PCB manufacturing facilities routinely perform Electrical Testing with “Flying Probe” testers which are well suited to smaller production runs.

For short runs, the flexibility of quick set-up ensures cost effective Flying Probe tests outperform the lead-time, cost and fixed designs of dedicated test beds. With Flying Probe tests, no fixtures need to be prepared, only data files. Flying Probe tests are able to reveal not only shorts and opens produced by the manufacturing process but have also been known to expose design errors.

One of the more interesting activities routinely associated with PCB manufacturing is the process of assembling multilayer circuit boards.

At any given time 40% of our PCB manufacturing at Omni is producing multilayer circuit boards, so understanding the process is important. Layers of copper foil, prepreg and core material are sandwiched together under high temperature and pressure to produce multilayer assemblies. Pressure is needed to squeeze out air while heat is required to melt and cure the thermosetting “prepreg” adhesive which holds the multilayer PCB together.

Over the course of a year, our Omni website receives over 900 visits from students and instructors from more than 45 academic institutions located around the world.

It all started in the early days of the Internet when Omni was one of the very first PCB manufacturers to create an accessible web site. Being one of the early adopters provided us an opportunity to support and collaborate with some of the more prestigious universities on the planet and the tradition carries on today.

Tell someone in a manufacturing facility you are going to be measuring their performance and you will most likely get a sour reaction. Often, it’s because they know they’ll be held accountable for metrics they may be able to influence but have little or no control over. Forcing people into the metric spotlight under these conditions is the perfect recipe for stress.

If you are one of those people who like to inject stress directly into your organization, I have a few good examples for you:

One of the key processes in a PCB manufacturing facility is the CNC Drilling Department. Holes are drilled in PCBs for customer requirements: component mounting and to promote conductivity between Cu layers (vias). And for manufacturing requirements: to ensure precise registration and to help the operator ensure each drill has successfully completed the tool path.

In every business, different personalities are required for specialized tasks. The role of CNC Drill/Route operator requires endless drill measurements and adjustments, constant attention to precise registrations, calculations of tool life, equipment maintenance schedules, as well as constant adaptations for each customer's unique requirements. To be successful, the Drilling Department requires methodical and precise operators who can appreciate the rhythm of the workflow and can hear the music of the machinery.

If there's one thing we learned from our years in printed circuit board manufacturing, it's that there is an enormous difference between saying you can handle quick turn on your website and actually delivering high-quality PCB boards at your customer’s facility. In fact, we suspect that most manufacturers would tell you the same thing: There's just nothing like dependable service when it truly matters.

For that reason, we have worked hard to build a reputation for being one of the most reliable quick turn PCB fabrication companies around. Omni has become an industry leader in the process, which is something we are extremely proud of.

Offsite team building events have always struck fear into my heart. It seems no-one votes for events I enjoy like ice hockey or rugby or full contact Frisbee golf.

The normal process requires the group to solicit activity ideas which, after weeks of debating submissions like hot air ballooning, they are unable to get agreement on, a small clique must then take over and just do it. To-date I have survived:

This is an interesting time to be in the printed circuit board industry. On the one hand, PCB boards are being used in more products and processes than ever; and on the other hand, PCB manufacturing has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of decades.

In other words, companies have a greater demand than ever, but they are also faced with so many choices that it can be difficult to locate the right provider or vendor.

For small business owners and managers, the social media focus of internet marketing can be a daunting task.

It might seem like managing a printed circuit board shop and staying on top of internet marketing strategies have little in common and you would be right.

Using a few simple techniques can help ensure a more robust printed circuit board design which can also help you save money.

Printed circuit board design is a balance between functionality, longevity, aesthetics and board costs, time to design and the PCB fabricators capabilities. Listed below are eleven of the most common best practices we recommend to our customers.