PCB manufacturers take a considerable amount of time to deliver custom PCB orders. Customers looking for PCB manufacturing services should therefore plan very carefully to make sure that their PCBs are delivered to them on time so that they could proceed with their own product manufacturing process.
Identifying the best PCB manufacturer will involve reviewing of several factors and you should not forget to ask about the average turnaround time required by your manufacturer. This of course would depend on the order volume. You should have a functional understanding of the turnaround time required by your manufacturer for every thousand PCBs. You should also find out what is the maximum order volume that they could handle per month when assessing their turnaround time, you should find out the maximum number of layers they could handle because the turnaround time will also depend on the number of layers to be pressed.
If you have a manufacturer with the fastest turnaround time, it would be easy to plan your orders. You do not have to plan far deep into the future when your manufacturer could handle high volume orders in a short time.
Normally PCB prototype manufacturing requires longer duration. Prototypes are manufactured in lesser quantity. If the manufacturer is already handling another requirement then they will not be able to stall the process abruptly to take care of your PCB prototype. They need to find a suitable window to manufacture your PCB prototypes. This increases the overall duration even though the prototype building itself will not take that long given the low volume manufacturing involved.
Before entrusting your requirements to any PCB manufacturer, you should identify a company that is committed to delivering the best quality PCBs within the shortest turnaround time. Do not hesitate to invest some time to screen your manufacturers. It would be time worth invested because it would save you several hours of tedious search down the line.
When your manufacturer is capable of delivering your PCBs fast, you do not have to stock your PCBs too early. Your funds would not be locked in stocking PCBs. For any manufacturing company, there should be free flow of funds to grease the entire operation. If the PCBs are going to prevent you from having that free flow of funds just because you have to stock in large quantities and that too well in advance, then you should look at alternative suppliers of PCB. Most customers fail to take into account this particular factor. Whether you take into account or not, the fact remains the same. Your funds would be locked and you should make the right choices.
China is one of the largest hubs in the world for PCB manufacturing needs. There are hundreds of companies in this field. You will certainly be able to find the best match for your requirements. Your manufacturer should be able to deliver exceptional quality while at the same time ensuring the fastest turnaround time.
