PR-11 · Process hubs
PCB assembly (often called PCBA or SMT) is putting the electronic components onto your bare circuit boards. Machines place tiny parts precisely, then an oven melts solder paste to fix them in place. You can supply the parts yourself, or have the factory buy them all for you (called "turnkey"). The result is a working circuit board ready to go into your product.
Foreign-owned, foreign-managed factory (Sofeast group) with English-speaking staff in every department
Dongguan · Chang'anSister PCB and PCBA factories in the same Fuyong industrial park
Shenzhen · Bao'anSwiss-listed Cicor Group's EMS plant in Dongguan
Dongguan · Dongguan (other town)Started in 2006 at a one-metre counter in Huaqiangbei; listed on the Shenzhen main board in 2026 (001232)
Shenzhen · FutianOpen-hardware maker brand (400+ own boards) that also assembles customers' PCBs
Shenzhen · Bao'anGerman-founded (2012) design-to-production firm with Berlin and Shenzhen offices
Shenzhen · Bao'anOnline PCBA quoting with no MOQ, run on their own MES and CRM
Shenzhen · Bao'anAdvanced boards: up to 64 layers, HDI, rigid-flex, RF and ceramic
Shenzhen · Bao'anInstant online PCB quotes, prototypes from US$5 for 10 boards
Shenzhen · Bao'anGet 3 quotes
Describe the part once. We send it to up to 3 shops that fit, and they quote you directly.
17 guides
Everything we've written about PCB assembly (SMT/PCBA), starting with the basics.
Start hereThe difference between a bare circuit board (PCB) and an assembled one (PCBA), how boards are made and assembled in Shenzhen, and what first-timers need to know before ordering.
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01Design · 9 minThe three files every PCB assembly order needs, how to prepare them so your quote is fast and your boards come back right, and the questions factories will ask.
02Cost · 7 minWhat makes up a PCBA quote (setup, boards, components, assembly and testing), why prototypes cost more per board, and how to bring the price down.
03Choosing · 6 minShould the factory buy your components, or should you? The pros and cons of turnkey, consigned and partial-turnkey PCB assembly for first-time hardware teams.
04Basics · 10 minHow custom silicone parts like keypads, buttons, gaskets and seals are made, what hardness and key feel mean, compression molding vs LSR, and how to order them in Shenzhen and Dongguan.
05Design · 9 minWhat design for manufacturing (DFM) means, why it decides most of your product's cost, the core rules, when to do a DFM review, and how DFM feedback from Shenzhen suppliers works.
06Design · 9 minHow to design a product that's quick to put together and easy to test on a production line. The core design-for-assembly rules, what design for test means for circuit boards and finished products, and how Shenzhen factories use test fixtures.
07Design · 9 minWhat design freeze means, why late changes are so expensive in hardware, and how engineering change requests, orders and notices (ECR, ECO, ECN) keep you and your factory on the same version.
08Basics · 12 minThe three test builds between a working prototype and mass production, explained for first-time founders. What each build is for, roughly how many units you make, and what usually goes wrong.
09Cost · 10 minThe cost buckets of developing and manufacturing a hardware product, explained for first-timers. Design, prototypes, tooling, certification and the first production order, with typical ranges where they're widely published, plus the costs people forget.
10Working in China · 10 minA step-by-step, neutral guide for first-time hardware teams. How to find suppliers, tell factories from trading companies, check what you can, compare quotes, and start small.
11Working in China · 12 minA first-timer's guide to Shenzhen's famous electronics market district. What it is, what it's good for, how to get there, how to buy, and what to watch out for.
12Basics · 6 minWhy most hardware teams build two different kinds of prototype, what each one is for, and when to combine them into a single "looks-like, works-like" build.
13Basics · 11 minThe stages of making a physical product, from first sketch to boxes on a ship, explained for first-timers. What happens at each stage, why it matters, what you get out of it, and who in Shenzhen helps.
14Basics · 10 minWhy a product that works as 10 prototypes can fail at 1,000 units, what changes in parts, people, testing, documents and cash as you scale, and the steps between a working prototype and your first production run in Shenzhen.
15Working in China · 10 minWhat pre-shipment inspection is, when to inspect, how AQL sampling works in plain words, what an inspector checks, and how to prepare so the report is actually useful. For first-time importers.
16Design · 9 minWhat a BOM is, why factories in China build and quote from it, the columns a good BOM needs, how to structure one for a hardware product, and the mistakes that cause wrong parts and delays.
Turnkey (包料) is easier; consigned (来料) gives you control over critical parts.
Ask for AOI and X-ray as standard, and agree functional testing separately.