Bay Area Circuits
Bay Area Circuits is a privately held quick-turn PCB manufacturer founded in 1975 in Fremont, California, providing design, fabrication (up to 30 layers), and turnkey assembly services to defense, aerospace, technology, medical, and research customers via its InstantDFM online platform and direct enterprise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersFremont, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bay Area Circuits does
Bay Area Circuits is a privately held, founder-owned quick-turn printed circuit board manufacturer founded in 1975 by Lawrence Nobriga and operating from a single 30,000 square foot facility in the Fremont Innovation District of Silicon Valley. The company provides end-to-end PCB solutions across three service lines — design (schematic capture, layout, library creation, DFx analysis), fabrication (2-layer through 30-layer boards with same-day turnaround for 2-layer and 24-hour delivery for multi-layer), and turnkey assembly (SMT, thru-hole, mixed technology, BGA, FPBGA, QFN) — with fabrication handled in-house and assembly delivered via integrated workflows with trusted EMS partners. Its proprietary digital tools include InstantDFM (a web-based instant quoting and DFM analysis platform) and PCB Creator (a free DipTrace-powered schematic and layout tool), which together underpin a hybrid go-to-market combining self-serve product-led growth for SMBs and individual designers with dedicated enterprise field sales for Fortune 500 accounts.
The company holds ISO 9001, ITAR, UL, and RoHS certifications, enabling it to serve regulated and defense customers including NASA, Raytheon, Honeywell, Sandia National Laboratories, NVIDIA, Intel, Google, Abbott, and Applied Materials, as well as academic and research institutions such as Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Revenue is generated primarily through per-order, quote-based pricing on fabrication and assembly services with no minimum quantity requirements, supplemented by custom PCB design services billed as professional engagements. BAC differentiates through rapid turnaround, ITAR and ISO certifications, its 45+ years of operating history, an in-house DFM and quoting tool, and free design software that drives top-of-funnel customer acquisition.
The business is founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the available record. Customer concentration spans multiple industries (aerospace, defense, technology, medical, semiconductor equipment, education, and research) under an explicitly horizontal segmentation approach, serving both early-stage startups and Fortune 500 enterprises from the same Fremont site. Material sourcing is diversified across multiple specialty laminate suppliers (Arlon, Isola, IteQ, Nelco, Rogers, Taconic, Ventec), and operating geographies are concentrated in the United States with no documented international expansion despite the global accessibility of the InstantDFM web platform.
Bay Area Circuits firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bay Area Circuits
- Legal name
- Bay Area Circuits
- Website
- https://bayareacircuits.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bay Area Circuits is a privately held quick-turn PCB manufacturer founded in 1975 in Fremont, California, providing design, fabrication (up to 30 layers), and turnkey assembly services to defense, aerospace, technology, medical, and research customers via its InstantDFM online platform and direct enterprise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bay Area Circuits industry classification
Industry- Product category
- PCB Manufacturing Services
- NAICS
- Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412), Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418)
- SIC
- Printed Circuit Boards (3672)
- akta.pro primary industry
- PCB Fabrication (Rigid PCBs) (HDAHAOAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI), Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film) (IMAGAJAM)
Keywords
Where Bay Area Circuits is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fremont
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bay Area Circuits business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- PCB Fabrication: Quick-turn PCB fabrication services producing 2-layer to multi-layer PCBs with rapid turnaround times. Same-day delivery for 2-layer projects and 24-hour delivery for multi-layer designs. Revenue is generated per order based on complexity, layer count, materials, and turnaround requirements.
- PCB Assembly: Turnkey PCB assembly services including component procurement, SMT, thru-hole, and mixed technology assembly. Revenue generated from fabrication plus assembly services, with options for full turnkey or consignment-only arrangements.
- PCB Design Services: Custom PCB layout and design services including schematic capture, library creation, power integrity analysis, and DFx analysis. Services provided by dedicated design team with decades of experience.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Bay Area Circuits product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bay Area Circuits manufactures printed circuit boards, providing quick-turn PCB fabrication (2-layer to multi-layer up to 30 layers), custom PCB design services, and turnkey PCB assembly. The company supports end-to-end PCB production from a 30,000 sq ft facility in Fremont, California, with same-day turnaround for 2-layer boards and 24-hour delivery for multi-layer designs.
Product overview
Bay Area Circuits provides end-to-end printed circuit board solutions encompassing design services, fabrication, and assembly. The core product offerings include InstantDFM (web-based quoting and DFM analysis tool), PCB Creator (free design software), and three main service lines: PCB Design Services, Fabrication Services, and Assembly Services. Supporting tools include the PCB Array Calculator and Panelizer Tool. The company operates a 30,000 square foot facility in Fremont, California, offering quick-turn capabilities with same-day turnaround for 2-layer projects and 24-hour delivery for multi-layer boards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- InstantDFM: Web-based tool providing customized, quick-turn printed circuit board pricing and design for manufacturability (DFM) reports within minutes.
