There are many factors that determine the cost of manufacturing during the PCB&PCBA assembly and manufacture. Sometimes there are some forgotten indirect factors which can also add to the cost of PCB assembly, such as the number of components assembled, the placement of components, the cost of test equipment, etc.

To better help you understand some of the issues that may exist during the design phase and aspects of controlling costs, please see the following.

Some of the factors that affect the cost of PCB manufacturing.

• Technologies used in PCBs

Two common technologies used in the assembly process are SMT and THT, and sometimes some components may require both technologies, adding some cost.

• PCB assembly process requirements

Some PCB assemblies may require some processes are: wave soldering, hand soldering, x-ray, automatic optical inspection etc.

• Circuit board layers

Circuit boards are generally single-layer, double-layer, multilayer (greater than 2 layers), usually every two additional layers, the cost is different, the more layers, the higher the manufacturing cost.

• Surface treatment process

Circuit board commonly used surface treatment process are spray tin (Hot Air Solder Leveling), OSP, full board plating nickel gold, sink gold, sink tin, sink silver, chemical nickel palladium gold, electroplated hard gold, some special applications will have some special PCB surface treatment process.

The cost of different finishes varies considerably.

• Number of components

The cost usually increases with the number of placements required.

• PCB component size

Usually the installation of smaller components will increase the assembly cost somewhat.

• PCB board shape

Often there are multiple designs in the assembled PCB prototyping which increase the length of the board as well as the difficulty and also the cost.

• Certifications

Depending on your needs, some compliance tests such as RoHS, CE, FCC, etc. may be required to ensure compliance.

• Rigid or flexible circuit board assemblies

Usually flexible PCBs cost more to assemble than rigid PCBs.

• Testing

PCBs require a number of tests after manufacture and the method of testing is directly related to the cost.

• Packaging

Different circuit board types have different packaging methods and the cost of packaging varies for different requirements.

Several important tips you need to know:

To ensure that PCBs are manufactured efficiently and correctly, remember the following tips.

• Ensure a complete and detailed BOM

The PCB BOM is a list of components required for the PCB. It contains details of each component’s model number, manufacturer information, quantity, notes, etc.

In order to obtain a detailed and quick quotation, please provide your manufacturer with a complete and detailed BOM. For more information see how to optimize the BOM.

• Double-check the manufacturing documentation

For making sure the board you are building is correct, double check the number of holes and their size, through-hole technology, PCB material, PCB layers, etc.

• Checking

To ensure that your product is manufactured correctly, a number of tests and checks are important and cannot be omitted. It is also to help optimize your time and cost control.

• Order values and lead times

The more difficult the product, the higher the order value. Confirm assembly and manufacturing times with your manufacturer in advance. So that you have enough time to control your project costs.

KingPCB’s Services

KingPCB has over 10 years’ experience in circuit board assembly and manufacturing. We provide products that meet quality standards and you can rely on us to achieve your perfect circuit board manufacturing.

We offer high quality, efficient, high speed PCB manufacturing, contact us for a quick quote on your manufacturing project!