Global PCB Market and Supply Chain Challenges

A look at the state of the PCB market, fabrication challenges, and supply chain Issues.

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are used in a wide variety of materials, from household equipment to ocean exploration. Looking at the market in general:

Flexible circuits and Quick Turn PCB Assembly are expected to rise much faster than rigid PCBs in the global economy since the former will reduce form factor and replace connectors. However, in most cases, PCB Prototype Manufacturers concentrate on single-sided, double-sided, and multi-layered PCBs with a four to six-layer count.

As we all know, the Quick Turn PCB Assembly should be at the heart of the EMS supply chain and is one of the most critical components, but the PCB supplier's position is constantly evolving. It's not enough to provide a high-quality commodity to succeed in such a crowded market; they must add value to every part of the supply chain. The Circuit Board Assembly has been the only constant in a very competitive component industry for the past year.

However, there is a sense in the market that something is going to change." Major growth factors include the popularity of portable mobile devices such as watches and high-quality headphones and the mainstream adoption of game consoles, smart appliances, products, and the widespread adoption of the 5G evolution. As technology advances, it's essential to choose a PCB provider that can meet the current needs and respond to those of the next 5-10 years.

The following are the top challenges facing global PCB manufacturing:

The supply chain issues have also been widely publicized, and include:

To ensure that the pieces you're using function as planned on your Quick Turn PCB Assembly, you'll need to pay equal attention to all five of these regions.

When a PCB Prototype Manufacturer receives your specification, one of the first things they can do is check it for manufacturability. Not only can they examine the bill of materials for the five fields addressed, but they'll also look for potential design for packaging issues and circuitry questions. To do so, their component engineers will study the parts specified to ensure that they are affordable, current, at the right price, and come from reputable suppliers.

Laura Stevens works as a digital marketing manager at PCBGOGO, a manufacturer of high-quality PCBs and PCB assembly services.