Buyers and engineers, especially those who are just getting involved in this industry, will ask questions after receiving PCB assembly quotations: What costs are included in PCB assembly?
What factors will affect its price? And how to reduce PCB assembly cost? Excellent, in this blog, we will answer them one by one, please read on.
What costs are included in PCB assembly ?
- PCB charging
If you need a PCB manufacturer to make a bare PCB board for your PBCA, then the PCB board will be the first part of the cost. The cost of the PCB board is determined by the ease of PCB manufacturing and the materials used.
- Parts procurement cost
Generally, PCB assemblers will buy components for customers, and some customers will also nominate component suppliers, so PCBA suppliers only need to follow the BOM to get the correct components, which is another important part of the assembly cost.
- project costs
For small quantity orders, factory will charge engineering cost or setup cost, generally, these costs are included in PCB assembly cost and SMT cost.
- template cost
Stencil is necessary for PCB assembly, whether you use framed stencil or frameless stencil. Therefore, when we calculate the cost, we should also consider the stencil cost. Generally, the cost of framed stencil is much higher than that of frameless stencil, but in large Most of the time, we use framed templates and frameless templates are for prototyping only.
- labor cost
Unlike Surface Mount Technology (SMT), DIP soldering requires more labor because it is a manual soldering process, so labor cost is another aspect included in PCB assembly.
- PCBA testing cost
Some customers require additional testing for the functionality and programming of the PCBA, which is another aspect that needs to be included in the PCB assembly cost.
Main Factors Affecting PCB Assembly Cost
- Types of PCB Materials
The cost of printed circuit board is determined by the materials used, commonly used materials include FR4, polyimide, PTFE, and metal, generally speaking, the cost of FR4 is lower than that of metal materials. But please remember that PCB material selection cannot Only look at the cost, more importantly, we should pay attention to the performance of each material, make sure the material used can meet your product requirements.
- layers
The number of layers is a very critical factor affecting the cost of PCB assembly. The more PCB layers you need to assemble, the more money you will spend. For example, a multi-layer PCBA is more expensive than a single-layer PCBA. But the number of layers of a PCBA should Depends on your exact requirements. For some complex devices, a multi-layer PCBA is necessary to ensure that the device can perform as expected.
- Assembly technology
The technology used to assemble the components also affects the PCB assembly cost. In general, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) costs less than Through Hole Technology (THT), because the process of SMT is automated and more efficient, while THT costs More time to punch holes on the board. In addition, some PCBs may also need to use ball grid array or BGA assembly, which will increase the assembly cost. So before we start the assembly, we need to figure out your project requirements and choose the right Assembling technology, don't ignore the performance of components just because you want to reduce the assembly cost, because it may cause the failure of PCB or even the whole device.
- National Labor Costs for PCB Assembly
Labor cost will greatly affect PCB assembly cost, labor cost varies from region to region. For example, labor cost in US and Europe is much higher than South Asia, you can save about 50% assembly labor when getting assembly service in cheap labor countries Cost. But when you choose labor force from different countries, you should also pay attention to their expertise in PCB assembly, especially for some complicated PCB assembly projects like multi-layer PCBA.
- order quantity
The order quantity of PCBA will significantly affect the assembly cost, PCB assembler will offer favorable price for large order, while for small quantity, the cost per PCBA may be higher, especially when the quantity cannot reach the MOQ, then set Fees, engineering fees, and other one-time expenses are required, which will definitely increase the assembly cost. But for some high-volume orders, you may need to bear expensive shipping costs, which is another factor that you also need to consider when making a project budget .
- custom made
The more customization you need, the higher the cost, so it is important to pay close attention to the customization specifications. Customizations such as layer count, trace size, and coating on the PCB can add to the cost of the PCB assembly. In some cases, the PCBA requires To achieve specific performance, such as waterproof, and the assembly cost will be higher, because the assembler needs to customize from the bare board to the electronic components, which is indeed a time-consuming process.
