Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
(OP)
I'm looking to hear about experiences others here have had with contract PC board assembly (ie - solder paste printing, component placement, reflow soldering), particularly of relatively small production runs (say 100 of each board). We've been doing all of our pc board assembly in-house for the last 5 years but are adding a new product line to the mix and so we now need to either invest in new equipment or outsource the assembly. Our board volume is not too high - around 500 total per year of 4 different designs - and component density is low (power electronics). The smallest passive used is 0603, with the vast majority 0805, and the smallest active is maybe SC-70. No BGA and just one "fine pitch" IC (an ARM).
I would prefer contract assemblers located in Florida, but open to any suggestions as long located in the US and absolutely do not send your stuff to China. I've already experienced the joys of the IP theft and do not wish to repeat the experience.
Failing any recommendations, humorous and/or cautionary tales are welcome, too.
I would prefer contract assemblers located in Florida, but open to any suggestions as long located in the US and absolutely do not send your stuff to China. I've already experienced the joys of the IP theft and do not wish to repeat the experience.
Failing any recommendations, humorous and/or cautionary tales are welcome, too.





RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
A simple google search (or Thomas Registry,etc...) should yield plenty of SMT assembly houses in your area.
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
MS, I can't recall the name of the company, but I know there is (was?) a good one in central Florida (Melbourne?). Definitely stay away from the Chinese shops, and not just for IP theft. Your quantities are extremely small, which means they'll be assembled by hand. I had a batch of 1k small boards assembled by a shop over there (through an intermediary). To make the work go faster, they cranked up the heat on their soldering stations (solder melts faster). Good for speed, bad for parts. I had to replace over 50% of the oscillators because they cooked them to the point of failure, and God knows how many more of what was left would fail in the field (luckily not a life-threatening situation). Now that lead-free solder is in the mix, the situation would likely be even worse.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
On my short-list right now are Tropical Assemblies in Ft. Lauderdale and Sibex in Safety Harbor. One engineer I know has had a good experience with Sibex and they are very close to use (about an hour's drive away) so they are my top consideration, but the field is still wide open.
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Z
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Best to you,
Goober Dave
Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Not in Florida but we use these guys anytime we need SMT assembly.. http://www.gicltd.com/
They have no problems with our lower volumes either (identical quantities to you) and do a great job communicating along the way,etc...
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Sibex (one of the places local to me) seems to be geared more towards higher volumes than we will be at for the next year or so. I appreciate the help and award each of you a pink star. Don't squander it!
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Glad to hear Advanced Assembly getting good reviews, I was thinking about trying them out, even though they aren't local. I have been using Advanced for bare PCBs for years, and am very happy with the quality and speed of their work.
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
The only contract PCB manufacturer I've found in Melbourne, FL (so far) is Mack Technologies - does that ring a bell, Dan?
RE: Recommendations for contract board assembly needed.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com