Introduction
PCB fabrication is a key part when designing electronics products for personal use and/or commercial use, as it offers a permanent solution for any electronic circuit. For many makers or electronic hobbyists, we would often yearn towards professional companies to handle our PCB fabrication and assembly needs, one of those being Bittele Electronics. Based in Canada, Bittele was originally founded in 2003 and currently offers both low & high-volume PCB fabrication services. With a state-of-the-art production facility and offices across North America, Bittele serves as a one-stop shop for the entire PCB production process, from parts procurement, PCB prototyping & PCB fabrication/assembly. With dedicated teams working around the clock, Bittele is capable of handling all of those individual steps to ensure that clients receive finished products that meet their expectations. All of this is performed whilst maintaining the highest quality control & performance standards, as Bittele is ISO9001 & ISO13485 certified. Some of Bittele's clients include top electronic manufacturing brands and world-class universities, such as Texas Instruments, Arrow Electronics, the University of Michigan, the University of Tennessee etc.
In regards to Bittele's PCB manufacturing capabilities, they offer an incredible variety of customization that customers can add to their order, whether you would like multi-layer boards, HDI (high density interconnect) PCBs, custom solder masks, different materials, finishes etc. To ensure that your boards are produced to the utmost standard, Bittele also implements visual inspection, electrical testing (flying probes or nails bed), sample IoT inspection & cross-sectioning before dispatching your order. Their delivery times can vary depending on your selection, from rush deliveries of 24 hours to their standard production time of around 10 days. In this article, we will provide an overview of Bittele's PCB services, focusing specifically on their online PCB ordering system.
Online pcb ordering system
One of the most convenient and intuitive features of Bittele's PCB service is their online PCB ordering system, which allows clients to get an instant quote & make orders of PCBs directly from their website in a few minutes. This system also enables clients to customize every aspect of their PCB, upload their BOM list for PCB assembly, preview what their PCB looks like and make payment. The below images show what is offered on the first page of this service, where you can customise your PCB specifications (layers, material, solder mask, copper weight, thickness, silkscreen, etc). In addition, it allows you to select more advanced PCB specifications, where you can specify your preferences in terms of vias, cutting, stackups, inspection standards, etc. At the very bottom of the page, there is a textbox for you to write any specific comments/requirements which Bittele will try to accommodate to the best of their ability. The box that is towards the right of the page will constantly be updated with the current price of your order according to the specifications selected, making it very helpful for customers to receive an instant quote as they are designing their PCB order.
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On the following page, you will be able to upload your BOM (Bill of Materials) list of parts needed for the PCB assembly, which all be procured by Bittele according to your requirements. If you are brand new to PCB assembly and are unsure of how to correctly format your BOM file, this page offers tips & tricks to ensure that your BOM list is compatible. From personal experience, it definitely is a learning curve when ordering a PCB board for fabrication & assembly for the first time, as there are so many aspects of the design that you must consider. If you decide that you would like to start a blank BOM instead of uploading one, you can click the text on the bottom right of the image shown below, and you will be redirected to a page where you can manually create your list of parts by inserting the details of each & every part.
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On the third page, you will be prompted to select your preferences regarding PCB assembly specifications, such as the number of SMT pads, the number of through holes, what sort of coating you would like, functional testing, etc. Once again, the textbox at the bottom of the page allows you to write any of your specific requirements for PCB assembly.
Next up is one of the most important steps in the PCB design process, and that is uploading your Gerber file, which is the main file that contains your PCB design. There are several software that can instantly generate a Gerber file upon design, and that file can directly be uploaded to Bittele's online ordering system (in a ZIP format). If your project requires additional files (drill files, fabrication drawings, readme files, etc), those can additionally be uploaded alongside the Gerber file here.
However, what makes Bittele's system distinct from others is that after uploading your Gerber file, you will have the ability to view how your PCB looks like through their built-in online Gerber viewer. This is an extremely powerful feature that gives you a rough visual representation of your PCB before you proceed to order it. Do note that it may not be 100% accurate and there may be slight changes with your actual product. Nonetheless, having the ability to view your PCB before payment truly makes a difference as a customer.
After verifying that your Gerber file is correct and after checking over all your PCB customization specifications, you can then proceed with the payment for your order. If you decide that you are not ready to proceed with your order and you would like more time before making your final decision, you can exit the online PCB ordering system safely and your files/specifications will all be saved on the home page to come back to.
concluding thoughts
From this article, I hope that you have gained further insight into Bittele's PCB services & their online PCB ordering system. One of the prominent advantages of using Bittele Electronics over other companies is that Bittele has a large focus on customer service. From a consumer's perspective, Bittele ensures that each client is assigned to a dedicated account manager that will be your primary point of contact for any updates to your orders, any questions that you may have, problems that may arise, etc. A separate project coordinator is also involved to oversee your PCB build, and the same manager & coordinator will continue to assist you with any of your future orders. This system essentially works to establish a strong long-term relationship with clients, where communication can be effective and transparent. Furthermore, Bittele offers such an massive variety of PCB services from prototyping to PCB assembly to PCB fabrication, which can give you peace of mind from worrying about all of these aspects separately. For an inexperienced or first-time maker, Bittele is an incredible first choice that will enhance your experience with PCB fabrication. Bittele has specialist teams in each department that collaborate with one another & will handle each step of the process, saving you time, cost & convenience. With an extensive electronic component inventory & a dedicated procurement team, outsourcing electronic parts from various manufacturers is made easy with Bittele, with quotes being made available rapidly. Additionally, their flexibility to meet your specific requirements is an absolute benefit to customers who have more unique, unorthodox designs which may not be possible to manufacture by other companies. As always, their production team keeps in constant contact with customers, so that any obstacles during the production phase will be reported directly to you before proceeding any further. As always, they do have a live chat feature on their website, alongside their email & phone number which can be used by customers to contact them. Overall, Bittele Electornics is definitely a game changer in the PCB fabrication industry, due to their focus on customer service, their global coverage & high-volume capabilities.