- Estimated delivery time
The expected delivery time of your order will also affect your assembly cost, rush order will increase PCB assembly cost. On the one hand, assemblers need to suspend some existing orders and focus their productivity on your order, they may even require workers Working overtime to meet your schedule, and overtime will definitely increase the cost. On the other hand, regular shipping will waste a lot of time, so you have to choose expedited shipping to make sure you can receive your PCBA on time, but expedited shipping would result in higher costs.
- packaging cost
Package cost is another factor that affects PCB assembly cost, and different electronic component packages will result in different assembly costs. Some components may require more manpower to complete the package, taking BGA as an example, it takes more time and effort to complete the package energy because they must be connected to a power supply. Unlike other components, the electrical pins of BGAs must be X-rayed to check for problems such as short circuits, which will greatly increase assembly costs.
How to Save Your PCB Assembly Costs
- Optimizing PCB Design
Several factors affect PCB cost, including surface finish, PCB size, number of layers, and via technology. Properly designing these parts can help reduce cost while maintaining quality. For example, the more vias on a board The more, the more expensive they will cost, and the smaller the vias, the higher the cost. Therefore, it is important for designers to carefully arrange the number and size of vias. In addition, different shapes of boards will also affect the price, generally, square and The cost of shapes such as rectangles is lower than other special shapes, so when designing a PCB, if it is not necessary to make a special-shaped board, try to do it with a regular shape.
- Comprehensive Bill of Materials
It is very important to create a Bill of Materials (Brilliantly) including raw materials, components, subassemblies, and subassemblies required for PCB fabrication and assembly. A valid BOM should contain necessary data such as part number, manufacturer name, reference designator, description, Quantity, package, footprint, and note, large quantities of orders can save a lot of assembly costs. Generally, PCB assemblers will provide a BOM template, you only need to fill in according to your PCBA requirements. We recommend adding component replacement in the BOM, along with With the rapid development of the electronics industry, new and upgraded components will replace the old ones, and it will take a long time to find replacements in the market. If you can provide complete BOM and component replacement information, PCB assemblers can deliver PCBA without delay and reduce costs .
- Find a Reliable PCB Assembler
Cooperating with a reliable PCB assembler can also save your assembly cost, a good assembler can help you reduce the cost while ensuring the assembly quality. But choosing the right assembler is not easy, the following is about how to choose a reliable PCB Some key considerations for assemblers: First, you should check their certifications to ensure that the PCB assembler's manufacturing capabilities and management practices can meet high standards. They should at least have certifications like ISO9001, RoHS, IPC, and UL Second, you should know what kind of equipment they use. Advanced equipment can improve assembly efficiency and ensure high quality of assembly, for example, advanced SMT equipment can ensure that components can be assembled with high precision. Lastly, you should check the assembler Whether the relationship with suppliers is good. A stable supplier network ensures that you can get preferential prices, and more importantly, can ensure a stable supply of raw materials or electronic components to avoid delivery delays.
- Adjust order quantities and lead times
According to the economy of scale, the more PCBA you place, the lower price you can get. So, before placing an order, it is better to make a scientific estimate of the project demand and know its order quantity. If the demand is large, it is better to Place orders instead of batches. As for lead times, make sure you have negotiated specific dates with your assembler. And get your supplier to start assembling as soon as possible, otherwise assembly times will be rushed and additional costs will be incurred.
- source labor from low-wage areas
As we all know, PCB assembly workers in Western Europe and the United States are skilled, but the cost will be very high. Therefore, cooperating with assemblers in low-income areas is another way to reduce costs. But we should note that reducing assembly costs is not our Ultimately, it is true that countries such as Vietnam or India have lower labor costs, but they lack skilled labor and cannot guarantee the quality of PCBA. Instead, we recommend you to work with a PCB assembler in China where the labor cost is not high and And they have enough skilled labor.