Customers often report that getting PCBA quotes from their contract manufacturers is too time-consuming and a major source of frustration. Here's what you should expect from a well-run contract manufacturer who's interested in your business. We'll be considering a number of different options, all of which will have an impact on the time taken to receive a quote. Read on for more info.
Bare Board (fabs) – Often a few hours, 24 hours typical, 48 hours max for domestic suppliers. Could be 48–36 hours for offshore suppliers.
PCB Assembly Quick-turn – 48 hours typical for full turnkey. Same day for labor only.
PCB Assembly Production – 1 week typical, 2 weeks max. This is usually gated by the time it takes to receive production pricing from component suppliers.
Box Builds – 2 to 4 weeks is typical, but this is very hard to predict. Box Builds quotes usually require fairly extensive documentation packages and rarely come complete. Quote time is usually driven by the time it takes to discover and request missing docs, and clarify issues with docs.
