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Challenge:

Start-up companies understand that faster is usually better when it comes to circuit board design. This is especially true among companies whose products enable consumer electronics applications. Most designs require numerous iterations, causing drawn-out board house turnaround times, which can be extremely frustrating and costly for the manufacturers and customers involved. Wireless antenna manufacturer Dockon is very familiar with this scenario. Since the company provides customized compound antenna designs for wireless devices and applications, they often complete dozens of iterations of prototype designs before a product is final. Dockon needed a solution that could help them provide their customers with custom design samples and solutions in a timely and professional manner.

Solution:

To meet demand for timely product design solutions, Dockon turned to rapid PCB Prototyping equipment by LPKF®. Dockon was able to save significant time by performing prototype design iterations in-house, eliminating time and costs associated with hiring external board houses. LPKF’s PCB Prototyping system allows Dockon to complete accurate design iterations in a matter of minutes, enabling easy accommodation of customer requests.

Results:

Today, Dockon is confident they can complete customer requests for prototype examples quickly and professionally. Bringing prototyping equipment in-house has also helped Dockon’s sales efforts. The company uses its LPKF machine to produce functional samples for sales meetings. This has proved extremely valuable for Dockon, and has helped them verify claims made about their products. “Dockon claims our technology is powerful and efficient,” says Orsi. “By using the LPKF system, we can quickly and reliably produce quality samples that help us prove those claims. From a sales perspective, that’s really valuable.” In addition, Orsi claims the LPKF system has provided significant savings due to much faster turnaround times and by keeping the design process in-house. “The LPKF system has saved us thousands of dollars per month. When you factor in shipping costs associated with board houses and the time it takes to wait for the results, the LPKF system has paid for itself within a year.”