A 100% tested printed circuit board assures buyers of the PCBs durability, reliability, and quality. Therefore, an organization should always invest in companies that mass-produce PCBs to thoroughly maintain their manufacturing equipment and test their finish products.

Here are the top 5 reasons why an electronic industry that manufacturers computers should only purchase tested printed circuit boards from PCB fabrication houses.

1. Prior Inspection of PCBs

A PCB Fab House designs the inner layers of the circuit board, and before they finalize it for inspection, they need to put the inner layers through a machine called inner layer automated optical inspection (AOI). An AOI makes sure that the inner layers are properly constructed before sending it off for lamination.

In this process, the digital image is compared with the original design of the circuit board. If any differences show then they can be easily corrected.

2. Verification of PCB Prototypes

A printed circuit board prototype is like a trial product that circuit board companies provide to electronic industries. The industry keeps making changes to the prototype until it is perfect to move on to the final stage of manufacturing. This process of checking and making changes is costly and time-consuming for both the buyer and the supplier.

However, the introduction of a flying probe test made it easier to detect for faults like missing components, wrong polarities, and identifying shorts. This process enables industries to quickly check and fix changes in the prototype and quickly launch their final product.

3. X-Ray Inspection

X-ray inspection can discover the tinniest defects in a circuit board even the ones covered by other components. The machine can discover faults like internal cracks, problems in lamination, components not properly fit, and unnecessary porosity. This testing process saves time because defects can easily be spotted and corrected quickly.

4. Testing for Functionality

Trained PCB testers test the circuit board for functionality. They test identifies if the components of the PCB are functioning correctly and if the components of the data are producing the expected outcome.

5. Reliability in Quality– Always

The quality of your product will increase if your organization uses a circuit board that has gone through all the necessary tests. Your organization’s reputation will enhance and your organization will be comfortable knowing that the printed circuit board supplier will always churn out good quality circuit boards.

Printed circuit boards are used by various industries (consumer electronics, telecommunications, aerospace, automotive, etc.) to manufacture their products. These industries purchase PCBs from a PCB production house. These industries require the quality of the circuit boards to be consistent; therefore, they have to hire a trustworthy PCB Fab House to produce fully tested circuit boards.

A Competitive Market

Various industries face tough competition in the marketplace from customers. They need to sell a functional product. They need to manufacture a product that will live up to consumer expectation and increase company profit. In doing so, they will recruit the services of a professional PCB Fab House that promises quality.

Defective Product

A printed circuit board is part of the manufacturing process of different products in the telecommunication industry. They have to be careful in who they put their trust into because a defective circuit board would result in consumer lawsuits.

For instance, a cell phone is sold to a consumer and it suddenly catches on fire and explodes. After some investigation, people come to the conclusion that the problem was a faulty circuit board. The organization’s reputation will go down and so will their profits. Hence, it is imminent for the technological industry to use a functional printed circuit boards supplied from a reputable company.

The Difference Between a Good and Bad PCB

When making a choice between two printed circuit board production companies, your organization should look at the company’s credentials and their equipment maintenance policy. They should have important credentials like a certificate from the IPC, RoHs, ISO, and UL.

An organization should never recruit the services of a circuit board supplier that sells PCBs at cheap prices, but a good PCB manufacturer sells high quality PCBs at reasonable prices. A price that sounds too good to be true is likely a hoax.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility means that a company should examine and take responsibility for their products or services impacts on the environment and social welfare. If the PCB manufacturer does not abide by the rules set by RoHs of constructing lead-free printed circuit boards then your organization should avoid dealing with them.

PCBs that contain lead are harmful for the environment and if the drinking waters become affected then it can lead to many diseases.

An organization should go for a company who uses lead-free materials to build circuit boards. Moreover, it is important for your company to maintain goodwill with its consumers.

Are you looking for a cheap, but high quality printed circuit board for your organization? You can probably find suppliers that sell cheap PCBs and promise to offer excellent quality. In truth, if you want something made to last, then you need to purchase it at a reasonable price.

