For most of the history of manufactured electronics, "through hole" printed circuit boards have been the standard.  The idea has been effectively unchanged since the 50s, although there've been improvements in size and manufacturing quality.  A through-hole circuit board needs holes drilled through it for connections and circuitry to pass through.

From time to time, we all need a little bit of help. As a business owner, though, you may tend to pride yourself on your independence, and have a strong desire to keep all of your processes in-house. But what if soliciting design, assembly, testing, and fulfillment services could actually help you to grow your company an enable to you bring in more cash? That would probably grab your interest, and it has, indeed, peaked the curiosity of other small to midsize electronics businesses. A growing number of companies are turning to contract manufacturing services as a means of improving their own existing business models. Could this be a viable solution for your needs? If you're on the fence, take a look at 6 of the many ways in which a contract manufacturer could help to improve the development of your electronics.

1. Knowledge & Experience

It may seem like ancient history, but there was a time not so-very long ago when printed circuit boards were drilled with a simple drill press. An operator would repeat the process of manually moving the panel to the exact X and Y coordinates before pulling a lever and drilling an individual hole. Fast-forward to today and consider the fact that our modern PCBs often require more than 10,000 drill hits in all different sizes.  Just imagine how long it would take an operator to complete one measly project using the old methods of drilling! Fortunately, the process has been simplified significantly throughout the years. Let's take a look at how our methods have evolved, and what drilling a PCB entails today.

In an increasingly globalized economy, it's growing more and more important for electronics companies to have the ability to reach out to new consumers by increasing capacity. At the same time, however, these businesses can't afford to add capital investment costs or lower the quality of their devices. Outsourcing companies exist primarily to fulfill this unique need. Through a strong partnership with a quality contract manufacturer, businesses can scale up, remove the more tedious and time-consuming tasks from their repertoire and put their focus on core competencies. It's because of this that so many OEMs are looking to outside help in order to prove their business models.

Why do companies hire contract manufacturers?

Every high-tech electronic device began with a solid design. Not only does the design process allow engineers to flesh out their many options, but the completed schematic acts as the blueprint for the manufacture of a device, and provides valuable insight for those who must troubleshoot or repair a unit down the road. Because of this, it's extremely important that your board designs are thorough and easy for others in the electronic engineering field to understand and make sense of - especially in cases where you plan to outsource the assembly and manufacture process. To ensure that your project goes off without a hitch, we've written this post to explore the importance of proper electronics board design and how to guarantee that the job is done right. 

The Value of Excellence in Board Design