Frequently asked questions

We offer quick-turn prototype and small to mid-volume production assembly services. We also offer volume production scaling through our parent company, Milwaukee Electronics.

For quick-turn prototyping:

• PCB’s:
  • .75 in X .75 in (min – without panelization)
  • 18 in X 18 in (max)
• Components:
  • Cut or continuous tape
  • Full or partial reels
  • Tubes
  • Trays
  • Thru-hole parts on tape
• Placements:
  • Minimum passive component size: 0201
  • Minimum IC pitch: 0.35 mm (and requires a stencil)

For small to mid-volume production:

• PCBs:
  • 16 sq. inches (min)
  • 18 in. X 18 in. (max)
  • Requires panelization (please see panelization guide)
• Components:
  • Full or Partial Reels
  • Tubes
  • Trays
  • Thru-Hole parts on tape (other packaging acceptable, just cannot be sent in bulk)

Screaming Circuits does not fabricate the boards in-house, but we can order the bare boards for you through our partner, ASC Sunstone Circuits.

The minimum order size is one. We build single-board prototypes through volume runs.

Yes. Since Screaming Circuits builds to your BOM, you would just need to make sure that any components you do not want us to place are marked as DNP, and the Quantity is changed to zero.

Special instructions may be provided in PDF, Word, Notepad, assembly drawings, or other supporting documentation formats. These files should be included in the ZIP file containing your build package.

We also strongly recommend adding assembly notes directly to your quote and notifying your customer service representative that special instructions are included. This can be communicated by phone, chat, or email to help ensure all requirements are reviewed prior to assembly.

Special assembly instructions require additional engineering review and may increase the assembly cost, labor charges, and/or turn time associated with your order.

Please visit our full Terms & Conditions page.

We offer the following options for our customers:

• Full turnkey - Screaming Circuits sources the bare boards and all components needed for your build.
• Partial turnkey - You supply any combination of bare boards and/or components needed for your build, and Screaming Circuits will source the rest for you.
• Customer Supplied - You supply all materials, bare boards, and components needed for your build.

Leftover components, whether customer-supplied or Screaming Circuits-sourced, will be returned to the customer with the completed order.

• Please ensure that each package that is shipping to us includes your web order number, quote number, or job number. Missing quote or order references could cause delays in your assembly start time.
• Please provide tracking numbers for all incoming shipments to Screaming Circuits. This helps us schedule your job more accurately and identify potential material delays earlier in the process, allowing us to proactively adjust your assembly start date if needed.
• Each component package should be clearly marked with the part numbers listed on your Bill of Materials.
• If components are moisture or static-sensitive, please package them accordingly.
• Make sure to send enough attrition parts for your build! To prevent delays in starting or completing your build, please refer to our Attrition Guidelines for additional information.
• Please note: Sending loose IC’s may damage the parts and void the warranty.
  • Ship to:
    Screaming Circuits
    Quote: XXXXX-XXXXX
    1140 NW 3rd Ave
    Canby, OR 97013

• If part shortages are known during quoting or when you place your order, please let your customer service representative know.
• If we do not receive enough parts to cover attrition, and you did not notify us in advance, we may not be able to start your assembly build until we have enough parts. If this happens, we will notify you, and you will have the following options:
  • Supply the additional parts to us
  • We can order the additional parts
  • We can build short without the missing parts
• Please refer to our Attrition Guidelines for additional information.

• Each order requires its own individual parts kit. Multiple kits may be shipped together in the same package, but each kit must be clearly labeled with the appropriate quote or job number.
  • Components that are shared across multiple builds should be separated by quote or order number before shipment. If shared components are not separated, additional time may be required for our team to sort and allocate the parts appropriately. In some cases, this may also increase assembly costs.
  • One of the most common issues with shared components is ensuring that the correct attrition quantities are supplied for each individual build. Please refer to our Attrition Guidelines for additional information.

We follow the JEDEC J-STD-033 standard. If a component is labeled moisture-sensitive or arrives open and unlabeled, we'll determine whether it needs baking. Baking rarely affects 5- and 10-day assembly times, but can add up to 48 hours on 24- and 48-hour assembly orders. For that reason, we ask that components be sent sealed in their original packaging when possible.

Yes. And we prefer it for a more streamlined assembly process. Quick turn prototyping doesn't require panelization, though we recommend it for orders over 25 boards or boards under 16 square inches. Small to mid-volume production assembly orders require panelization. Please refer to our Panelization Guidelines for more detailed information.