Don’t Believe the Hype

People can’t expect to get quality products at extremely cheap prices. Quality products are those that are manufactured using the best materials and tested with up-to-date technologies. Can you imagine selling a car to someone that doesn’t start or a phone that bursts into flames? If you choose price over quality, your organization will lose its credibility with its customers.

If a company or a store says that their products are the cheapest in the market and their quality is unmatched then quickly turn away. Likewise, if a printed circuit board production house declares that their PCB is cheap and priced low, then you should not even look at them twice. The higher the price of the product the higher the quality is, and the lower the price of the product then lower the quality.

Don’t Consider the Cheap Solution, but an Affordable One

Steer your organization away from scams because your organization has to maintain its reputation in the market and a defected cheap printed circuit board will tarnish it. You do not want your products to create a situation that would cost your organization to lose a lot of money. Especially, if a printed circuit board is the main component in your manufacturing process.

Always Go For Quality

A quality of a company is determined by it candidly disclosing that their prices may not be the cheapest in the market, but when it comes down to producing quality circuit boards, they are the best. There is no hidden agenda and their main emphasis is not to attract customers by offering them the cheapest price, but to attract them by giving them unmatched quality.

You Decide: Quality or Price

An organization’s aim is to increase their profit and revenue. Your organization should use superior components to manufacture their products because that is what their existing customers expect from them. Do not let your customer down and purchase printed circuit boards from believable printed circuit board production houses.

Always choose quality over price and do not be duped into believing false claims.

Industry Association for Printed Circuit Board (IPC) is an association that connects electronic industries. It validates the electronic products of manufacturing companies. An IPC certified company guarantees the quality and reliability of a company that produces printed circuit boards.

Brief History of IPC

Industry Association for Printed Circuit Board was founded in 1957. Since then it has become an international industry that dedicates itself to provide electronic industries with excellent printed circuit boards by ensuring that PCB fabrication houses produce quality and reliable PCBs.

Currently IPC has certified 3,502 companies for producing and selling high-quality products. Automotive, computer, telecommunication, and medical industries are just a few of the industries that prefer to only purchase from IPC certified manufacturing companies. For organizations, the IPC logo is like a stamp of approval for a company that produces electronic components.

Why Prefer an IPC Class II PCB?

Industries are looking for companies that can supply them with quality circuit boards for their electronic products. An indication of a reliable and reputable circuit board supplier is the credentials they possess. An IPC Class II certificate ensures the consistency of the supplier’s product.

A company that holds an IPC II certificate will be found on the Qualified Products List (QPL) and Qualified Manufacturers List (QML). This certificate is only awarded to companies that exhibit that their printed circuit boards meet the quality standards and requirements provided by the IPC.

Industries looking for a circuit board supplier can find them in the Qualified Products List (QPL) and Qualified Manufacturers List (QML). This list helps industries make important decisions related to their manufacturing process and provides suppliers with exposure.

Buying IPC Approved Products

An industry that makes consumer electronics needs to hire a supplier that will help them achieve their goal to be best in the marketplace. IPC Class II certified equipment would ensure the company’s status and success. Implementing IPC Class II standard approved equipment in their assembly process will improve their product’s performance.

In addition, this certificate ensures that your circuit board supplier has employees that are trained in constructing circuit boards that meet the standards set by IPC. Your organization can sit back and relax because the circuit boards you have placed the order for have been thoroughly tested for quality.

An IPC Class II certificate guarantees your organization will consistently receive superior printed circuit boards.

You may be an inventor striving to sell your latest gadget, or you can be a famous manufacturer ready to launch your latest product, no matter who you are, there is every chance that you are not only familiar with the word ‘printed circuit board’, but you are also pretty well aware of its function and utility. In today’s hi-tech world, we are going to encounter a printed circuit board (PCB) in almost every walk of our lives. From the simplest electronic instrument to the most complicated one, the circuit board is a necessity the importance of which is an established fact. The circuit boards were traditionally single-layered, however, modern PCBs are multi-layered enabling them to fit more components in less space.
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