How to Control the Cost of PCB Assembly?
PCB Assembly Cost, every electronics engineer or designer wants to know, how to get the best PCB assembly quote, and how price affects PCB assembly cost. Here are some tips on how to control your PCB assembly price.
First, get a clear understanding of the properties of PCB assembly (PCBA) costs. Some of the biggest cost drivers include:
(1) Assembly Type Surface Mount Technology (SMD Components) Through Hole (DIP) Hybrid (Both)
(2) Component placement only requests top-level components to request double-sided assembly
(3) Total number of components (SMD + DIP)
(4) Component package size 1206 0804 0603 0402 020101005
(5) Component packaging (reel first) Reels Tubes Trays Cut strips with or without ties Loose bags
(6) The required process SMT patch through-hole automatic insertion through-hole sliding line wave soldering automatic optical inspection (AOI) X-ray selective soldering manual soldering assembly
(7) Quantity and batch size
(8) Special parts preparation requirements (ie lead length, height min/max, spacing)
(9) Total cost of complete bill of materials (BOM)
(10) Number of layers of bare board (PCB) and materials used
The cost of flexible PCB assemblies is higher than that of rigid PCB
(11) Coating requirements (full or selective coatings are usually required for medical or military) Number of spray or brush coats – coating area specified by coating tolerance
(12) Potting requirements (if any)
(13) Assembly compliance requirements RoHS (lead-free) non-RoHS (lead-containing) IPC-A-610D Class I, Class II or Class III ITAR
(14) Test requirements (RayMing prefer to test all PCBA boards before shipment, we hope you can tell us how to test) Power-on functional circuit test (ICT) No test for cycling (visual inspection only)
(15) Transportation Requirements Standard ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Bag Non-Standard/Special Container
(16) Delivery (RayMing provides quick turn pcb assembly service)
Standard turnaround, no rush requests for expedited quick turnarounds (labor and material costs are impacted)
These 16 tips affect pcb assembly prices, so you can choose the best one to save costs, and when you source parts, you can have multiple component sources for each component.
It is easy to control some costs, not only from digikey, some agents also have a strong price backing a component, reducing cost sources more quickly.
Set up processes to obtain low-cost resources between your design engineering and procurement departments. This is easier said than done. Conflicting priorities between design engineering and procurement can hinder this process.
One solution is to create material cost reduction committees. Management works with procurement and engineering to identify high-value cost-cutting opportunities. They are also working to identify strategic components that require multiple sources to ensure continuous production.
Overview of Printed Circuit Board Assembly Services
Depending on the design of the board, the availability of components and materials involved, you can choose one of the following services:
Electrical Assembly of PCBs
Mechanical assembly of PCBs
Steps to Assemble a Printed Circuit Board
In order to successfully perform PCB assembly, you need to follow some basic steps
1. Finish the design of the circuit board according to your design and drill holes in the basic positions of the metal plate (wear a dust cover to avoid any toxic metal dust or small particles).
2. Layout the components of the board perfectly according to your PCB design.
3. Adjust the polarity of the positive and negative components respectively.
4. Solder the components to the board to hold them securely in their place. Use tin or lead solder to fasten the components to the board.
5. After the bulky parts are soldered, pick the tiny parts with tweezers and fix them in place on the board with the help of adhesive/epoxy.
6. Thoroughly inspect the ends of the assembled printed circuit board for loose or unconnected components.
7. With the help of a multimeter, check the board for connection problems.
8. If there are any defects, please remove the solder of the faulty component, repair it, and then solder it back for final assembly.
9. Once the PCB is fully assembled, mount it in a permanent location.
How to Ensure Optimal Electronic PCB Assembly
Having a PCB capable of withstanding any electrical, mechanical or structural adverse effects throughout its expected life is certainly the goal of this product. Circuit board construction process. These goals are split equally between board fabrication and PCB assembly.
For manufacturing, the threat is cracks and breaks, while for assembly, the threat is open or short circuits that can damage components and boards.
These threats can be mitigated or even eliminated by optimal electronic PCB assembly processes. What is the best electronic PCB assembly? Let’s answer that question first, then define a way to ensure its implementation.
What is the best electronic PCB assembly?
Printed circuit board assemblies or PCBAs account for about half of the steps in the manufacturing phase of PCB development. In fact, all of this is focused on preparing the board for component mounting, actually mounting the components, or making sure they are securely mounted.
Follow these steps to meet your general requirements for attaching surface mount technology (SMT) or through-hole components, in most cases. However, performing the following steps does not guarantee that the circuit board will be manufactured to meet quality, reliability or speed goals.
All but the simplest circuits generally have constraints, limitations or special conditions that must be adhered to by PCB development. These may include or be one of the following:
Delivery Schedule Restrictions
For many designers, one of the most important aspects is manufacturing turnaround time. The ability of a CM to quickly build a board can greatly impact development cycle time.
Operation Lifecycle
Reliability is especially important if your design is used in a critical system, such as a Class 3 medical device, as system failure can lead to incorrect diagnosis and even loss of life.
Component Restrictions
Many industries and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have stringent requirements for the components that can be used in their systems. For example, suppliers to the military and the aerospace industry require supply chain documentation to avoid counterfeit components.
