In recent years we have seen a huge reduction in friction around low-volume manufacturing of printed circuit board assemblies. Costs have come down, lead times have reduced, and accessibility has increased. This has largely been driven by automation of the front-end processes.

A decade ago PCB procurement involved asking a supplier to quote, having a back-and-forth with their CAM department, and then raising a purchase order, in a process that typically stretched over a couple of days. Quotes were opaque and could vary widely between suppliers.

Now, we are used to dealing with online suppliers who have completely automated processes. We upload Gerbers, receive instant pricing that updates as we choose options, place an order with one click, and then see real-time status as our boards are manufactured and then shipped, in a matter of a few days. Prices are astonishingly low and it is clear that the whole workflow is highly automated.

Recently we have seen the same thing happen with PCB assembly work. Now those same online suppliers will also accept a bill of materials and a pick and place file uploaded to their automated systems, and deliver populated boards in small and medium quantities in those same timeframes and at similarly astounding cost.

It is clear that it is automation that is driving this revolution, not just of the manufacturing itself, but of all the associated administrative overhead. This is clearly seen not just in the purchasing experience, but also in the almost complete absence of NRE and setup charges which typically featured on those old-school quotes.

This has made custom PCBs, and now PCB assemblies, vastly more accessible to small businesses, entrepreneurs, individual engineers and makers who would not have had the knowledge, ability or funds to negotiate the former system.

We created the Merifix drilling service to offer the same experience for PCBA test fixtures. An online purchasing process allows upload of a test point locations file, then fully automated design rule checks lead to one-click purchasing of a custom drilled fixture, typically shipped same day. Behind the scenes the CNC machines that drill the probe and pressure plates run G-code automatically generated from the uploaded data, with no manual overhead. It is great to see that test fixtures have become as accessible as the boards they test.