Scalable Series

When should I move from prototype assembly to a production run?

When your design has stopped changing. Amazing Assembly is priced and scheduled for iteration, so it stays sensible while you're still revising. Once the revisions stop and the open questions become quantity, consistency and who signs the build off, prototype pricing starts working against you.

Two other signals are worth watching for. You need boards depanelised and packaged as units instead of arriving in a panel. Or somebody outside your team has to sign the build off against a documented standard, which means the quality class has to be agreed before manufacturing, not after.

How do I get a quote for a production run?

Through our Account Managers. Series work needs decisions a checkout can't make for you: which contractor suits your volume and your industry, which certifications apply, which quality class you're signing off against. Use the contact form and include your quantity, your target date, and whether you need anything beyond a populated board. With those three, we can come back with a concrete proposal instead of a list of questions.

What's the minimum quantity for a series production run?

A series run carries setup cost that a prototype order doesn't, and it buys you things a prototype order can't give you. The point where that trade works out depends on how complex your BOM is and how much of the box build you hand over, so the same quantity can be the right call for one design and the wrong one for another. Tell us the quantity you have in mind and we'll say which route fits. If Amazing Assembly is still the better answer for now, that's what you'll hear.

Do you work to IPC-A-610, and is AOI included?

AOI is standard on every run. IPC-A-610 Class II or Class III is available on request, so you can match the class your industry or your customer actually requires instead of paying for one you don't need. Boards arrive depanelised, and a production sample comes with the run, which gives you a reference unit for your own incoming inspection.

Can I keep using the same project data?

Yes. A series run starts from the project you've already been ordering prototypes against, so there's no separate data package to prepare and no second chance to introduce a transcription error. Panelisation and depanelisation are handled on our side. What does usually get added at this stage is documentation: the test criteria, the firmware version, the packaging spec. Those get agreed with your account manager and written into the run rather than passed on by email.

What does box build actually include?

Everything that happens after the board is populated and before the product ships. Functional testing, programming, cabling and packaging are standardised processes we run as a matter of course. Beyond those, custom post-manufacturing steps can be built into the run where your product needs them, from a test fixture made to your specification to your own packaging artwork. If you're not sure whether a step is standard or custom, describe it in your enquiry, and we'll tell you which it is.

How do you choose who manufactures my product?

From a network of certified partners, matched to your project by an account manager. Volume, required certifications and your industry decide where it goes. Being fab-less is the point here. We can put each run with the partner that suits it instead of routing everything through one factory we happen to own, and we can move a product if its requirements change between runs.