Advantages of Buying PCBs from AdvancedPCB

Choosing the right PCB manufacturer can affect much more than the price of a circuit board. Manufacturing capabilities, engineering support, turnaround time, quality, communication, and the ability to scale production can all influence the success of a PCB program.

AdvancedPCB provides PCB design, fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing support for projects ranging from quick-turn prototypes to complex production programs. With six U.S. manufacturing facilities and access to global production solutions, customers can work with one PCB manufacturing partner as their requirements change.

Here are some of the key advantages of buying PCBs from AdvancedPCB.

U.S.-Based PCB Manufacturing

Domestic PCB manufacturing can provide important advantages when speed, communication, quality control, security, and supply chain visibility matter.

AdvancedPCB operates six PCB manufacturing facilities across the United States, with locations in Colorado, California, Arizona, and Minnesota. This manufacturing network supports a broad range of PCB technologies and gives customers access to domestic production for both prototype and production requirements.

Working with a U.S.-based PCB manufacturer can also make it easier for engineering teams to communicate directly with manufacturing and technical personnel when questions arise.

Quick-Turn PCB Manufacturing

Speed is especially important during product development and new product introduction. Waiting weeks for a prototype can slow testing, delay design revisions, and extend the overall development schedule.

AdvancedPCB offers quick-turn PCB manufacturing, with turnaround times as fast as 24 hours for qualifying designs. Quick-turn capabilities are available for standard PCBs as well as more advanced technologies, with lead times dependent on board complexity and manufacturing requirements.

Faster PCB fabrication allows engineering teams to test designs sooner, make necessary changes, and move more quickly toward production.

DFM and Engineering Support

A PCB design can perform perfectly in a design environment and still contain features that are difficult or expensive to manufacture.

Design for manufacturability (DFM) helps identify these potential problems before fabrication begins.

AdvancedPCB provides engineering and DFM support to evaluate factors such as:

• Trace widths and spacing
• Drill and via requirements
• Annular rings
• Material selection
• Surface finish requirements
• Panel utilization
• Controlled impedance
• Manufacturing tolerances

Identifying potential manufacturing issues early can reduce engineering questions, improve yields, shorten cycle times, and help prevent unnecessary redesigns.

AdvancedPCB also offers FreeDFM, an online tool that allows designers to upload PCB files and check their designs for potential manufacturability issues before ordering.

CAM Review Before Manufacturing

PCB manufacturing data must accurately communicate the designer's intent before fabrication can begin.

AdvancedPCB performs CAM review of manufacturing files as part of preparing designs for production. CAM engineers evaluate the supplied data and prepare it for the manufacturing processes required to build the board.

When questions or inconsistencies are identified, resolving them before fabrication can help prevent manufacturing delays, scrap, or boards that do not meet the intended requirements.

This combination of automated DFM tools and experienced engineering review provides another layer of protection before a design reaches the manufacturing floor.

Standard and Advanced PCB Technologies

Not every PCB requires the same manufacturing technology.

Some applications can be produced using standard FR-4 construction and conventional through-hole designs. Others require much more complex materials, structures, tolerances, and manufacturing processes.

AdvancedPCB's manufacturing capabilities include standard technology PCBs as well as advanced technologies such as HDI and UHDI, flex and rigid-flex circuits, RF and microwave designs, controlled impedance, and complex multilayer PCBs.

Access to a broad range of manufacturing capabilities allows customers to select the PCB technology appropriate for the application rather than changing suppliers as designs become more complex.

PCB Fabrication and Assembly

Managing PCB fabrication and assembly through separate suppliers can introduce additional handoffs, shipping requirements, scheduling challenges, and opportunities for miscommunication.

AdvancedPCB provides both PCB fabrication and PCB assembly services, allowing customers to coordinate more of the manufacturing process through one organization.

Assembly capabilities support surface-mount technology (SMT), through-hole, and mixed-technology assemblies, with turnkey, partial-turnkey, and consigned component options.

For prototype and production programs, coordinating fabrication and assembly can help simplify communication, revision control, scheduling, and overall program management.

Quality and Industry Certifications

PCB quality becomes increasingly important as applications become more complex or reliability requirements increase.

AdvancedPCB maintains quality systems and certifications across its U.S. facilities to support demanding PCB programs. Certifications vary by facility and include ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D, ITAR registration, IPC qualifications, MIL-PRF-31032, and other industry-specific requirements.

Customers should always confirm the certifications and capabilities of the specific facility manufacturing their boards, particularly when a program has aerospace, defense, medical, or other specialized requirements.

From Prototype to Production

One of the challenges of PCB sourcing occurs when a successful prototype needs to move into production.

The supplier that works well for a handful of prototypes may not have the capacity, technology, quality systems, or cost structure required for larger quantities.

AdvancedPCB supports customers through multiple stages of the PCB lifecycle, including design, prototyping, new product introduction, domestic production, and higher-volume manufacturing.

Using a manufacturing partner that can support multiple stages of a program can reduce the need to qualify a completely new supplier every time production requirements change.

Global Solutions for Higher-Volume PCB Production

For programs that eventually require higher production volumes, AdvancedPCB also provides Global Solutions through qualified offshore manufacturing partners.

Customers can begin with domestic engineering and manufacturing support and transition qualifying, non-ITAR programs to global production as volume requirements increase.

AdvancedPCB manages the transition and provides a single point of accountability for the program. Global Solutions can also include inventory management, vendor-managed inventory (VMI), scheduled releases, and domestic manufacturing support when needed.

This creates a path for customers to move from domestic prototyping and lower-volume manufacturing toward cost-optimized global production without completely changing their PCB manufacturing relationship.

One PCB Partner for Changing Manufacturing Requirements

The requirements of a PCB program rarely remain the same throughout its lifecycle.

Early in development, engineering support and quick-turn manufacturing may be most important. As the design matures, repeatability, quality, and production capacity become greater priorities. At higher volumes, cost, inventory management, and supply chain resilience may become critical.

AdvancedPCB combines U.S.-based PCB manufacturing, quick-turn capabilities, DFM and engineering support, advanced PCB technologies, assembly, and global production solutions to support those changing requirements.

Whether you need a quick-turn prototype, a complex advanced PCB, an assembled board, or a path to higher-volume production, AdvancedPCB provides the manufacturing capabilities and technical support to help move your program forward.