PCB Copy in Stockholm — Full Board Duplication Without a Local Lab
PCB copy in Stockholm works through a straightforward remote workflow: you ship your circuit board from Sweden, and our engineers return production-ready Gerber files, a verified BOM, a schematic, and a netlist. The entire process takes 5–8 working days for boards up to 6 layers, with no need for a reverse-engineering facility in Scandinavia. We handle boards from single-sided consumer products to 14-layer industrial controllers, all under a mutual NDA signed before any work begins.
Why Stockholm Engineers Need Remote PCB Copy Services
Sweden has a strong electronics sector — telecom infrastructure, automotive subsystems, medtech, and industrial automation — but local PCB reverse-engineering labs are scarce. Most Stockholm-area companies that need a board duplicated face two options: outsource to a European partner with long lead times and high hourly rates, or ship directly to a specialist facility with dedicated cross-sectioning, X-ray imaging, and layer-by-layer scanning equipment.
The second option is faster and typically 30–50 % less expensive. Our facility processes over 200 boards per month, which means your Stockholm PCB copy project enters an established pipeline rather than being a one-off job for a generalist lab.
Common Scenarios from Swedish Clients
- Legacy equipment support: An Ericsson-era telecom board with no surviving design files needs exact reproduction for a network operator’s spare-parts inventory.
- Second-source qualification: A Gothenburg automotive supplier wants to validate a sub-tier vendor’s board against the approved design — a board copy provides the comparison baseline.
- Prototype recovery: A startup in Kista lost its Altium project files after a contractor dispute; the only surviving artifact is the populated prototype board.
- End-of-life redesign: A medtech company in Solna needs to migrate a 4-layer FR-4 board to a new form factor but has no original Gerber data.
How the PCB Copy Stockholm Shipping Process Works
Shipping a bare or populated PCB from Stockholm to our facility is routine. Here is the step-by-step workflow:
- Request a quote: Send photos of both sides of the board plus basic info — layer count (if known), dimensions, and quantity of unique designs. We reply within one business day.
- Sign the NDA: A mutual non-disclosure agreement covers all data, files, and board images. We can use your company’s template or ours.
- Ship the board: Use DHL, FedEx, or UPS from Stockholm Arlanda. Typical transit is 2–3 business days. Declare the board as “printed circuit board assembly for engineering analysis” with the correct HS code (8534.00). No special export license is required for standard commercial PCBs shipped from Sweden.
- Engineering work: We photograph, scan, de-layer (if multi-layer), digitize every copper layer, extract the BOM from component markings, and draw the schematic from the netlist.
- Review and delivery: You receive a file package via encrypted transfer. We walk through any ambiguities — corroded vias, unreadable part markings, impedance assumptions — over a video call aligned to CET.
Shipping Tips for Stockholm Senders
Pack the board in an anti-static bag inside a rigid box with at least 20 mm of foam on each side. If the board has tall components (connectors, heat sinks), add a frame to prevent crush damage. For populated boards with BGA packages, avoid extreme cold holds — request “priority” or “express” service to minimize time in unheated cargo areas during Swedish winters.
What You Receive: Deliverable File Formats
| Deliverable | Format | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Gerber files | RS-274X / Gerber X2 | Every copper layer, solder mask, silkscreen, drill file, board outline |
| BOM | Excel / CSV | Manufacturer part number, package, value, designator, verified against distributor databases |
| Schematic | PDF + editable (Altium / KiCad / OrCAD on request) | Hierarchical sheets for designs > 50 components |
| Netlist | IPC-D-356A | Machine-readable net connectivity for DFM checks |
| Centroid / pick-and-place | CSV | X-Y coordinates, rotation, layer — ready for SMT line |
| Stackup report | Cross-section photo, measured dielectric thickness, copper weight estimate |
If you need an impedance-controlled stackup, we measure trace widths and dielectric constants from the cross-section and provide a calculated impedance table referencing IPC-2141 guidelines. This level of detail is standard on every PCB copy project we deliver to Stockholm and elsewhere.
