Summary of PCBA SERVICE REVIEW – COMPARING PCBWAY VS LOCOPCB VS PCBGOGO VS SEEEDSTUDIO
The author compares four PCBA services to evaluate quality, speed, and costs for small batch prototypes. After receiving quotes from PCBWay, JLCPCB, PCBGOGO, and Seeedstudio, only three were ordered because Seeedstudio was too expensive. The process requires Gerber files, a Bill of Materials (BOM), and sometimes pick-and-place centroid files. PCBWay offers flexible sourcing options where they can provide parts or use customer-supplied components alongside their own.
Parts used in the PCBA Comparison Project:
- Gerber files
- Bill of Materials (BOM) in CSV or Excel format
- Pick-and-place centroid files
- Eagle CAD software
- SMD stencils
- Flexible PCBs
- Surface-mounted parts
- Through-hole parts
Daniel Eichhorn @ blog.squix.org, shares his experience with some popular PCBA services and documents his finding on his blog. He writes:
Until recently I believed that having PCBs assembled by a professional service is either too costly for small batches or not possible at all. That was until I realized that some PCB manufacturers offer an additional assembly service (PCBA) and that their minimum order quantity (MOQ) is often very low. But which service should you use for future prototypes and market tests?
So I decided to pick a handful of PCBA services and order the same small board from them. Placing the same order with different services should allow me to compare quality, speed and costs between the different services.
In this post, I’m going to compare four assembly services for printed circuit boards. I got quotes from four services but placed orders with only three of them. One service (Seeedstudio) was simply too expensive for my little experiment.
All four services have a combined PCB/PCBA service. The services first manufacture the printed circuit boards and then they use the boards in a second stage to solder the components. Before you place the order you have to define the job with a couple of form fields. The required documents vary slightly from service to service but basically, you have to deliver Gerber files for the PCB stage and a detailed bill of material (BOM) in CSV or Excel format.
Two services also required a file which describes how to position the components with a pick-and-place machine, sometimes referred to as centroid files. CAD tools often can export this information. Eagle CAD, for instance, can do this with a few simple steps.
In the following paragraphs, I will describe the four services. At the end of this post, I will compare them side by side.
PCBWay
PCBWay offers a rich set of services: regular PCB manufacturing, SMD stencils, flexible PCBs, advanced PCBs as well ass PCB assembly.
For the initial price quote, you have to provide 4 numbers: quantity of boards for assembly, number of unique parts on one board, number of surface-mounted parts and number of through-hole parts.
You can then choose from three options how the components will be sourced: either PCBWay sources the parts for you or you send the parts to them. Or you provide some of them and PCBWay sources the rest.
Read more: PCBA SERVICE REVIEW – COMPARING PCBWAY VS LOCOPCB VS PCBGOGO VS SEEEDSTUDIO
- Why did the author decide to compare multiple PCBA services?
To compare quality, speed, and costs between different services by ordering the same small board from them. - Which service was excluded from the actual orders?
Seeedstudio was excluded because it was too expensive for the experiment. - What documents are required to place a PCBA order?
Gerber files for the PCB stage and a detailed bill of material in CSV or Excel format are required. - Do all services require pick-and-place files?
No, only two of the services required a file describing how to position components with a pick-and-place machine. - How does Eagle CAD assist in this process?
Eagle CAD can export component positioning information with a few simple steps. - What specific numbers are needed for an initial price quote at PCBWay?
You must provide the quantity of boards, number of unique parts, number of surface-mounted parts, and number of through-hole parts. - What sourcing options does PCBWay offer for components?
PCBWay can source all parts, you can send all parts, or you can provide some while they source the rest. - Can professional assembly be affordable for small batches?
Yes, some manufacturers offer assembly services with very low minimum order quantities.
