back when i was doing research for the DoD, we would order the PCBs we designed from an authorized US supplier, and we would assemble them with our reflow oven, cuz China was a no-no. Also, PCB assembly is so automated that probably labor cost isn’t important anymore, but the supply chain benefits of Shenzhen still win from the logistics perspective
Assembly is relatively straightforward, but sourcing all the components locally is likely getting harder and harder. Granted, for DoD contract reasons there’s likely a cottage industry that relies on government rules to keep things onshore. That’s part of the reason why we still have some made in the USA clothing.
Most of these components could easily be made elsewhere, albeit at a higher cost.
back when i was doing research for the DoD, we would order the PCBs we designed from an authorized US supplier, and we would assemble them with our reflow oven, cuz China was a no-no. Also, PCB assembly is so automated that probably labor cost isn’t important anymore, but the supply chain benefits of Shenzhen still win from the logistics perspective
Assembly is relatively straightforward, but sourcing all the components locally is likely getting harder and harder. Granted, for DoD contract reasons there’s likely a cottage industry that relies on government rules to keep things onshore. That’s part of the reason why we still have some made in the USA clothing.
This is worth a listen or a watch if you’re interested.
There’s a huge difference between making a PCB and a modern processor.