Preferred for optimal assembly:

• Intelligent data: ASCII-Formatted CAD data, ODB++, IPC-2581
• Optionally, Eagle CAD .brd file
• Bill of Materials (.xls, .xlsx) — View Sample BOM
• Assembly drawings
• 3D renderings (if available)

Minimum required:

• Bill of Materials (.xls, .xlsx) — View Sample BOM
• Gerber files
• Centroid (a.k.a. Pick-and-Place) file
• Panelized Gerbers (if applicable and customer supplied)

Screaming Circuits builds to your BOM. Think of your BOM as the bridge between your PCB design and the various assembly processes required to build it.

When a BOM is not formatted correctly, it may not load successfully into our system, which can create issues such as skipped BOM lines, parts not being quoted, or components being incorrectly marked as DNP (Do Not Place).

See our BOM Formatting Guidelines for more details.

Screaming Circuits prides itself on being able to handle almost any job. If you do not find the options you are looking for on our website or quote tool, please contact us for assistance.

• Chat with us
• Call us - 866-784-5887
• Email us - Sales@ScreamingCircuits.com

Leadless components, such as BGAs and QFNs, are X-rayed as part of our standard assembly process. We also perform X-ray inspection on leadless ICs and other components whose solder connections cannot be fully inspected using traditional microscope inspection methods.

• Silkscreen is not required for assembly, but it is strongly preferred.
• If your boards do not include silkscreen markings, additional documentation will be required to verify component placement and rotation. This may include assembly drawings, centroid data, or other supporting documentation.
• Orders submitted without silkscreen require additional engineering review prior to assembly.

We offer leaded and lead-free assembly. By default, we offer no-clean flux, but we also offer water-soluble flux if your build requires that.

Yes. Conformal coat requires a custom quote. Because the conformal coating process takes place after assembly is complete, the coating process time will be in addition to your selected assembly turn time. A masking guide is also required to identify any components or areas of the board that must be protected from the coating process.

• The types of coating we offer are:
  • Humiseal 1B73
  • MG Chemicals 422B

• Our parent company, Milwaukee Electronics, handles volume production. We share expertise and information for a smooth transition from prototype to volume production.
• If you would like more information about our volume production services, please contact our Sales team at Sales@MilwaukeeElectronics.com or visit their website at milwaukeeelectronics.com

These are not within our standard service offerings, but we would be happy to look at your project scope and let you know if this is something we can partner with you on. Please reach out to our customer service team via chat or email us at Sales@ScreamingCircuits.com

• Our Customer Service and front-end teams are available Monday – Friday from 7 am – 5 pm PST, except for holidays.
• Production is operational 24 hrs. a day from Monday to Saturday.

We cannot begin assembly until all materials required for your build have been received. Our receiving cutoff time is noon.

If all required materials are received by noon on a given day, that day becomes your official assembly start date.

Assembly turn times are calculated on a rolling 24-hour basis. For example, if assembly begins at noon today, noon tomorrow would count as one full assembly day.

Our standard quote includes component placement services, including SMT machine placement, through-hole assembly, and hand placement where required.

The following are not included in a standard quote:

• Custom oven profiles
• Conformal coating
• Design modifications
• Special gluing or masking requirements
• Processes requiring specialized tooling, such as press-fit connectors or wire crimping

If your build requires any of these services, additional engineering review and a custom quote will be required. Please contact a customer service representative for additional information.

By default, we accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. We also accept wire transfers and ACH payments. We offer Terms accounts to customers who meet our Terms criteria. Contact our Customer Service Team for information.

Our default shipping carrier is UPS, and we can ship using the service option you select. If preferred, you may also provide your own shipping carrier, account number, and shipping service option for us to use when shipping your order.

Please visit our full Terms & Conditions page.

Screaming Circuits holds the following certifications and registrations:

• ISO 9001:2015 certified,
• By default we inspect to IPC-A-610 Class 2, Class 3 is available on request. (certificate is available here)
• For RoHS, we adhere to IPC-1066, finish category e1
• JEDEC J-STD-033 for moisture-sensitive components.
• AS9100:2016 (certificate is available here)
• Export Control, which includes:
  • ITAR
  • EAR
  • CUI
• DPAS – Including DO and DX-rated orders
• CMMC – Level 2 – Self Assessment

Yes! Screaming Circuits is a corporate member of the following organizations:

• SMTA
• PCEA
• NEDME

• Screaming Circuits warrants each assembly for workmanship up to 30 days after delivery. For manufacturing defects caused by Screaming Circuits, we will, at our discretion, repair the defects or refund the price of assembly labor. Please note that any modifications made by the customer after you have received the assembly nullify this warranty.
• To make a warranty claim, please contact your customer service representative and provide them with a description of the issues along with pictures. Your CSR will create an RMA and provide you with the instructions to return the faulty boards to us for inspection and repair.
• For more in-depth details about our warranty policy, please visit our Terms & Conditions page.