In 1995, a little over 50 years after the introduction of PCBs, they became a $7.1 billion industry for the first time. Just 5 years later in 2000, they became an over $10 billion industry, and since 2012 have reached over $60 billion worldwide. Before PCB design software was introduced, printed circuit boards were designed using clear Mylar sheets, up to four times bigger than the circuit board itself, on which designers would create a transparent photomask of the proposed design.

Turnkey PCB assembly has made professional PCB production and assembly much more efficient. The advent of machine-assembly for any size orders means that shops can assembly PCBs in a fraction of the time it would normally take for hand placement. In fact, some PCB assemblers have a standard turn time of five days or less, which is 75% faster than the industry average.

A typical engineer’s salary can vary widely, from $50,000 to $150,000. Thankfully, they have improved circuit board assembly services. Turnkey PCB assembly is the newest approach to electronics assembly. It leverages cloud based software and onshore PCB manufacturing to make developing printed circuit boards fast and hassle free for engineers, entrepreneurs, small businesses and makers. In 2014, the revenue of circuit board and electronic component manufacturing in the U.S. ranged at about $44 billion.

A single automatic line can place and solder more components than 50 hand solder operators, and do it with better, more consistent quality. The advent of machine assembly for any size orders means that shops can assembly PCBs in a fraction of the time it would normally take for hand placement. Board designers use computer aided design systems with special software to layout the circuit pattern on the board. The spaces between electrical conducting paths are often 0.04 inches (1.0 mm) or smaller.

Most common multilayer boards are: four layers, six layers, eight layers, and ten layers. However, the total number of layers that can be manufactured can exceed over 42 layers. These types of boards are used in extremely complex electronic circuits. PCB trace thickness is measured in ounces of copper. Many PCB designers use one ounce or two ounces of copper, but many PCB manufacturers can provide six ounce thickness. Turnkey PCB assembly enables hardware teams to launch new products faster and easier than ever before.