Ever wondered how the electronics manufacturing industry maximizes efficiency and minimizes waste? One answer lies in the process of PCB panelization. This technique involves grouping multiple PCBs onto a single panel for manufacturing, which not only streamlines assembly but also significantly reduces costs. But what exactly is involved in panelization, and how can designers help optimize this process?
In this episode Chris and Melissa continue their deep dive into the critical role of stencils in electronics assembly, with expert insights from Brett Babilonia
“On-demand” is a phrase frequently used by various manufacturing services. In general, it refers to a system where products are manufactured only when needed and in the required quantities. CircuitHub's core business is on-demand PCB manufacturing, which has a specific meaning in relation to how our service operates.
In this episode, we dive into the crucial role of stencils in electronics manufacturing. Joined by Brett Babilonia, we explore the complexities of stencil design, including handling missing data, determining foil thickness, and ensuring optimal solder paste application.
Without accessible concrete data, customers often struggle to assess quality, complicating the evaluation of potential new suppliers. Our Metrics page addresses this issue by offering real-time data on the percentage of orders shipped on time, defect-free orders, among others.
The second quarter has been a period of significant operational improvements. We are thrilled to share some fantastic progress and innovations happening on our factory floor.
We are excited to announce that we’ve made significant improvements to our BOM file processing! Our latest enhancements will streamline the upload process further, increase accuracy, and save you valuable time.
We are excited to announce that CircuitHub now fully supports designs created with KiCad Version 8!
We think components from hobbyist sites from the likes of Seeed Studio, SparkFun, and AdaFruit are fantastic. They have some really unique and cool products that you can't always buy from normal distributor channels in the United States. However, we generally recommended that customers stick to using these types of parts for only hobbyist projects since they aren’t suited for a professional manufacturing environment.
Last month we published a guide to our recommended discrete component footprints (courtesy of our friends at Worthington). Continuing with that thread, we now also have recommended spacing for discrete components.
In this slightly random catchup episode Chris and Melissa discuss Chris' recent trip to California where he attended IPC APEX EXPO and hosted out first Pick, Place, Podcast meetup! Huge thanks to everyone who was able to come say hi, the wonderful conversations and show suggestions!
Placing discrete components literally 24/7 means we see a huge variety of footprint variations. Poorly designed footprints can cause components can cause “head-in-pillow” and “tombstone” defects, amongst other issues.