Turnaround, Pricing Signals, and Capacity
Turnaround depends on layer count and complexity. Here are realistic ranges for Stockholm-origin projects, including round-trip shipping:
| Board Complexity | Engineering Time | Total Door-to-Door | Starting Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 layers, ≤ 100 components | 3–4 working days | 7–9 days | $320 |
| 4 layers, ≤ 300 components | 5–7 working days | 9–12 days | $600 |
| 6–8 layers, ≤ 600 components | 7–10 working days | 11–15 days | $1,200 |
| 10–14 layers / HDI | 10–15 working days | 14–20 days | $2,500+ |
Prices are project-based, not hourly. A 4-layer board with 200 passives and 30 ICs is a different job than a 4-layer RF front-end with tight trace/space and blind vias — the latter costs more because it requires impedance verification and micro-section imaging. We quote after reviewing your photos, not from a calculator.
What Can Go Wrong — and How We Handle It
Honest engineering means acknowledging limits:
- Corroded or burnt boards: If copper traces are damaged, we interpolate from surrounding geometry and flag every assumption. You approve before we finalize.
- Unmarked or custom-marked ICs: House-numbered parts cannot be identified from markings alone. We extract the pinout from the netlist and recommend functional equivalents where possible, but firmware inside a custom MCU is a separate IC readout and recovery project.
- Buried/blind via registration: On 8+ layer HDI boards, via alignment between inner layers can shift during de-layering. We use X-ray imaging first to map vias non-destructively before any chemical etching.
- Conformal coating: Boards with thick polyurethane or silicone coating require extra time (add 1–2 days) for safe removal before component identification.
Sweden-Specific Customs and Logistics Notes
Sweden is part of the EU customs union. Shipping a PCB out of the EU for engineering services and receiving digital files back does not trigger import duty on the files themselves. If we return the physical board after analysis, you may need to declare it as a re-import — your freight forwarder can handle this with the original export documentation.
For dual-use concerns: standard commercial and industrial PCBs do not fall under EU dual-use export controls (Regulation 2021/821) unless they contain specific military or cryptographic components. If your board is part of a controlled system, confirm with the Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP) before shipping.
How Stockholm Compares to Other Markets We Serve
Our workflow is location-agnostic, but each market has its own shipping quirks. Stockholm clients benefit from fast EU-exit logistics and reliable carriers. Engineers in Zurich follow a similar European shipping path with comparable transit times. For teams coordinating multi-site projects, we also support board duplication projects originating from Tokyo, circuit board cloning from Hong Kong, and reverse engineering for Sydney-based companies. Every location uses the same NDA framework and encrypted file delivery.
Who Uses PCB Copy from Stockholm?
Our Swedish clients span several sectors:
- Industrial automation: ABB, Atlas Copco, and their tier-2 suppliers maintaining legacy control boards.
- Telecom: Network operators and infrastructure vendors needing spare-board documentation for 10–15 year lifecycle support.
- Medtech: Companies in Medicon Valley and Solna that must maintain full design traceability for CE-marked devices, even when original documentation has been lost.
- Defense subcontractors: Firms supporting FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) with obsolescence management — these projects always require NDA and proof of ownership before we begin.
Check feasibility for your project
Send the chip marking or board details and tell us what you need to recover. Add clear photos if available.
Request a feasibility reviewFrequently Asked Questions About PCB Copy in Stockholm
Do I need to send the original board, or can I send photos?
Photos are enough for a preliminary quote, but the physical board is required for accurate PCB copy work. We need to measure layer stackup, verify via structures, and read component markings under magnification. High-resolution photos help us estimate complexity and price before you ship.
How do you protect my intellectual property during the copy process?
We sign a mutual NDA before receiving any board or data. All files are stored on encrypted servers with access limited to assigned engineers. Boards are returned or securely destroyed after project completion, per your preference. We never retain or reuse design data. You can review our IP protection and authorization policies for full details.
Can you copy a board with BGA or QFN packages without removing them?
For outer-layer extraction, components stay in place. If the board is multi-layer and requires de-layering, we first X-ray the populated board to capture BGA ball maps and internal via positions. Components are then carefully removed and cataloged. BGA reballing is not included but can be arranged if you need the board returned functional.
Is PCB copy legal in Sweden?
Reverse engineering your own product, or a product you are authorized to analyze, is legal under Swedish and EU law. We require proof of ownership or written authorization from the IP holder before starting any project. This protects both parties and is standard practice across all markets we serve.
Working on a board like this?
Send the chip marking or two photos. You get feasibility, lead time and price within 24 hours, and the check costs nothing.
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