PCB Manufacturing Recommendations

[Mike Warren]

Hi,

Does anybody here have good or bad experiences to share
with getting PCBs made and populated. I am trying to find
a company in Australia or overseas that can produce several
PCBs in quantities of 1000 each.

The PCBs are 2 layer with a mixture of SMDs and through
hole components.

-Mike

 

[The Real Andy]

"Mike Warren" <miwa_spamcatcher@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:bq64nm$1tou1b$1@ID-213287.news.uni-berlin.de...

Hi,

Does anybody here have good or bad experiences to share
with getting PCBs made and populated. I am trying to find
a company in Australia or overseas that can produce several
PCBs in quantities of 1000 each.

The PCBs are 2 layer with a mixture of SMDs and through
hole components.

-Mike

If your looking at those quantities, go taiwan. See if you can find Komtron
on google and email them. If you need further detail, email me at a.pearson
at optusnet dot com dot au and i will put you in contact with a bloke on the
Gold Coast who is gearing up to do all Komtron's Australian design support.

 

[David L. Jones]

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 10:27:04 +1000, "Mike Warren"
<miwa_spamcatcher@iprimus.com.au> wrote:

Hi,

Does anybody here have good or bad experiences to share
with getting PCBs made and populated. I am trying to find
a company in Australia or overseas that can produce several
PCBs in quantities of 1000 each.

The PCBs are 2 layer with a mixture of SMDs and through
hole components.

-Mike

We just used Puzzle Precision in Newcastle for some loading, they did
an fairly good job.
ACEtronics in Sydney can do both PCB manufacture and loading.
Entec in SA can do both manufacture and assembly as well.
Worth getting quotes from as many as you can.

Is your application price sensitive?, if so then you might consider
looking to go offshore as another poster suggested. If not, then I'd
probably go with someone local, at least you can knock on their door
and see how it's going. Delivery speed may also have an impact on who
you go with.

In any case there are plenty of companies around who will provide a
complete solution for you, even component sourcing. You can't do too
badly if your board is fairly simple though, I think most of the dodgy
places have been weeded out of the business these days.

Regards
Dave
---------------------------
(remove the "_" from my email address to reply)

 

[The Real Andy]

"David L. Jones" <tronnort_@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3fc70474.701159@News.CIS.DFN.DE...

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 10:27:04 +1000, "Mike Warren"
miwa_spamcatcher@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
Hi,

Does anybody here have good or bad experiences to share
with getting PCBs made and populated. I am trying to find
a company in Australia or overseas that can produce several
PCBs in quantities of 1000 each.

The PCBs are 2 layer with a mixture of SMDs and through
hole components.

-Mike

We just used Puzzle Precision in Newcastle for some loading, they did
an fairly good job.
ACEtronics in Sydney can do both PCB manufacture and loading.
Entec in SA can do both manufacture and assembly as well.
Worth getting quotes from as many as you can.

Is your application price sensitive?, if so then you might consider
looking to go offshore as another poster suggested. If not, then I'd
probably go with someone local, at least you can knock on their door

Knock on their door to help them do the production because they are
incapable of following simple instructions

and see how it's going. Delivery speed may also have an impact on who
you go with.

If you dont mind waiting then use the AU companies

In any case there are plenty of companies around who will provide a
complete solution for you, even component sourcing. You can't do too
badly if your board is fairly simple though, I think most of the dodgy
places have been weeded out of the business these days.

If you are using primitive technology, then go AU. They seem ok at this.

Regards
Dave

Regards

Andrew, always stirring Dave when it comes to AU contract manufacturing

 

[David L. Jones]

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 18:45:27 +1000, "The Real Andy"
<ihatehifitrolls@yahoo.com.au> wrote:

We just used Puzzle Precision in Newcastle for some loading, they did
an fairly good job.
ACEtronics in Sydney can do both PCB manufacture and loading.
Entec in SA can do both manufacture and assembly as well.
Worth getting quotes from as many as you can.

Is your application price sensitive?, if so then you might consider
looking to go offshore as another poster suggested. If not, then I'd
probably go with someone local, at least you can knock on their door

Knock on their door to help them do the production because they are
incapable of following simple instructions

and see how it's going. Delivery speed may also have an impact on who
you go with.

If you dont mind waiting then use the AU companies


In any case there are plenty of companies around who will provide a
complete solution for you, even component sourcing. You can't do too
badly if your board is fairly simple though, I think most of the dodgy
places have been weeded out of the business these days.

If you are using primitive technology, then go AU. They seem ok at this.


Regards
Dave

Regards

Andrew, always stirring Dave when it comes to AU contract manufacturing

Dave
---------------------------
(remove the "_" from my email address to reply)

 

[Mike Warren]

"The Real Andy" <ihatehifitrolls@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:3fc6fcc0$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au...

If your looking at those quantities, go taiwan.

We are considering going to Taiwan or China with the whole
project but I am a bit concerned about the risk of not getting
what we are expecting. I have been told the if we don't send
someone to do QC we may get them back upside down.
With the PCBs only I feel there is less for them to stuff up.

I'm used to much smaller projects and doing most of it in
house.

-Mike

 

[Mike Warren]

"David L. Jones" <tronnort_@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3fc70474.701159@News.CIS.DFN.DE...

We just used Puzzle Precision in Newcastle for some loading, they did
an fairly good job.
ACEtronics in Sydney can do both PCB manufacture and loading.
Entec in SA can do both manufacture and assembly as well.
Worth getting quotes from as many as you can.

Thanks. I'll talk to them.

Is your application price sensitive?, if so then you might consider
looking to go offshore as another poster suggested.

Yes, it is price sensitive. We have a maximum final sell price and
a feature set, both of which will be difficult to change. Because this
is a bigger project than anything I have been involved in before I
am trying to decide how much risk to take.

-Mike