Curious how the pricing compares to overseas fabs once you factor in the 7-day turn — is that gap closing enough for non-defense teams to switch too, or is this mainly aimed at people who need the domestic supply chain regardless of cost?
Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
41–50 of 161 posts
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#42What are minimums?
Minimum board count: 5
Releasing detailed capability docs on our website today or tomorrow.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#43Curious how the pricing compares to overseas fabs once you factor in the 7-day turn — is that gap closing enough for non-defense teams to switch too, or is this mainly aimed at people who need the domestic supply chain regardless of cost?
Non-defense teams find value in getting fab done overseas and then turning to us for assembly and procurement. Bare boards are super expensive here.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#44You guys should really be making an end to end PCB machine, sourcing the parts and part inventory for custom PCBs really should be the responsibility of the end user.
whats the closest to this that exists today? (??? + pick and place?)
I'm not the expert but Gemini doesn't say anything exists besides the Voltera V-One (which obviously doesn't work for complex PCBs). I am imagining something like a PCB microfactory the size of a container (or even smaller) that completely handles PCB etch and drill, solder paste application, PnP, baking, and testing.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#45Any idea what pricing will be like? The fact that you call out Drone and Defense industries on your page suggests to me this is extremely expensive. I recently priced out getting a PCB done in China and its insanely cheap. My design isnt complicated, a few ICs, a few connectors, an a dozen or so passives. PCB manufacturing, parts, and soldering/assembly is on the order of $10-20 total per board and that is with zero…
Drones and defense have nothing to do with expense. It is 100% about getting on the approved vendor list, at which point the prices go up.
It’s not like PCB boards in the defense industry are somehow special, though they probably should be.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
whats the closest to this that exists today? (??? + pick and place?)
I'm not the expert but Gemini doesn't say anything exists besides the Voltera V-One (which obviously doesn't work for complex PCBs). I am imagining something like a PCB microfactory the size of a container (or even smaller) that completely handles PCB etch and drill, solder paste application, PnP, baking, and testing.
That would be super cool. Difficulty comes with multi-layer PCBs, hard to find a solution for laminating.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Think of this service basically for the same purpose as why Crye pants and stuff are manufactured domestically in the USA. But applied to circuit boards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_Amendment More specifically there are a number of new wide-spanning bans on import of mainland china made drone components such as flight controller boards, ESCs, power distribution boards, motors. The definition of "Blue UAS" pre…
This is exactly our initial market. We realized you can't beat China for a long time, so what do you do in that time? Service demand where you have a structural advantage.
Can I ask if you are working with any established US defense-oriented electronics firms that go further up the supply chain in auditing/documenting sources and chain of custody of components and the whole BOM? Having US made circuit boards is great but if a certain model of microcontroller only comes from one or two sources and they're in mainland CN, that's a known caveat that has to be documented somewhere... Or if the same product is available at a higher price from a different location. That sort of thing.
One example I could offer is APD, the ESC manufacturer in Australia. They sell ESCs used both in the commercial cinema/filming industry (big quads and coaxial octos carrying RED Komodo size cameras), but also for defense...
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#48You guys should really be making an end to end PCB machine, sourcing the parts and part inventory for custom PCBs really should be the responsibility of the end user.
Possibly, but our users find value in not having to kit, store, or ship parts to CMs.
I'm skeptical this is a cost effective for low volume prototyping which is where the speed of made in America matters.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is exactly our initial market. We realized you can't beat China for a long time, so what do you do in that time? Service demand where you have a structural advantage.
Can I ask if you are working with any established US defense-oriented electronics firms that go further up the supply chain in auditing/documenting sources and chain of custody of components and the whole BOM? Having US made circuit boards is great but if a certain model of microcontroller only comes from one or two sources and they're in mainland CN, that's a known caveat that has to be documented somewhere... Or if…
Haven't yet worked with them, but that is one of our goals. We produce documentation to trace all components up the supply chain. In cases where the part is truly only available in CN, we clearly state this.
Re: Launch HN: ProvenMetal (YC S26) delivers circuit boards in days instead of weeks
#50When you say PCB at the beginning are you referring to raw PCBs or PCBAs? Presumably your service will be sourcing raw PCBs from China still and just doing PCBA?
When my pal’s raw PCB company went out of business, you could buy a finished PCB from China for less than the cost of FR4, which also came from China. How do you intend to address this supply chain risk? Once China raises your cost of raw PCBs your price argument no longer works.
Also, are you sourcing components from US sources or using China? Recently I stopped purchasing from Digikey and Mouser because their services are much slower than they used to be, and I now get components much faster and for lower cost in China.