:
Cost Effectiveness
Mass or high-volume production of a new, untested design or circuit upgrade can be buggy. Such products are likely to have negative feedback from the market, resulting in expensive recalls and market share losses that will affect cash flow in the future.
Low-volume PCB production might seem expensive at first, but it’s a cost-effective part of the RnD process that enables prototyping and fine-tuning. This ensures that the product that ends up in the market is the best possible version.
Quick Turnaround
Low-volume production is synonymous with prototyping and falls in the same category as quick-turn PCB manufacturing. Therefore, you’ll get your PCBs in 1 to 7 days, depending on the board’s complexity and the exact number of pieces.
This quick turnaround helps you fine-tune the product quickly and launch the final device in the market within a reasonable timeline.
Flexibility
With the quick turnaround and cost-effectiveness, low-volume production makes it possible to alter the design and change electronic component specifications quickly to improve performance. You can even do tweaks in several prototyping iterations/versions because the cost is manageable.
Quality
Each PCB in the low-volume assembly batch undergoes various checks and rigorous tests to produce the highest-quality product. And since they are few, we’ll be able to commit more resources (time and components) to each piece, which will have a positive impact on quality.
Reliability
Since we’ll be able to commit more resources to low-volume assembly, the resulting high-quality PCBs will be more reliable. The risk of making mistakes will be lower than when handling large orders in the same time frame.
How Much is The Price for Low Volume PCB Manufacturing?
For low volume PCB manufacturing, assembling a square inch of PCB can cost between $0.02 to $0.05. However, this cost is not fixed and can vary based on several factors. The factors that determine the actual assembly cost per square inch include:
- Necessary assembly labor
- Prevailing labor rates
- Assembly time
- Overhead manufacturing expenses
- Design complexity of the board
Check out our PCB cost estimator page to learn more.
Get in touch with us for reliable, high-quality low-volume PCB assembly you can trust.
Our Low Volume PCB Assembly Capabilities
PCB assembly has its roots in the design process, and our capabilities begin at this point.
PCB Design and Layout
We provide a PCB layout design service for low-volume circuit board assembly, which is handy if you only know little about electronic product design. All you have to do is give us the information about your product, including its functionality and installation environment.
Our team of engineers and designers will build and optimize the layout for manufacturing and efficiency. We’ll send you the design files and prototypes later for testing and fine-tuning.
We have experience in various fields, including:
- Real-time control
- Network remote control
- Smart home devices
- Solar and wind (clean energy devices)
- Game consoles
- Embedded systems
- Video sampling
- And many others
Therefore, we can design all types of boards with complex configurations and multiple layers, then customize them to meet your specific requirements.
Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Review
If you can handle the design process yourself, the first step is to send us your files for a DFM analysis. This process helps to identify potential bottlenecks that could lead to manufacturing failures, production delays, or high fabrication costs.
We use tools like signal, plane, and solder mask checks, then recommend the best changes to make.
PCB Fabrication
Once the design passes the DFM review and we get your approval, we’ll begin manufacturing. Our experts can build PCBs with various substrate materials like metal (usually aluminum), ceramic, and the most popular one, FR4.
We can fabricate these boards as single-sided (single-layer) or double-sided (multilayer), with the latter having up to 50 layers that can form a dense, complex assembly.
Electronic Component Sourcing
We stock the most common components, such as resistors, transistors, diodes, and capacitors, for quick assembly. If it’s a unique part, we have a global sourcing network that boasts of partnerships with authorized distributors like Avnet, Arrow, Mouser, and Future Electronics.
This network gives us access to high-quality electronic components at competitive prices, which will help lower the overall cost of your project.
These components undergo verification and testing to check their authenticity and functionality, which will reduce or eliminate reliability issues in the prototypes and final products.
Conformal Coating
A conformal coat is a moisture-proof layer that’s necessary for waterproof PCBs. It protects them from dust, water, and temperature extremes when installed outdoors in aerospace or automotive applications. This agent can be materials like epoxy, silicone, urethane, and acrylic.
