Bay Area Circuits

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.

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

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

• PCB manufacturing services
• Quick-turn PCB fabrication
• PCB assembly services
• PCB design services
• PCB prototyping

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EMS PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAC 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.
• DipTracecoreTechnology or IntegrationBAC'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)minorOthersBAC 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 CarminorOthersBAC 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/bayareacircuits
• Facebookfacebook.com/BayAreaCircuits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bay-area-circuits

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bay Area Circuits