What Photo Design does

Photo Design of Arizona, Inc. is a privately held precision manufacturing services company founded in June 1980 and headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, operating from a 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. The company provides four interrelated quick-turn production services: laser-cut and chemically etched Surface Mount Technology (SMT) stencils in framed, frameless, prototype, rework/repair, high-tolerance, and step-up/down configurations; chemical milling and etching for thin metals including stainless steel, copper, brass, and Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) with step-up and step-down capabilities not achievable by laser cutting alone; laser photoplotting for PCB artwork generation with quarter-mil and eighth-mil resolutions; and precision laser cutting for stainless steel and alloy parts up to 0.075 inches thick. Named enterprise customers include Custom Circuit Boards, GMA Manufacturing, FlexPCB, Compunetics, and Precision Devices, spanning PCB fabrication, contract manufacturing, flex and rigid-flex circuits, electronics manufacturing, and precision manufacturing verticals.

The underlying technology is built around a capital-intensive, proprietary equipment stack: the LPKF SL25 Stencil Laser System for stencil positional accuracy, the Fire 9500 laser photoplotter with IGI front-end rastering on Kodak 7 mil Ultraline film, NC-based laser cutting systems with custom motion control for stainless steel, and a full chemical etch department with electrolytic plating options. In-house CAD/CAM specialists with over 30 years of aperture editing experience support these capabilities and are cited by customers as a quality differentiator. The firm is ITAR registered and listed on SAM.gov, qualifying it for aerospace, military, and defense contract work; the company consistently emphasizes 24–48 hour standard turnaround as a primary value proposition.

Photo Design operates a direct sales model with quote-based, per-project pricing. Customers request quotes via a toll-free number (800-676-7230), local line, or a 24/7 online form accessible from the website, and orders are custom-manufactured to customer-supplied specifications with no publicly disclosed pricing and no minimum buys or setup fees on laser cutting services. Target segments are PCB fabrication companies, contract manufacturers, electronics and semiconductor firms, aerospace/military/defense customers, and prototype/low-volume manufacturers worldwide. The company has maintained continuous independent operations from its original Tempe headquarters since 1980 with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, external funding, acquisitions, or partnerships in the source material.

Name

Photo Design

Legal name

Photo Design of Arizona, Inc.

Website

https://photodesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Photo Design of Arizona is a precision manufacturer of SMT stencils, chemically etched thin-metal parts, PCB photoplotting artwork, and laser-cut metal components, serving PCB fabricators, contract manufacturers, and aerospace/defense customers worldwide from its Tempe, Arizona facility since 1980.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (334419)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film) (IMAGAJAM)

Keywords

• SMT stencils
• Chemical etching services
• Laser photoplotting
• Precision laser cutting
• PCB fabrication supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SMT Stencils: Sale of laser cut and chemically etched SMT stencils including framed, frameless, prototype, rework/repair, and high-tolerance stencils. One-time product sales with potential for repeat orders
2. Chemical Milling/Etching Services: Chemical etching services for thin metals including stainless steel, copper, brass, and DBC. Services include standard etching, step-up/step-down etching, and plating options
3. Laser Cutting Services: Precision laser cutting services for stainless steel, alloys, and brass. Quick-turn prototyping and low-volume production runs with no minimum buys or setup fees
4. Laser Photoplotting Services: Film photoplotting, silkscreen artwork generation, PCB scanning, and DXF/DWG to Gerber conversion services for PCB fabrication companies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Photo Design of Arizona manufactures precision quick-turn products for the PCB and electronics industries from its 20,000 sq ft Tempe, Arizona facility. Its core offerings are laser cut and chemically etched SMT stencils (framed, frameless, prototype, step-up/down, and rework), chemical milling of thin metals including stainless steel, copper, brass, and DBC, laser photoplotting of PCB artwork using a Fire 9500 system, and NC-based laser cutting of stainless steel parts up to .075" thick.

Product overview

Photo Design of Arizona, Inc. is a precision manufacturing services company offering a portfolio of four interrelated quick-turn production services: SMT Stencils (laser cut and chemically etched stencils for PCB assembly), Chemical Milling/Etching (for thin metals including stainless steel, copper, brass, and DBC), Laser Photoplotting (PCB artwork generation with conversion services), and Laser Cutting (precision metal cutting). These services share common capabilities in CAD/CAM data processing and serve the PCB fabrication, electronics manufacturing, aerospace, and military industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SMT Stencils High-quality laser cut and chemically etched SMT stencils for PCB solder paste application used by PCB fabrication companies, contract manufacturers, and flex circuit fabricators worldwide. Available in framed, frameless, prototype, step-up/down, relief, and mini/rework configurations.
• Chemical Milling/Etching Professional chemical milling and etching services for thin metals (.001" to .050" thickness) including stainless steel, copper, brass, and DBC substrates. Provides step-up and step-down etching features that are not possible with laser cutters, plus electrolytic plating options, for electronics, semiconductor, and precision parts applications.
• Laser Photoplotting Laser photoplotting services for PCB artwork generation including film photoplotting, silkscreen artwork generation, PCB scanning, and DXF/DWG to Gerber file conversion for PCB fabrication companies worldwide.
• Laser Cutting Services Precision NC-based laser cutting services for stainless steel, alloys, and brass parts up to .075" thick with precise hole tolerances. Specializes in quick-turn prototyping and low-volume production runs worldwide with no minimum buys or setup fees, serving aerospace, military, and electronic industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-48 hour standard turnaround for many services
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Xometry: Large digital marketplace offering on-demand laser cutting, CNC machining, and sheet-metal fabrication. Competes with Photo Design's laser cutting service but as a broad multi-process platform rather than a specialty stencil shop.
• Hubs: Online manufacturing platform aggregating CNC machining, laser cutting, and sheet-metal fabrication services globally. Competes with Photo Design's laser cutting service as a broad, scaled, digitally-enabled incumbent.
• Protolabs: Global digital manufacturer providing rapid prototyping and low-volume production across CNC, injection molding, and sheet metal/laser cutting. Overlaps Photo Design's quick-turn laser cutting offering as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Fotofab LLC: Chemical etching and photochemical machining specialist serving electronics, aerospace, and defense customers with precision thin-metal parts. Comparable process technology and end-market mix.
• BlueRing Stencils: US-based SMT stencil supplier offering framed, frameless, prototype, and step-up/step-down stencils for PCB assembly. Direct overlap with Photo Design's core stencil product line and target customers.
• Tech Etch: Precision chemical etching and photochemical machining company producing thin-metal components and flat parts. Directly comparable in chemical milling capability and aerospace/medical customer overlap.
• Precision Micro: European chemical etching specialist producing precision thin-metal components for electronics, aerospace, and medical markets. Comparable in process, customer verticals, and quick-turn prototype positioning.
• Stencil Technologies: Specialty manufacturer of SMT stencils, step-up/step-down stencils, and rework stencils for PCB assembly. Directly comparable product line and customer base in the PCB stencil market.
• AD-TEK (Advanced Tooling & Engineering): Precision chemical etching and photo-etching supplier for thin-metal parts including DBC substrates used in power electronics. Directly comparable capability set to Photo Design's chemical milling line.
• TechnoTool Inc. Specialty manufacturer of SMT stencils, laser-cut tooling, and chemical-etched metal parts serving PCB assembly customers. Closely aligned in product mix (stencils, chemical milling, laser services) and quick-turn value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Photo Design