Epoxy is super adhesive and can handle high temperatures (205°C/401℉ max), making it ideal for automotive applications. On the other hand, silicon is soft and pliable, while urethane is flexible, stretchable, and abrasion-resistant. Acrylic provides some level of chemical resistance, and these properties make the materials suitable for unique applications.
IC Programming
Programming chips from the factory or distributor reduces the assembly time because we only have to solder these parts. But we can also program these boards during assembly using universal or dedicated headers, manufacturing/test jigs, or offline and online methods.
Either way, we’ll customize this IC programming to meet your specifications for the final product to ensure it is fully functional.
Testing Services
With the PCB fabricated, we test it before assembly using these methods.
- Functional Jig Tests: A test jig contains pogo pins that contact the test points on the board to inject power and test its functionality (real-world operating conditions).
- Burn-in Tests: This process pushes the PCB to its limits by subjecting it to abnormal conditions like high temperatures for a specified time. The goal is to detect early failures and ensure long-term reliability.
- Comprehensive Testing Capabilities: Other tests, like solderability and contamination, are necessary for boards made for demanding tasks in aerospace, military, satellite, and telecommunication applications. These must be highly reliable.
Prototype Assembly
To speed up the prototyping process, we use techniques like CNC machining and quick turnaround services (with chemical etching, not machining) to build the test board.
Whatever your pcb board prototyping needs, we’re here to help. We’ll optimize the process to meet your project requirements. Reach out today to get started.
Assembly Technologies Used in Low-Volume PCB Assembly Services
- Surface Mount Technology (SMT): This technology involves mounting tiny components on the PCB surface (copper pads), which makes it possible to create miniaturized circuits.
- Thru-Hole Technology (THT): Thru-hole components are large, and this technology mounts their leads inside plated holes on the PCB to hold them firmly.
- Mixed Technology: A mixed assembly has both SMT and THT, which makes the PCB more robust because it can have the most optimal hardware, be it large or small.
Quality Assurance Measures We Use In Low-Volume PCB Assemblies
Both our plants in Shijiazhuang and Shenzhen have quality assurance departments with in-house quality-checking teams that ensure the PCBs meet your requirements and industry standards. This is implemented through rigorous checking and testing throughout the assembly process.
Depending on the project, this team ensures the PCBAs meet the required IPC standards and RoHS requirements as well, to enable you to sell to the intended market.
Why Choose Our Low-Volume PCB Assembly Services?
We have almost 20 years of experience in the PCB manufacturing industry, and so far, we’ve served over 2500 clients globally. These include notable ones like Intel, Great Wall, and ABB. A huge part of our success is attributable to our customer-centric approach. Regardless of your project, we tailor our low volume PCB assembly services to meet your needs and specifications.
When it comes to the actual project implementation, we have state-of-the-art equipment and technology in our ISO 9001 certified plants to get the job done. Our skilled engineers and technicians add on to this potent mix, making the production process smooth and effective while adhering to quality-assurance processes.
While the PCB is in production, we’ll be in touch regularly, because communication is key when handling such technical projects. We’ll also provide personalized support during and after production to ensure the success of your project.
Let’s partner up to meet your PCB needs today.
Industries We Serve
- Medical instrumentation
- LED lighting
- Testing and measuring equipment
- Automotive
- Marine
- Consumer electronics
- Industrial equipment
- Aerospace
- Military
Getting Started With Your Low-Volume PCB Assembly Project
We’ll begin with a consultation, where you’ll provide information about your project using design files or a full description for us to handle the design process.
If you provide the design files, we’ll give you an online instant quote. With the latter, we’ll have to fine-tune the requirements, then give you a quote for the entire project and the expected timelines to deliver the final products.
The next step is manufacturing. We’ll send you regular updates about the progress of the project, such as when the prototypes and the final boards are ready for shipping.
Contact us with your project description or design documents (Gerber files and BOM) to get an instant online quote on our low volume PCB assembly services.
