1. Basic Concepts

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing)

OEM means that the customer completes the PCB design by himself, and the factory produces it according to the design drawings. The customer controls the design process, and the factory is responsible for manufacturing. For example, the customer provides Gerber files, bill of materials (BOM), and process requirements, and the factory produces PCBs according to the files.

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Core Features：

· Customers have the right to design

· Factories are only responsible for production according to drawings

· Compete in manufacturing efficiency and cost control

ODM (Design + Production)

ODM means that the customer proposes requirements (such as functions, performance, and application scenarios), and the factory is responsible for the entire process from design to production. The customer does not participate in the design, and the factory provides a complete solution. For example, if the customer says "a PCB that supports 5G is needed", the factory will complete the circuit design, layout, and production.

Core Features:

· The factory has the design rights

· Provide one-stop service from design to production

· Compete in design capabilities and technical services.

2. Core Differences

Comparison items
OEM
ODM
Who is responsible for design?
Customer designs, factory produces according to drawings
Factory design, customer requirements
Factory work content
Manufacturing (processing according to customer drawings)
Design + Production (Development from Scratch)
Profit Source
Processing fee (efficiency and cost)
Design fee + processing fee (higher technical premium)
Difficulty of customer switching
Low (factory change possible at any time)
High (design binding, high switching cost)
Applicable scenarios
Standardized products, mass production
Customized requirements, rapid product iteration

3. Typical application scenarios

Common scenarios for OEMs

·Mass production of standardized products: Such as automotive ECU control boards and industrial equipment motherboards. The customer's design is mature and only requires the factory to produce efficiently and stably.

· High-end technology areas: Such as server high-frequency and high-speed PCB, medical equipment PCB (certification required). Customers trust the process capabilities of professional factories more.

Common scenarios for ODM

· Rapid iteration of consumer electronics：Such as TWS headset PCB, smart watch motherboard. Market demand changes rapidly, and customers need solutions quickly.

· Small brands or startups：We do not have our own design team and rely on ODM manufacturers to provide a full range of services from design to production.

4. How to choose a mode

Suitable for OEM

· The customer has a strong design team and only needs to find a factory for production.

· The product is mature and stable, and there is no need to change the design frequently.

· Pursue large-scale production with low cost and high yield.

Suitable for ODM

· The customer has no design capabilities or wants to save R&D time.

· The product needs to be launched quickly (such as new consumer electronics products).

· Customized design is required (such as special functions, special environment applications).

5. Summarize

· OEM model: the customer controls the design, the factory is responsible for production, suitable for standardized and large-volume products.

· ODM model: the factory is responsible for design + production, suitable for customized and fast-iteration products.

· Key differences: ownership of design rights (customer or factory), source of profit (processing fee or design + processing fee).

What is PCB OEM? It's an acronym for printed circuit board original equipment manufacturing.

PCB OEM is custom flexible manufacturing. From the PCB OEM manufacturer PCBONLINE, the manufacturing service range includes:

• PCB fabrication,
• component sourcing,
• PCB assembly,
• value-added services (IC burn-in, conformal coating, thermal aging, functional testing),
• and end product box build assembly.

You will explore the PCB OEM manufacturing process and 9 real OEM PCB cases from PCBONLINE below.

In this article:

Part 1. PCB OEM Manufacturing Process Part 2. 9 PCB OEM Example Sharing Part 3. Work the PCB OEM Manufacturer PCBONLINE

Part 1. PCB OEM Manufacturing Process

Imagine you have designed a PCB and a matching enclosure for it, or you have a project plan but lack enough R&D capabilities; what is the PCB OEM manufacturing process when you reach out to a PCB OEM manufacturer?

Check the PCB OEM manufacturing process easily from PCBONLINE.

Stage 1. DFM and pre-sales services

When you contact PCBONLINE, either through online chats, emails to , or sending your messages via the contact form, you will receive quick replies.

If you have a Gerber and other documents such as a BOM (bill of materials), send it to PCBONLINE. The engineers from PCBONLINE will check your documents to make sure the manufacturability of the design.

Gerber and BOM checks are part of DFM or design for manufacturing. It is free at PCBONLINE.

