Prototype PCB Fabrication & Assembly

PCB Prototype Services

“Borderless Boards” PCB Prototyping

At San Francisco Circuits we have developed a philosophy that has set us apart from standard, basic technology PCB prototype service providers for almost 20 years.

“Borderless Boards” is our philosophy, meaning circuit boards without technology borders:

• Any PCB prototype utilizing existing technologies that your engineering team can design, we can have manufactured and/or assembled for you.
• If time is your constraint, and not technology, we have rapid PCB prototyping services to get your proto circuit boards turned.
   

Our rapid PCB prototyping services and turn times are unmatched:

• We boast turnaround times as fast as 24 hours for bare board fabrication or assembly (up to 6 layers).
• Fabricated and assembled boards can get turned as fast as 48 hours (up to 6 layers).*
• Standard quick turn prototype PCB turn times are 3 to 7 days (up to 16 layers).**

*Restrictions apply. Typically available for up to 6 layers; standard FR-4 materials only
**Restrictions apply. Typically available for up to 16 layers & all materials & surface finishes
 

For quick turn PCB prototypes from 16 to 40 layers, please contact us.

**Assembly Considerations: Component vendor delays are out of our control (delays as a result of component availability/backordering, shipping delays or other procurement issues)

Getting your prototype printed circuits to you FAST is critical to your bottom-line, providing the all-important verification that your final application is ready for a full production run. And the sooner you receive your prototypes, the sooner the pre-production quality testing and prototyping iterations can be performed to gauge viability.

IPC Standards for Quick Turn

All of your boards will be fabricated at the IPC Class 2 and/or IPC Class 3 Quality Standards, depending on your required technologies.

We have the capabilities to supply prototype boards for advanced industries and critical system designs, including:

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• High Performance Computing (HPC)
• Industrial
• Medical
• Military / Defense

Advanced IPC standards are also adhered to, depending on technology.

Prototyping PCB Technologies

Through a diverse portfolio of suppliers, we can offer nearly limitless capabilities for our prototyping PCB services.

Whether our customers need single or double-sided FR4 boards or very high technology blind and buried via boards, boards made with unique materials, San Francisco Circuits will be able to bridge your design concept with reality.

Our capabilities span a number of advanced technologies including thermal PCBs, microwave PCBs, heavy copper, rigid-flex PCBs, and flex PCBs.

Our engineering staff is available to consult you throughout the layout, build, and testing phases of prototype manufacturing, moving your application through additional prototyping stages or into production.

When you have finalized your design and the application of your prototype PCBs, we are also capable of a full production run for your product/application, including full turnkey assembly, with tighter PCB tolerances.

Moving a prototype into production with us will also give you the benefit of no additional tooling fees.
 

PCB Prototyping Benefits :
Low Volume Prototypes, High Touch Service

Building a low volume of prototype circuit boards at a high standard is absolutely critical prior to costly production runs of hundreds or thousands of boards. Prototyping various iterations will catch costly errors and help refine your product design to achieve more economical final applications.

With a prototype run, you can quickly test, diagnose and correct design mistakes or functional miscues, catching errors that would be far more expensive, in both time and finances, to remediate in the long run.

PCB Prototypes vs. Production Capabilities

Contact us or get a quote with our online quoting system.

We are ready and eager to turn your prototype concept into reality.

Call us: 1-800-SFC-5143

5 Key Considerations for PCB Product Prototyping:

At the end of your prototyping iterations, you should have your board’s design ready for a full-scale production run. But during the preceding iterations, here are 6 considerations you should consider for your design and the coinciding manufacturing / assembly steps:

1. Component Layout & Selection: Try various components and footprint pad layouts to experiment with different spacing. This can help you optimize your space, design and reduce signal interference. You may find a more economical selection of components that will reduce your costs.

2. Through Hole vs. SMT: Try through-hole components in place of surface mount technology.

3. Lead for Rework: Use lead solders in your prototypes in place of unleaded to allow rework.

4. Speed: Use simple technologies to replace your final product design’s advanced technology requirements. Using simple tech will improve (speed up) turn around times to get your prototypes to you quicker.

5. Simple Tests: Time is critical so make sure the basics are covered. Test for short circuits, and pay attention to fine pitch components. A short can permanently damage your board and lead to costly delays. Measure the impedance of your components prior to powering up.

6. Establish FCT Criteria: Establish a simple, functional test to move your prototypes forward from the electrical validation stage to the design validation stage.