Tight production deadlines often present a seemingly compelling reason to head straight for full production. Don’t be fooled. Designing your PCB is just step one for ensuring manufacturability. Prototyping is the critical next step in the process, one that can make you more confident about your production runs. Some feel prototyping costs too much or it takes too much time or has to be outsourced abroad. Even if you’re in a hurry, prototyping makes sense. It also doesn’t have to cost a lot or happen five thousand miles away.

We believe prototyping is vital to a smooth, successful production run. Here’s why:

• Cost-effectively validates manufacturability of design

• Avoids expensive mistakes during full production

• Creates opportunities to iterate, innovate, and improve functionality

• Tests your boards for quality and durability

The second in our series of white papers, PCB Prototyping for Smarties examines how to align your prototyping strategy with business requirements, maintain flexibility in a fast-paced, always-evolving competitive environment, and—perhaps most importantly, produce quality boards.