What Is PCB Assembly (PCBA)?
PCB assembly (PCBA) turns a bare printed circuit board into a working board: the components are placed and soldered by surface-mount technology (SMT) and, for connectors and larger parts, through-hole technology (THT). A PCB is the bare board; a PCBA is the board with its components.
EKINSUN is a custom parts manufacturer in China that also assembles printed circuit boards from one piece: we make the bare board, buy every component on your BOM, solder it, load your firmware and test it. What sets this apart: one supplier from the bare board to the finished device, the enclosure is machined in our own CNC factory, and the complete unit is assembled here too.
What We Make
| Service | What it covers | What you send |
|---|---|---|
| Bare PCB | The printed circuit board made to your Gerber files | Gerber (RS-274X) or ODB++, drill file, layer count, thickness, copper weight, finish |
| SMT assembly | Surface-mount parts placed and reflow-soldered | BOM, pick-and-place (centroid) file |
| Through-hole and mixed assembly | Connectors, transformers, large capacitors and other through-hole parts, on their own or with SMT | BOM, assembly drawing |
| Component purchasing | Every part on your BOM bought by EKINSUN; you ship nothing | BOM with manufacturer part numbers; mark parts that may be substituted |
| Flexible PCB (FPC) | Flex circuits and rigid-flex, bare or assembled: flexible PCB | Gerber with outline, stiffener drawing |
| Programming and test | Firmware loaded, power-on and functional test, test record per board | Firmware file, test steps |
| Enclosure and complete device | Housing machined in our own CNC factory (6061 or 7075 aluminium, 304 stainless); box build assembly of the whole unit | STEP model, assembly drawing |
How a PCBA Order Runs
A PCB assembly order runs in six steps, from your files to a tested board:
- You send the files and the quantity: one board now, and what you expect later.
- We check the BOM and the files before anything is bought or made.
- You receive the quote, and we buy every component on your BOM.
- The bare board is made and the parts arrive.
- We assemble, program and test each board to your test steps; a test record can come with it.
- The boards ship, and later batches are built from the same files.
Files for PCB Assembly
A PCB assembly quote needs three files at minimum, Gerber, BOM and pick-and-place, and two more if the board is programmed and tested:
- Gerber files (RS-274X) or ODB++ for every layer, plus the drill file.
- BOM: reference designators, quantity, manufacturer and manufacturer part number for every line; mark the parts that may be replaced by an equivalent.
- Pick-and-place (centroid) file: X, Y, rotation and side for every SMT part.
- Assembly drawing: polarity marks, through-hole parts, parts not to be fitted.
- Firmware file (.hex, .bin or .elf) and test steps with pass values.
Every build starts with a check of the BOM and the files; assembly begins only after that check. Send the files to [email protected].
How Long Does a PCBA Prototype Take?
PCB assembly has no fixed lead time: a simple board with all parts available is typically ready in about 10 days. The time is made of three parts, bare-board fabrication, component purchasing, and assembly with programming and testing, so parts with long factory lead times, many layers or a large part count add time. The quote states the date for your board.
What Decides the Cost of a PCBA Prototype?
One assembled prototype costs more per board than a batch because the setup is the same for one board as for fifty: bare-board fabrication setup, SMT setup and test setup, plus the components on the BOM and the assembly time. From the second build on, the setup is shared across more boards and the unit price falls. You can ask for several quantities in one request, for example 1, 10 and 100 boards.
From Prototype to Small Batch and Production
The prototype and every later batch are built from the same files and the same parts sources, so a revision changes only what you changed. The usual path is one board to prove the design, a few for testing and certification, then batches.
When the board goes into a product, the enclosure follows the same route: machined from solid for the first units, then vacuum casting or an injection mould at volume. Mounting holes, keep-out circles and standoff heights for the housing are in the PCB mounting hole and standoff chart; machined standoffs are made to any length.
Ready-Made Board or Your Own Design
| What you need | In the catalogue? | At EKINSUN |
|---|---|---|
| A standard development board | A catalogue item. | Buy it there, or ask us, we quote it with the rest of your build. |
| Your own board design, 1 piece | Not a catalogue item. | Built from your files from 1 piece: bare board, parts, assembly, test. |
| Your board in a housing | — | Enclosure machined in our own CNC factory; hole sizes and standoffs: PCB mounting chart. |
| A flexible circuit | — | Flexible PCB and rigid-flex from 1 piece. |
| The whole device | — | Box build assembly: board, enclosure, display, battery, firmware, tested. |
What We Do Not Do
EKINSUN builds finished designs and does not design them: schematic design, PCB layout and firmware writing stay with you or your design partner, and certification (CE, FCC, UKCA) stays with the product owner. Your files are used only for your boards, and we sign an NDA before you send them if you ask: NDA and confidentiality.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A PCB is the bare printed circuit board; a PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) is the same board with its components soldered on and working. EKINSUN supplies both: the bare board and the assembled board, from 1 piece.
EKINSUN assembles PCBs from 1 piece; a single prototype is a normal order, and later batches are built from the same files.
PCB assembly needs three files at minimum: Gerber files (RS-274X) or ODB++ with the drill file, a BOM with manufacturer part numbers, and a pick-and-place (centroid) file; add the firmware file and the test steps if the board is to be programmed and tested.
A PCBA prototype has no fixed lead time: a simple board with all parts available is typically ready in about 10 days, and long-lead parts, many layers or a large part count add time.
The cost of one assembled prototype is driven mostly by setup that is the same for one board as for fifty, bare-board fabrication setup, SMT setup and test setup, plus the components and the assembly time; from the second build on, the setup is shared and the unit price falls.
No, EKINSUN buys every component on your BOM, so you ship nothing; if you hold a part that is only available to you, you can send it and we assemble with it.
Yes, EKINSUN does SMT, through-hole and mixed assembly on the same board: surface-mount parts plus connectors, transformers and other through-hole parts.
Yes, EKINSUN loads your firmware file (.hex, .bin or .elf), powers each board up and runs your functional test steps, and a test record can come with each board.
No, EKINSUN builds finished designs: schematic design, PCB layout and firmware writing stay with you or your design partner, and we build what the files say.
Yes, enclosures are machined in EKINSUN's own CNC factory, and the assembled board, enclosure, display, battery and cables can be built into a complete, tested device from 1 unit.
Yes, EKINSUN makes flexible PCBs (FPC) and rigid-flex boards from 1 piece, bare or assembled.
Yes, your files are used only for your boards, and EKINSUN signs an NDA before you send them if you ask.
Send Your Board Files for a Quote
Board, quantity and whether it is programmed and tested; Gerber, BOM and pick-and-place file by email to [email protected].
Quantity
1 unit
Prototype
Prove the design
A few
Test builds
Field and lab units
Batch
Production
Same files
- All components bought by us
- NDA before files, the design stays yours
From 1 unit, Files confidential