Acceptance Quality Level (AQL) Limits
Quality should always come first as it affects your production levels and return on investment (ROI). However, some customers have higher standards, possibly because of environmental or scaling deployment concerns.
manufacturability level
Depending on the system your board belongs to, there are various manufacturing levels of acceptable performance. Meeting the highest requirements of which IPC-6011 defines the level for PCBs, the requirements for assembly are to minimize defects and ensure that the end user can rely on its high level of performance.
Yield target
Another important metric that directly affects product development costs is yield, which is the ratio of available boards to actually built boards. Maximizing this rate is, and should be, a production goal of every design, as it plays an important role in determining your profit margin.
Testing requirements
The only way to assess a board’s ability to achieve its intended goals is to pass a test. This testing may be to evaluate the design by design testing or evaluating the physical properties of the board through manufacturing testing.
Regulations and Standards
All circuit boards are subject to regulatory control. At a minimum, there are standards for plate construction and materials. There is also quality management and risk mitigation.
This standard is standard if your PCB will be used in sensitive or critical systems such as medical equipment and aerospace systems.
Since electronic PCB assembly is the final stage of circuit board manufacturing, it assumes the role of verifying that your circuit board meets all applicable standards such as those listed above. Therefore, optimal electronic PCB assembly depends not only on the process of securely connecting components, but also on the ability to identify design and manufacturing defects that can make good, safe connections difficult or impossible.
How do you ensure the best possible electronic PCB assembly?
Functionally, electronic PCB assembly is performed by a contract manufacturer (CM). However, your CM is limited by the data and information you provide. Therefore, your design decisions play a crucial role in the assembly process. Following the recommendations below will go a long way in helping your CM achieve the best possible electronic PCB assembly for your design.
Recommendations for the Best Electronic PCB Assembly
Choose the right components – source components from reliable sources and plan for possible shortages.
l Make sure your design package is accurate and complete – the best rule of thumb is to be clear when designing your data. This includes not only materials, layout and stacking, but also images, instructions and any special considerations.
Make sure your BOM matches your layout – double check to avoid mismatches between component footprints and BOM component footprints. Otherwise, you may face board delays and extended turnaround times.
Leverage SMT and avoid through-hole parts as much as possible – Soldering surface mount devices (SMD) and through-hole parts is a different process; therefore, both processes take longer, and when many components are through-hole , it will take longer.
Use single-sided component placement – similar to using a different soldering technique, top and bottom mounts take longer than single-sided mounts.
Follow Design for Assembly (DFA) Guidelines – Applying DFA is essential for assembly optimization. Failure to do so may cost you valuable time making design corrections.
Printed Circuit Board Assembly Service from Smt Manufacturer in Shenzhen
Wonderful is one of the top circuit assembly companies in Shenzhen with more than 10 years of experience in circuit board assembly and supply. We offer a quick turnaround PCB circuit assembly service, we assemble your order and ship within 3 days of receiving the PCB and components.
Our PCB Assembly Express offers the lowest printed circuit board assembly prices. We handle standard surface mount basic through holes, as well as ultra-fine pitch BGAs. Cite Prototype PCB Fabrication and Prototype PCB Assembly Online.
Our unique service, PCB manufacturing and quick turn/low volume assembly under the same roof, is the leading “one stop” solution in Shenzhen, our PCB assembly capabilities provide us with excellent service.
We offer full Turn-Key and partial Turn-Key circuit board assembly services. We specialize in rigid and flexible PCB assembly. At Full Turn-Key PCB we handle everything including making the board, ordering components, online order tracking, quality inspection and final assembly.
Our assembly services include instant online PCB quotes and turnkey jobs in five days or less.
Our Rapid Printed Circuit Board (PCBA) Assembly Services. We are able to assemble PCBs with Surface Mount (SMT), Through Hole (THT) and Mixed Components at reasonable prices.
Wonderful specializes in building your short run, one-off and prototype PCB assemblies with fast turnaround times and instant online quoting and ordering. Experts in PCB Assembly. From one-off prototypes, to low-volume production, to complete orders. Fast turn times. Prototype PCB assembly is fast. Kitted and Turn-Key.
Our PCBA services are also focused on prototyping and low-volume production, making Wonderful a one-stop destination for circuit board fabrication and assembly. This arrangement makes your work easy and time-saving. Our professional engineers and technicians will work closely with you.
About Wonderful
Shenzhen Wonderful Technology Co., Ltd. is China’s top model and small batch circuit board manufacturer.
The company targets precision circuit board samples and small batches as the main target market. Since its establishment, it has adhered to the development concept of good quality and important reputation.
Invest huge sums of money to introduce advanced equipment, strictly regulate the operating standards and QC standards for incoming and outgoing materials, to ensure that the shipped products reach Seiko quality.
The self-developed ERP management system can realize the whole process of paperless operations such as online ordering, online payment, online production progress query, online logistics tracking, and online statistical report production, which greatly improves work efficiency.
It ensures that each order can be shipped quickly. After more than ten years of development, the company’s products and services have been well received by the market.
As well as the opening of an electronic component mall, integrated circuits, semiconductors, resistors, capacitors and other products are sold.
The company’s scale is developing rapidly, and the sample and small batch shipment capacity reaches 500 models/day.
The products are widely used in communications, medical equipment, industrial control products, aviation, military products, testing instruments,Automotive, computers and other peripheral products.
We will continue to pay attention to customers, with efficient delivery speed and perfect after-sales service, to become the most trusted brand supplier in the PCB industry.
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