More Services Related to Low Volume PCB Assembly
- PCB Assembly Services: Comprehensive solutions for assembling printed circuit boards.
- Quick Turn PCB Assembly: Fast and efficient PCB assembly to meet tight deadlines.
- High Volume PCB Assembly: Scalable solutions for large-scale PCB production.
- Flexible PCB Manufacturing: Specialized in manufacturing flexible PCBs for diverse applications.
- Low Volume PCB Assembly: Cost-effective solutions for small batch PCB assembly.
- Turnkey PCB Assembly: End-to-end services covering all aspects of PCB production.
- PCB Design Services: Expert design services to bring your PCB concepts to life.
- Rigid-Flex PCB Manufacturing: Manufacturing robust and versatile rigid-flex PCBs.
- PCB Prototype: Rapid prototyping services to test and refine your PCB designs.
- Rogers PCB: High-frequency PCBs ideal for RF and microwave applications.
- Aluminum PCB: PCBs with excellent heat dissipation properties, perfect for high-power devices.
- Metal Core PCB: Thermal PCBs with metal bases for effective heat management.
- High Tg PCB: High glass transition temperature PCBs for improved thermal performance.
- High Frequency PCB: Designed for high-speed and high-frequency applications, ensuring superior signal integrity.
- Heavy Copper PCB: Built with thicker copper layers for high current and enhanced thermal management.
- HDI PCB: High Density Interconnect PCBs offering advanced circuitry in a compact design for complex applications.
- Custom Cable Assembly: We offer a wide range of customized cable services, hybrid cables, and wire harnesses.
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Customer Review - Low Volume PCB Assembly
- Author Name: Thatcher Orson
Item: Low Volume PCB Assembly
Review Body: It was easy to order online from OurPCB with instant price quoting. The PCB boards I received were nearly flawless and I got them back in a week. Highly recommended. - Author Name: Everly Winslow
Item: Low Volume PCB Assembly
Review Body: These guys are great with good customer service. The PCBs were of high quality and delivered on or before the specified date. - Author Name: Radley Fenwick
Item: Low Volume PCB Assembly
Review Body: Prompt service and good price structure. The PCBs are of high quality and were delivered on time. Excellent experience overall. - Author Name: Azura Lockwood
Item: Low Volume PCB Assembly
Review Body: Always excellent service and quick turnaround. We are very happy with the service from OurPCB.
- 1Order and Procurement
- 2PCB Manufacturing and Preparation
- 3Assembly and Soldering
- 4Inspection and Quality Control
- 5Finalization and Shipping
- Bare PCB in 8 working hours
- PCBA with components in 2 working days
- Bare PCB manufacturing
- Components sourcing
- PCB assembling
- Wire harness manufacturing
- Casing /Housing manufacturing
- Programming/Testing
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Low Volume PCB Assembly Services FAQs
What component sizes can be handled in low-volume PCB assemblies?
We can handle all component sizes, including the fine-pitch type (as small as 8 mils), passive parts like the 0201 (20×10 mils), BGA, and all chip carriers (leadless and leaded).
What types of solder are used in low-volume PCB assembly?
We can use leaded or lead-free solder, depending on your requirements. For instance, if you want to make consumer electronics, we use lead-free solder for RoHS compliance. But for applications that require high reliability, such as in military electronic devices, leaded solder might be better.
Take a Factory Tour!
OurPCB Shijiazhuang opened in 2007. Today, this factory spans over 6,000 meters in total, is equipped with 5 SIEMENS SMT lines, and has 200 employees. 90% of the business at our factory in Shijiazhuang is for advanced PCB assembly.
We went on to build our second factory in Shenzhen in 2017. This factory is about half the size of Shijiazhuang, but it boasts 7 YAMAHA SMT lines, X-ray, and AOI. It’s dedicated to standard assembly service and employs 110 people.
In 2014, we opened OurPCB in Melbourne, Australia, to provide services to our English-speaking customers across the world.