- PCB Creator
Products and services
- PCB Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Same-day turnaround for 2-layer PCBs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bay Area Circuits
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bay Area Circuits technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Bay Area Circuits partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EMS PartnerscoreBAC works with trusted Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partners for turnkey PCB assembly services. These partnerships enable integrated workflows where BAC handles fabrication in-house while EMS partners provide assembly capabilities, producing PCBs to highest quality standards at fastest speeds.
- DipTracecoreBAC's PCB Creator software is powered by the DipTrace platform, providing integrated schematic capture, PCB layout, 3D preview, and component editors. BAC offers upgraded DipTrace versions for customers needing capabilities beyond the free PCB Creator limits.
- Material Suppliers (Arlon, Isola, IteQ, Nelco, Rogers, Taconic, Ventec)minorBAC works with multiple material suppliers to offer diverse PCB materials including FR-4, polyimide, PTFE, ceramic polymer, and hydrocarbon/ceramic materials. Suppliers include Arlon, Isola, IteQ, Nelco, Rogers, Taconic, and Ventec.
- Illini Solar CarminorBAC sponsors Illini Solar Car, an engineering team at the University of Illinois, supporting their solar vehicle competition efforts with PCB manufacturing services.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bay Area Circuits competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JLCPCB: JLCPCB is a high-volume, low-cost online PCB fabrication and assembly platform serving global hobbyist and SMB demand; it competes with BAC's self-serve quick-turn business on price for non-regulated prototypes.
- Advanced Circuits: Advanced Circuits is a U.S.-based PCB manufacturer specializing in quick-turn prototype and small-to-medium volume production, competing head-to-head with BAC on turnaround time and online instant quoting.
- PCBWay: PCBWay is a global online PCB prototype and assembly provider offering instant online quoting similar to BAC's InstantDFM, targeting the same engineer/SMB segment worldwide.
- Sierra Circuits: Sierra Circuits is a California-based quick-turn PCB fabrication and assembly company serving engineers and OEMs, directly comparable to BAC's core prototyping-to-volume offering in the same regional and product niche.
- Sunstone Circuits: Sunstone Circuits is a U.S. quick-turn PCB prototype manufacturer with an online ordering/quoting platform, comparable to BAC's InstantDFM-led self-serve prototype model.
Emerging players
- PCBCart: PCBCart is an online PCB fabrication and assembly provider offering prototype-to-volume services; it has significant overlap with BAC's SMB and engineer self-serve business but with a stronger China-based cost structure.
Broad incumbents
- Flex (Flextronics): Flex is a global EMS/ODM that provides PCB assembly and related design-to-production services; while not a pure PCB fabricator, it competes with BAC's turnkey assembly offering for enterprise and Fortune 500 customers.
- Sanmina Corporation: Sanmina is a large-tier global EMS and PCB manufacturer with vertically integrated fabrication and assembly, competing for the Fortune 500 production-volume PCB work BAC sells into but at vastly greater scale.
- TTM Technologies: TTM Technologies is one of the largest North American PCB manufacturers serving aerospace, defense and communications; it competes with BAC for ITAR-classified defense and aerospace PCB programs but at substantially higher volume and technology breadth.
Regional players
- Eurocircuits: Eurocircuits is a European quick-turn PCB prototype and small-batch manufacturer with online ordering tools; it competes with BAC in concept but primarily serves EMEA-based engineers rather than the U.S. market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bay Area Circuits social profiles
Digital presenceBay Area Circuits compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Bay Area Circuits financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bay Area Circuits leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bay Area Circuits funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bay Area Circuits M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bay Area Circuits
What does Bay Area Circuits do?
Bay Area Circuits manufactures printed circuit boards, providing quick-turn PCB fabrication (2-layer to multi-layer up to 30 layers), custom PCB design services, and turnkey PCB assembly. The company supports end-to-end PCB production from a 30,000 sq ft facility in Fremont, California, with same-day turnaround for 2-layer boards and 24-hour delivery for multi-layer designs.
Is Bay Area Circuits a public or private company?
Bay Area Circuits is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bay Area Circuits founded?
Bay Area Circuits was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bay Area Circuits based?
Bay Area Circuits is headquartered in Fremont, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bay Area Circuits make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. PCB Fabrication is the primary driver. The others are PCB Assembly and PCB Design Services.
Who are Bay Area Circuits's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JLCPCB, Advanced Circuits, PCBWay, Sierra Circuits and Sunstone Circuits. PCBCart is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Flex (Flextronics), Sanmina Corporation and TTM Technologies. Eurocircuits is listed as a regional player.
Does Bay Area Circuits have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bay Area Circuits.
What industry is Bay Area Circuits in?
Bay Area Circuits's product category is PCB Manufacturing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHAOAG, PCB Fabrication (Rigid PCBs), with a secondary code of HDAHAOAI, PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS). Its NAICS code is 334412 and its SIC code is 3672.