PCB Board Manufacturing in the UK ???

@uksteve Don't know about UK, but there are at least 2 big outfits in China, PcbWay and JLCPCB. They offer a lot of different services real cheap and several members here have used them.

Hi @uksteve,

  I am hoping someone with actual experience is going to answer this question ... but in case that doesn't happen, I offer my web search notes... PLEASE NOTE, these notes are only my interpretation .. I haven't yet actually ordered a PCB for my 'personal use', so there may be hidden dragons!

I am also assuming you are looking for a small quantity of lowest cost PCBs for your hobby ... not a commercial operation.

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My own 'real' experience in the past has been for the case when my employer was paying the bill. From that I note Newbury have run a 'PCBTrain' for many years, in which several different customers' boards were processed as a batch, and hence the handling costs could be reduced .. see https://www.newburyelectronics.co.uk/

(The train refers to the manner in which each batch is timetabled in advance, etc.) This approach means their prices are online and more reasonable for small quantities than a 'traditional' service But certain Chinese companies (and also US companies for those in the US)  'appear' to be much cheaper, providing you don't mind waiting a couple of weeks or more for delivery.

The complication that coincidentally appeared at roughly the same time as Brexit, but actually affects EU countries as well, is that all imports are subject to VAT. (Previously, orders below a certain value were exempt.) If you are VAT registered, I suspect this is not a big problem, as it is just another entry on the VAT return. But if you are not VAT registered, my interpretation is that this can mean an expensive delivery issue, as the Post Office no longer offer a VAT payment on delivery service, so delivery must be with one of the express carriers like DHL.

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For orders under £135 including delivery, etc. then the supplier can charge VAT, and this means small orders can be delivered straight to your door, with no VAT to be collected on delivery.

This applies to marketing operations like AliExpress, and I think, eBAY. As for PCB companies, the only one I have found discussing the issue in a 'positive' way is JLCPCB, which says:  https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/18-Customs,-Duties-and-Taxes

PCBWAY's web site just says that the customer is responsible for customs and taxes, though curiously lists AliExpress standard delivery as one of the delivery options, so it is plausible that they have a scheme that uses AliExpress to pay the VAT, but this is 100% speculation on my part. I only mention it, if you want to try contacting PCBWAY directly.

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Of course, I have only done a bit of simple Google searching, so I maybe missing lots of alternative suppliers. And I have virtually no experience in import/export, VAT, or 'cheap' UK PCB manufacturers, so please check the market and details for yourself. I am only suggesting somewhere to start looking, not recommending or advising in anyway.

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Best wishes and please post any useful information you discover. Dave

Posted by: @uksteve

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I'm looking for 'somewhere' in the UK (England) that i could use for PCB manufacturing, i know theres a few companys out there that can do this but alot seem to be out in USA.

I don't know if you'll find many places outside of China that make PCBs. The process makes a lot of the nasty kind of byproduct that most people don't want in their back yards. You'll probably find that the places you mention in the USA actually send off the specification to China for fabrication anyway.

Posted by: @uksteve

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Specifically someone who also has there own software so i can design/layout what i'm working on, send the design files to them and get the finished PCB's back.

You'll probably want to use an online service anyway since if you use a local drive you'll most likely need to find an online database for your part schematic and footprint data files anyway. Anything you have on your local drives is already out of date.

Also, if you want to get them to populate the finished boards with the difficult-to-handle parts like 402 SMDs you'll need to access a parts catalogue anyway.

Posted by: @uksteve

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I'm hoping someone here in the UK can help and point me in the right direction thanks.

I'm not in the UK, don't own the software to make this stuff and have created and used several custom PCBs in the past. I've found JLCPCB to be a reliable, reasonably priced source for quality PCBs and have been totally satisfied with their services. Those include online creation of schematics and the associated PCB designs which can then be forwarded directly for fabrication. I have used other fab houses for PCB boards as well but not long enough to recommend comfortably.

You shall have to pay for delivery, there are several options available. I can't speak about VAT because we don't have that here in Canada.

PS - I am not affiliated with JCLPCB in any way except as a repeat customer.

Hi @uksteve,

Sorry, I didn't spot this question earlier ..

 re Specifically someone who also has there own software so i can design/layout what i'm working on, send the design files to them and get the finished PCB's back.

I am not yet ready, but my plan is to use software that is on my machine ... the front runner being Kicad (free, open source, etc.).  Personally, I much prefer to keep control of my design, etc., even though it no longer has any commercial or other limitations. So far, my experience suggests KiCad has grown up a lot in the last few years.

This way, I can easily change to another PCB vendor in the future, assuming there is a 2nd one to choose, as every one will take the basic Gerber, etc. files.

So far, I found symbols and footprints are usually readily available for most components on the web for free. They don't usually 'date' very much ... it is just a case of collecting the parts for your actual design. Things like 0402 are 'easy' as they have been defined for years... it is new packages for ICs, connectors,etc. that are usually more awkward.

And for 'hobby' usage, I would probably try to avoid the smallest parts, unless you are building something like a watch.

Of course, my decisions and views may prove to be ill chosen, only time will tell. Plus, you may have completely different goals and ambitions.

Best wishes, Dave

Thanks for the reply's,

I've had a look into some of this today and looks like 'KiCAD' will do for my needs, just need to get my head around the software and i should be ok, it produces something called Gerber Files which i think will be the correct type of file to send to a 3rd party PCB manufacturer.

I'm still looking for a UK based company for the PCB part of this so if i come across one i will post later with links and information if i can.

Youtube had this demo of KiCAD in action so i'll paste the link, someone may find it helpful as it runs through some basic steps to getting started...

'sDesignGraveyard

Thanks for the replies