How D2C PCB Ordering is Making Electrical Engineering More Accessible
Electrical engineering can be a difficult field to break into. Luckily, direct to consumer printed circuit board ordering, typically called D2C PCB ordering, is making this highly desirable hobby and career path more accessible than ever. Whether you are a student, hobbyist, or engineer, the new breakthroughs in the D2C PCB industry are creating exciting new opportunities.
Brokers are a Thing of the Past
Printed circuit board brokers used to be the gatekeepers to printed circuit board manufacturers. As printed circuit board manufacturers began moving overseas, along with most other types of manufacturing, the language barrier made PCB brokers the point of contact for any printed circuit board orders.
With new advances in technology, printed circuit boards have become easier than ever to produce, allowing manufacturing companies to pop up in countries all over the world and produce low volume orders. Not only that, real-time translation software and automated options allows you to order from manufacturers that used to require an interpreter or broker. Since the direct to consumer PCB model cut out the services of a middleman, costs went down even further.
Software Allows You to Virtually Create Circuits
In the past, learning how to create circuits and printed circuit boards required an in-depth math background. Today, you can virtually create circuits and schematics, so mistakes are quickly found and easily corrected. You can learn about how circuits work, the way components interact with each other and behave, and common mistakes, without having to take an advanced math course first. Once you master the software behind PCB design, you’re able to order your own custom printed circuit boards for your projects.
Low Volume D2C PCB Ordering
Low volume direct to consumer printed circuit board ordering has allowed makers, hobbyists and students the unique opportunity to create prototypes and bring their ideas to life in ways that were previously inaccessible to anyone except the largest product manufacturing companies. This has created a new wave of innovation that would not have been possible without the option to order small numbers of customized printed circuit boards. The thought of ordering a single custom printed circuit board direct from the manufacturer for an affordable price was unthinkable even a decade ago. Now, new products are being developed every day using D2C PCB ordering.
D2C PCB Ordering Allows You to Learn from Home
When you use direct to consumer PCB ordering, you can learn about electronics and engineering from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need to hold a degree to design and print your own PCBs. This means that people can now create products they used to only dream about, opening up engineering possibilities to the general public. From rockets to robotics, printed circuit boards are being used by more people than ever before to learn, create, build, and innovate. There is a relatively new, flourishing community of people who are sharing their ideas and designs on open-source platforms, allowing for rapid advancement of design development.
Printed Circuit Boards are More Affordable than Ever
PCBs used to be extremely expensive, especially if ordered in small volumes. Today, buying printed circuit boards are more affordable than ever before, allowing hobbyists, students, and makers access to products that not so long ago were nearly impossible to source. The cost barrier that used to keep even some large businesses from expanding into product development is now so low that individuals are able to create brand new projects, products and inventions from home.
New PCB Technology Allows for Even More Options
Flexible boards, the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, shock resistance and many other new capabilities are now able to be added to printed circuit board designs. The versatility and availability of printed circuit boards is only growing, and the future is promising for the capabilities of D2C PCBs. Their size continues to shrink as well, and we expect to see advances in High Density Interconnect (HDI) in the near future that will allow them to get even smaller.
If you are interested in electrical engineering, but you aren’t ready to make the commitment to getting a new degree, you are now able to order custom printed circuit boards in low volumes. Printed circuit boards are a great hands-on way to begin learning about electronics and engineering, whether you are tinkering, inventing, homeschooling, or even already enrolled in college. The possibilities and opportunities are going to lead to revolutionary innovation in the next decade, creating ideas that the world has never seen before.
