What are the Best Turnkey Manufacturing Solutions?

Posted on 2020-10-30

Turnkey Manufacturing Solutions for PCBs- The 2 Options

Turnkey manufacturing has turned around the idea of manufacturing circuit boards. It has opened a convenient path for the electronic companies, such as 6PCBA and their engineers who are looking for assembling products such as PCBs.

For several reasons, turnkey solutions for the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs) is much better than in house manufacturing. Opting for turnkey solutions would allow you to focus on other aspects of your company while the manufacturer focuses on developing your circuit boards.

Introduction to Turnkey Manufacturing- PCB

Definition

Turnkey manufacturing of a product means that the product is delivered to the customer ready to be used. When a company contacts a turnkey contractor, it hands over the entire project to the contractor and the contractor then takes full responsibility of the project.

Once the contractor accepts the order, he/she then takes care of all the steps involved in the manufacturing of the product. From designing, procurement of components, assembling and testing to delivering the finished products, the turnkey manufacturer takes care of everything.

After commissioning a project over to a turnkey manufacturer, not only do the customers receive a finished product, but the contractor also provides services such as replacement and repairing of spare parts and technical assistance.

A small overview of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

Printed circuit boards are the constitutional components of every single electronic device that surrounds you. They revolutionized the way circuit boards were built previously. And enabled the development of all the modern gadgets that we use today.

A typical printed circuit board is made of a base material, also known as a substrate. A layer of conducting material then covers the base. This conducting material is usually copper owing to its exceptional conducting properties.

The base contains the components of the circuit and conducting tracks. The alternating layers of substrate and conducting layer are coated by a non-conductive material followed by a silk screen. This is to indicate the position of each component.

There are different types of PCBs.  Rigid-PCB, Flexible-PCB, Single-layered PCBs for smaller, simpler applications. And double- or multi-layered PCB for more enhanced, complex applications.

turnkey manufacturing

Why Choose Turnkey Manufacturing Solutions for Assembling PCBs?

Manufacturing a PCB involves a lot of steps like developing the right design for the application. Then sourcing the required components from the market. After that comes the assembling of the components and manufacturing the circuit board. And then testing the finished product.

This entire process can be especially tedious if you are looking for manufacturing PCBs in bulk, which most companies usually are. Furthermore, ordering everything from different service providers, and then managing those orders and their delivery and bills is a fulltime job which will strip the design engineer’s attention from the other more important tasks.

Therefore, turnkey manufacturing is the best solution for developing PCBs for you. By commissioning the task of developing PCBs to the turnkey manufacturer, you will gain many benefits. Such as:

Cost Saving

The first benefit that turnkey manufacturing offers is the cost saving. The turnkey manufacturers have established business relations with most service providers involved in the manufacturing process. Hence, they can source the components at lower prices.

Moreover, they have labours on payroll who they will hire to work on your project. Hence by outsourcing the project to a turnkey manufacturer, you can save the cost on production of your PCBs.

Hassle-Free

Another benefit is that with turnkey solutions, you and your employees don’t have to focus on coordinating with all the different service providers and then look after numerous invoices, all from different companies.

Handing over the project to a turnkey contractor, you can focus on your work while the contractor makes sure all the design specifications are met. PCBs are properly assembled, tested and timely delivered to you-the customer.

Top-Notch Quality Assurance

Furthermore, turnkey manufactures have a team of experienced engineers, designers, and technical support staff. So, the quality of the product developed by turnkey manufacturing service is always top-notch and much better than the quality of a product you will develop in-house.

turnkey manufacturing & Suppliers

Types of Turnkey Manufacturing Solutions

Now that we know what turnkey solutions are and the benefits they have to offer, it’s time we look into the types of turnkey solutions available for manufacturing printed circuit boards.

There are two basic types of turnkey solutions available. You can choose any one of the solutions based on your inventory and budget.

  1. Partial Turnkey Manufacturing Solution
  2. Full Turnkey Manufacturing Solution

Partial Turnkey Manufacturing

Manufacturers provide partial turnkey manufacturing solution to the customers who have some relevant inventory on hand. While ordering a PCB assembly from a turnkey manufacturer, if you have some of the components required for assembling a PCB, then its better for you to opt for Partial turnkey solution.

In a partial turnkey solution, the consignee of the order provides the manufacturer with all the relevant components. The manufacturer then sources all the remaining components and gets on with the task of assembling the PCB.

A partial turnkey solution is optimal if you have the base material, conducting pathways, and other equipment on hand because then going for this option will save you the cost of material procurement and the trouble of managing extra bills.

Full Turnkey Manufacturing Solution

A full turnkey manufacturing solution offers the customers a convenient method of outsourcing their project. In full turnkey manufacturing, the manufacturer takes on all the responsibility of assembling PCBs for you as per your requirements.

In this case, the manufacturer will take care of everything, from designing to delivering. All you have to do is place the order, wait for the delivery and make payment.

This turnkey solution is obviously more expensive than partial turnkey solution. But if you don’t have any of the required equipment for assembling PCBs, then its better that you opt for this solution. Because, then the contractor will be responsible for everything down to the last conductor for the last piece of your PCB.

Opting for full turnkey solution with zero inventory on hand may seem expensive when compared to partial turnkey manufacturing. But it is less costly than sourcing the materials yourself and assembling the PCBs in-house. Opting for this method will get your PCBs assembled economically and conveniently without any hassle of managing multiple orders and several bills.

Conclusion

Turnkey manufacturing solution provides a convenient alternative to assembling PCBs in-house. While, in-house manufacturing of these circuit boards is not only wearisome, but time consuming and costly as well. Turnkey manufacturing of PCBs is everything antonymous to in-house manufacturing.

Turnkey manufacturing is convenient, easier to manage and cost effective. It provides the customers with an easy way out of all the nuisance involved in ordering different things from several different service providers. And then managing all the invoices.

Although, depending on your inventory on hand, you may choose between a partial turnkey manufacturing solution and a full turnkey manufacturing solution.

A partial turnkey manufacturing solution is recommended if you have some the components in your inventory. But if you have none of the relevant materials present, you should opt for a full turnkey manufacturing solution because it will not only be easier but will save you some money too.

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