At the pre-sales stage, PCBONLINE can select alternative components to replace the expensive ones with the same functions and certification. As components cost the most in PCB OEM manufacturing, it can reduce your project's fabrication costs dramatically.

What about if you don't have a design yet and need R&D from the OEM PCB manufacturer?

It is no problem for PCBONLINE, the OEM PCB manufacturer with all-around R&D capabilities.

PCBONLINE will ask for the necessary specs and comprehensive requirements of the product you want to turn into reality. Software, circuit diagrams, PCB layout, enclosure design, and manufacturing and testing process can all be done by PCBONLINE.

Will there be R&D fees?

Yes. However, once your project goes to batch production, PCBONLINE will refund the R&D fees to you.

Stage 2. Prototype and sampling

After the Gerber and BOM checks, the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE starts PCB prototyping.

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During the prototyping and sampling stage, PCBONLINE will manufacture and assemble a small quantity of PCB boards. For quality consistency, the production lines are the same as batch production.

With the PCBA sample, PCBONLINE will have the functional test, IC burn-in, and box-build assembly to make the final product sample.

PCB prototyping and sampling are part of the entire device manufacturing process. During this stage, technical and unexpected issues may occur. Fortunately, the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE has rich experience solving issues and ensures hassle-free manufacturing of the OEM PCB project.

Stage 3. PCB fabrication

The PCB fabrication process includes:

• Cut laminate,
• Inner layer circuits,
• Lamination,
• Drilling,
• Copper plating,
• Outer layer circuits,
• Circuit pattern plating copper,
• Etching,
• Solder mask,
• Legend (silkscreen),
• Surface finish,
• Profiling (Outline routing),
• Electrical testing,
• Final quality control.

You can view the pdf at https://cdn.pcbonline.com/pdf/pcb-fabrication-process.pdf for PCB fabrication step description and diagrams.

Meanwhile, PCBONLINE designs the SMT stencil and jigs for PCB assembly and has them manufactured by the mold factories in long-term cooperation.

For OEM PCB projects that need box-build assembly, PCBONLINE works with the top 3 enclosure factories in China to manufacture the enclosures.

Stage 4. PCB assembly

The PCB assembly process includes SMT assembly and PTH assembly. SMT is fully automatic, and PTH is half-automatic.

The SMT process includes:

• Solder paste printing,
• Solder paste inspection,
• Placing SMD components,
• X-ray inspection,
• Reflow soldering,
• And automated optical inspection (AOI).

The PTH assembly process includes:

• Inserting the PTH component lead through the PTH holes,
• And wave soldering.

You can view PCB assembly manufacturing step by step with pictures.

Stage 5. PCBA value-added

PCBONLINE provides PCBA value-added services in the post-assembly stage. It further extends the service life of the PCBA and saves your efforts afterward, as you don't need to connect with your local factories to disassemble your products to do the value-added things on the PCBA.

The PCBA value-added services from the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE are comprehensive:

• Conformal coating: Spraying a urethane/polyurethane coating on the PCBA surface to keep it from moisture, chemicals, vibration, and thermal shocks. It extends the service life of the PCBA.
• IC burn-in: Transferring the program into the blank IC mounted of the PCBA. It enables the ICs, such as the microcontroller, BGA, FPGA, and so on, to operate and control the system.
• Thermal aging: Keeping the PCBA powered on for 48 to 240 hours to prove that the PCBA can withstand long-term work without being affected.
• Functional testing: Place the PCBA on a jig for electrical and function testing to ensure the PCBA can work as expected.

Step 6: Box-build assembly and application testing

At the OEM PCB assembly factory of PCBONLINE, our technicians install the cables and enclosure on the PCBA, tighten the screws, and print your brand logo according to your requirements. Now, the OEM PCB project is almost at the end.

However, despite the comprehensive tests and inspections during PCB assembly and post-assembly stages, we still need to ensure the end product's functions and quality.

So, the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE will simulate the application environment to test the functions and quality of the product and record the results for you to review.

When everything is ensured to be good, we will package the box builds according to your requirements and ship them to you.

The complete PCB OEM manufacturing is above. As you can see, it can cover everything for electronics manufacturing.

