Top PCB Manufacturer And Assembly Companies
Let’s start with answering “What is a PCB or PCBA?”. A Printed Circuit Board, commonly referred to by its initials “PCB”, or a PCB-Assembly “PCBA”, is the literal foundation for developing any hardware based product or solution. The PCB is a typically green, but sometimes red or blue, piece of fiberglass-like non-conductive laminate material used as the substrate to hold all of the components and the electrically conductive traces.
The process for taking a concept through to a product starts with software to create a physical description for the various components, their placement and their connections. The output of the software program is used by the manufacturing / assembly house to make the PCB which is ready to accept the components. For more details, please see: How The Hardware Design Process Works.
As quick introduction for reference, one of the leading PCB Design Software companies that has both premium and free tools for developers which creates files which are accepted at nearly every PCB manufacturer is:
CadSoft (Eagle) – http://www.cadsoftusa.com/
You can learn more about how to use the Eagle software with these books available through Amazon:
Make Your Own PCBs with EAGLE: From Schematic Designs to Finished Boards
Eagle V6: Getting Started Guide [PCB Design]
PCB Design in EAGLE – Part 1: Learn about EAGLE’s user interface, adding parts, schematics, and more!
There are many options available for PCB manufacturing, and these depend on your specific needs:
- Number of Boards (prototypes, development, pre-production, small production, large production)
- Turn-around time (overnight, days, 1-2 weeks)
- Price
- Component Type / Size
- Trace Widths
- Number of layers
- Number of Components
- Market (hobby, commercial, military, avionics, medical, etc.)
- Location (USA, China, Mexico)
In addition to creating a PCB from your design files, many companies will also provide the assembly (or “stuffing”) service in which they put your components on the board.
To help you find a company that will fit your particular requirements, we have compiled an Alphabetical Listing For US Companies. This list is by no means exhaustive of all the companies in the US, and in this article we are not providing any ratings or recommendations as to which has the lowest price, fastest service or highest quality. These are all subjective to each design and product.
Accutrace (Santa Clara, CA) – http://pcb4u.com/
Advanced Circuits (Aurora, CO) – http://www.4pcb.com/
Alpha PCB (Chicago, IL) – http://alphapcbdesigns.com/
Avanti Circuits – http://avanticircuits.com/
Bay Area Circuits (Freemont, CA) – http://bayareacircuits.com/
Cirexx (Santa Clara, CA) – https://www.cirexx.com/
Chicago Circuits (Chicago, IL) – http://www.chicagocircuits.com/pcb.aspx
Custom Circuit Boards (Phoenix, AZ) – http://www.customcircuitboards.com/
Diamond-MT (Johnstown, PA) – https://www.diamond-mt.com/
Epec Tec (New Bedford, MA) – http://www.epectec.com/pcb/
Express PCB (Mulino, OR) – https://www.expresspcb.com/
Fast Circuits (Sacramento, CA) – http://www.7pcbmanufacturing.com/
Hughes Circuits (San Diego, CA) – http://www.hughescircuits.com/
Imagineering (Elk Grove Village, IL) – http://www.pcbnet.com/
Laritech (Moorpark, CA) – http://www.laritech.com/
Murrietta Circuits (Anaheim, CA) – http://www.murrietta.com/
NexLogic (San Jose, CA) – http://www.nexlogic.com/
NPI Services (Costa Mesa, CA) – http://www.npiservices.com/
Pentalogix (Portland, OR) –http://www.pentalogix.com/pcb-manufacturing.php
Quick Turn Protos (Elk Grove Village, IL) – http://quickturnprotos.com/
Rapid PCB (Austin, TX) – http://www.rapidpcb.com/
Royal Circuits Solutions (Hollister, CA) – http://www.royalcircuits.com/
San Francisco Circuits (San Mateo, CA) – https://www.sfcircuits.com/
San Francisco Circuits (San Diego, CA) – https://www.sfcircuits.com/
Screaming Circuits (Canby, OR) – https://www.screamingcircuits.com/
Sierra Circuits / Proto Express () – https://www.protoexpress.com/
SMG Global Circuits (Washington, PA) – http://www.smgcircuits.com/
Streamline Circuits (Santa Clara, CA) – http://streamlinecircuits.com/
Sunstone Circuits (Mulino, OR) – http://www.sunstone.com/
4PCB Assembly (Santa Ana, CA) – http://www.4pcbassembly.com/
Also, here are options For Canada Companies:
AP Circuits (Calgary, Alberta) – https://www.apcircuits.com/
Bittele Electronics (North York, Toronto) – https://www.7pcb.com/
Omni Circuit Boards (Richmond, British Columbia) – http://www.omnicircuitboards.com/
We hope this list will be helpful in your selection for a PCB manufacturer and assembly house.
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