Best Low Price Circuit Board Manufacturer: PCB International

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mike04223
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Best Low Price Circuit Board Manufacturer: PCB International

Post by mike04223 »

An interesting post I came across . . .

Best Low Price Circuit Board Manufacturer: PCB International Vs. Gold Phoenix

It is generally agreed that Gold Phoenix offers one of the best deals around ($99.99 for 100 square inches) and I myself have used them for a number of projects. However, in early 2007 - the my company where I work began sourcing our boards to PCB International due to their higher capabilities (3 mil laser drill, 7 oz outer copper, blind/buried vias, controlled impedence, class-III etc.) and low mid-large volume pricing. Note: in the last 3 years we have sent PCB International 30+ projects. 100% have been delivered on time without any issues which is pretty amazing considering the level of difficulty of some of the designs.

While browsing their website (http://www.pcbinternational.com) a while ago, I realized that they began specials similar to GF pricing for 2 Layer (100 square inches for $94.99) and actually lower pricing for 4 layers and up. I decided to give them a try for my own personal project. Below are the specs with a cost comparison to Gold Phoenix:

PCB International

2L: 4.22in x 2.18in = 11 boards = $94.99
6/6 mil trace and space = standard
Red Solder Mask (double sided) = standard
White Solder Mask (double sided) = standard
HASL Free Finish = standard
E-test = standard
3 designs (you can panelize three designs at no extra charge) = standard
Tab routing = +$20
PCB International total cost: $150 including shipping.

Gold Phoenix

2L: 4.22in x 2.18in = 11 boards - $99.99
6/6 mil trace and space = +$20
2 sided silk screen = +$20
Red Solder mask (double sided) = +$20
White Solder mask (double sided) = +$20
HASL free finish = +20
E-test = +20
3 designs = +$30
Tab routing =+$20
Gold Phoenix total cost = $270

When I added up the price differential I was truly astonished and with nearly the same lead times you can see why I went with PCB International. I received my boards about 8-9 business days later and they worked and looked absolutely perfect. In total I’ve sent 5 projects and they’ve all been on time without any issues.

Speaking to their marketing director, their manufacturing is located in Taiwan with a fully staffed facility in the United States with CAM and technical support. I’ve been working with Steve and their service has been nothing sort of outstanding.
I’ve worked with both and either way it is hard to go wrong. However, PCB Internationals list of standard adders is really unbeatable.
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