Are there any PCB OEM examples? Yes.

You can view the OEM PCB projects manufactured by PCBONLINE below.

Part 2. PCB OEM Example Sharing

Below are 9 OEM PCB projects.

PCB OEM Case 1. Server box-build assembly

PCBONLINE offers:

• 12-layer HDI PCB fabrication that requires back-drilling
• All the components and sheet metal enclosures are purchased by PCBONLINE
• Final product box-build assembly
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the server box builds
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 industrial-level quality acceptance standard

PCB OEM Case 2. Car navigation module

PCBONLINE offers:

• 6-layer HDI PCB fabrication
• PCBONLINE purchases all components
• PB assembly
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the PCBA
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard
• We controlled the bubble rate of welding FPGA within 3%

PCB OEM Case 3. Car central control system board

PCBONLINE offers:

• 6-layer HDI PCB fabrication
• PCBONLINE purchases all components
• PB assembly
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the PCBA
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard
• We controlled the bubble rate of welding FPGA within 3%

PCB OEM Case 4. Industrial control motherboard one-stop PCBA

PCBONLINE offers:

• 8-layer HDI PCB fabrication
• PCBONLINE purchases all components
• PB assembly
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the PCBA
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard
• We controlled the bubble rate of welding FPGA within 3%

PCB OEM Case 5. Electric vehicle charging pile transformer motherboard one-stop PCBA

PCBONLINE offers:

• 6-layer HDI PCB fabrication
• PCBONLINE purchases all components
• PB assembly
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the PCBA
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard
• We controlled the bubble rate of welding FPGA within 3%

PCB OEM Case 6. AI camera

Features of this OEM PCB project:

• Accuracy > 95%
• Resolution: 720P
• Refresh RATE > 20FPS
• Behavior recognition < 1S
• Npu power: 4TOPS

Application scenario:

Riding behavior recognition

Pavement riding

Red light running detection

Wrong direction riding

PCB OEM Case 7. CCS (Cell Contact System) design and batch production

PCBONLINE offers:

• Free CCS structure and hardware design
• Provide reasonable CCS solutions according to battery pack structure
• BMS system compatibility technical consultation
• From sample to mass production
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard

PCB OEM Case 8. IoT lighting control motherboard one-stop PCBA

PCBONLINE offers:

• Our factory has rich production experience and has supply chain advantages for IOT products
• Strategic cooperation with mainstream communication module manufacturers and price advantages
• Program burn-in
• Electrical function testing of the PCBA
• Free pre-production DFM technical support
• From sample to mass production
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard

PCB OEM Case 9. Smart projector ODM from R&D to mass production

PCBONLINE offers:

• Structure design with Altium Design
• Plastic mold manufacturing (outsourcing)
• Motherboard hardware and software design
• Operation interface software design
• From sample to mass production
• IPC-A-610 Class 3 automotive-grade quality acceptance standard
• The full set of production materials and intellectual property rights belong to the customer

Part 3. Work the PCB OEM Manufacturer PCBONLINE

You've learned the OEM PCB manufacturing process and 9 real examples. Don't hesitate to work with PCBONLINE!

The PCB OEM manufacturer PCBONLINE has two large advanced PCB manufacturing bases, one EMS PCB assembly factory, an R&D team, and stable supply chains. Besides, it has long-term cooperation with the top 3 mold manufacturers in China to manufacture the enclosures for box build assembly and SMT stencils, jigs, and molds for PCB assembly. What's more, it has strategic cooperation with the MCU manufacturers like Espressif, Neoway, Quectel, etc.

No matter what application your project will be used for, such as automotive, industrial control, medical, military, aerospace, communication, computer, etc, you can work with PCBONLINE. To reach out to the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE, contact .

Conclusion

This blog demonstrates the comprehensive PCB OEM manufacturing process and shows 9 OEM PCB projects, where you can see the products and learn the service items that PCBONLINE provides. To ensure the success of your PCB OEM projects and for one-stop manufacturing, work with the OEM PCB manufacturer PCBONLINE.

The company is the world’s best PCB Electronic Board Assembly supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

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