PROTO-ELECTRONICS
PROTO-ELECTRONICS.COM, THE FAST PROTOTYPING PLATFORM FOR ELECTRONIC BOARDS EXPERIENCES STRONG GROWTH Proto-Electronics is a French company founded by Damien Rossignon, specializing in the rapid, high-quality prototyping of assembled printed circuit boards. Previously at Altrics, a contract manufacturer specializing in PCB assembly, he had anticipated the industry demand for rapid prototyping of PCBAs in 2010 and set up a dedicated workshop in his company.
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ith the creation in 2014 of Proto-Electronics and its online platform www.protoelectronics.com, the goal was to reduce prototype production times which took several weeks and enable companies to accelerate their time-to-market. The company was the first in France at this time to rethink the activity of prototyping assembled PCBs and to offer a fully automated quotation service with a response time of less than ten minutes and a production lead time of 5 days. Today, the platform is now well-known throughout Europe (with a delivery to over 26 countries), and mobilizes more than 18,000 prototype designers. The prototyping of assembled PCBs is key part of new product development and in a dynamic and constantly growing electronics market, requirements are constantly increasing (smaller and smaller components, specific soldering techniques, etc.). This is true in all market segments: LED, IoT, embedded systems, automotive. Digitalization of the prototype design process Boosted by a successful digital transition, Proto-Electronics has shaken up the electronics industry by revolutionizing the prototyping business through the digitalization and dematerialization of the various services: project costing, selection of electronic components, PCB characteristics and modes of communication with the customers. The production times have been reduced dramatically from 4 weeks to 5 working days. The projects (from 1 to 50 pieces) and prices are directly available online.
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In 2016, a new version of the platform was launched in response to the global component shortage crisis faced by the electronics industry. Gateways were created to world-class component suppliers to ensure both competitive pricing and timely availability. All prototypes are assembled in a specialized workshop for PCB assembly prototypes, using a quality machine park equipped with reflow oven (vapour phase soldering), X-Ray Inspection system, SMT Smartline, SMT BGA/QFN station, Automatic Visual Inspection System, etc. The operators work according to the IPC610 standard for electronics subcontractors and the company is certified to the ISO9001: 2015 standard. The workshop benefits from regular further investments and recruitment to cope with the booming activity.
