Contract manufacturing
Traditional CMs have very high set-up fees, very high minimum orders, and will make whatever you ask without minimal checks or verification. They assume you are the expert in every way and if your order comes back with design faults, noise from layout errors, size issues and more well, that’s just what you asked for, so you really lose out.
Even if you can find a CM who will work with small runs you have to be prepared for all the tiny gotchyas that can ruin your day, not least that your order may be delayed if a more important client is in a rush, that customer service may be non-existent, or that they will substitute parts which can be very low quality.
But we are not just another faceless CM, we’re a partner.
In fact, think of us more like a record label: Once we’ve come to an agreement that works for both of us we’ll help with every step of your product. Your success is our success! Whether you just want a CM that will take a genuine interest in your design and will verify your PCB layout for a one-off launch, or whether you want fully-fledged support from suggested design improvement, full PCB design, connecting you with graphic artists, helping you understand your audience, and even the option of selling your product through our stores, we are here to help.
Our services
We’re expanding and investing in new services all the time, but currently we offer:
- In-house UK electronics manufacturing:
We have no minimum order, low set-up fees, and our current capacity is up to 200 units a week (complexity dependant) - Schematic and PCB design verification service:
Available both as part of a contract or if you just want the peace of mind of a one-off second expert opinion before you arrange your own production. We are also happy to go deeper, analyse your design and offer suggested improvements if requested. - International manufacturing:
We’re used to dealing with the complexities, requirements, differing expectations and language barriers. We are so good it now that most of our designs pass every check first time and always come back flawless, saving you time and money. Ideal for larger orders. - Complete ground-up design:
Sometimes you might just have a concept, or a specific need, you could be starting up and want to make sure you are doing things right, or you could be established in a related sector and want to expand your portfolio with the aid of a professional. - Physical manufacturing:
We can manufacture prototypes and very small runs in-house, or have a number of UK-based partners who provide us with competitive rates on mid to large quantity. We can also handle the design process for custom moulds, and arrange manufacture. - Visual manufacturing:
We use a number of partners to provide screen-printing, scuff-proof CMYKW enclosure labelling, milled panels and many other finishing formats. And if we don’t have what you want we’ll find it and negotiate a great rate. - Sales consultancy:
Especially useful if just starting out, we share all our knowledge on target markets, import / export, sales platforms, promotion techniques and more. We’ve shipped all over the world, we know that some countries can be problematic, and are so confident in our skill set that we hold nothing back. - Selling:
We can also take the hassle out of selling your products and agree a deal where we will carry your stock, promote it on all our networks, list it in all our e-stores, get them into the Amazon prime warehouse, and ship globally on your behalf. If your product is really amazing we may even go ‘full record deal’ and bear some or all of your costs as recoupable expenses!
Our facilities
We have a wide range of in-house manufacturing equipment
EPM miniwaver wave soldering machine for rapid and precise soldering of through-hole components (max board size 23 x 31 cm)
KT reflow conveyor for rapid and precise soldering of SMD boards
Opulo pick and place machine for assembling surface mount PCBs.
Open source hardware and software means we can customise everything for rapid production.
- Thermal analyser for tuning the reflow process in real time
- Titanium bath solder dip machine for fast, short runs (Max board size 20 x 15cm)
- Radial component auto-former
- Full hand-soldering facilities including reflow heat bed and air soldering
- Mini laser cutter (primarily for templates and prototyping)
- Full in-house board manufacturing for prototypes:
- UV exposure unit
- Developer tank
- Etching tank
- CNC PCB drill
- PCB tinning tank
- PCB assembly frames
- Two 3D printers (usually configured for PLA and PETG)
We also maintain hardware and software to support the development process:
- 4ch digital storage oscilloscope with FFT analysis
- 2ch analogue scope
- Analogue signal generator
- Arbitrary waveform generator
- Thermal datalogger
- Several power supplies, load testers, various multi-meters and much more!
- A truly huge selection of electronics components held permanently in stock
- KiCAD, Eagle, and much other software
Interested? Just get in touch. There’s no hard sell and we prefer to start a conversation extra early because it helps us understand the needs of future customers, and helps you save money and time by choosing what parts of your project you will keep in-house and what parts you’ll be developing as you work towards your new product launch.