Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly is a crucial step in electronics manufacturing, but it can often be a significant cost factor. For businesses and individuals looking to produce electronic devices efficiently, finding low-cost PCB assembly solutions is essential. This article explores 15 effective strategies to help you locate and secure affordable PCB assembly services without compromising on quality.
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Understanding PCB Assembly Costs
Before diving into cost-saving strategies, it's important to understand the factors that contribute to PCB assembly expenses:
With these factors in mind, let's explore 15 ways to find low-cost PCB assembly solutions.
1. Optimize Your PCB Design
Simplify Component Placement
One of the most effective ways to reduce assembly costs is to optimize your PCB design. A well-designed PCB can significantly decrease assembly time and complexity.
Use Standard Components
Opting for standard, widely available components instead of custom or rare parts can lead to substantial cost savings.
Minimize Board Layers
Reducing the number of layers in your PCB design can lower manufacturing costs and simplify the assembly process.
2. Leverage Volume Discounts
Bulk Orders
Placing larger orders can often result in better pricing from PCB assembly services. Consider consolidating multiple projects or partnering with other businesses to increase order volume.
Long-Term Contracts
Establishing long-term relationships with assembly providers can lead to preferential pricing and consistent quality.
3. Explore Global Assembly Options
Offshore Assembly Services
Consider PCB assembly services in countries with lower labor costs, such as China, Vietnam, or India.
Balance Cost and Quality
While offshore options can be cost-effective, ensure that quality standards are maintained through proper vetting and communication.
4. Utilize Online PCB Assembly Marketplaces
Comparison Shopping
Online marketplaces allow you to compare quotes from multiple PCB assembly providers quickly.
Leveraging Competition
The competitive nature of these platforms often results in better pricing for customers.
5. Implement Just-In-Time (JIT) Manufacturing
Reduce Inventory Costs
JIT manufacturing minimizes the need for large component inventories, reducing associated costs.
Improve Cash Flow
By ordering components as needed, you can better manage cash flow and reduce upfront expenses.
6. Invest in In-House Assembly Capabilities
Control Over the Process
For businesses with consistent PCB assembly needs, investing in in-house capabilities can be cost-effective in the long run.
Balancing Initial Investment and Long-Term Savings
Consider the trade-off between upfront equipment costs and potential long-term savings.
7. Optimize Component Sourcing
Direct Relationships with Suppliers
Establishing direct relationships with component suppliers can lead to better pricing and reliable supply chains.
Alternative Component Sources
Explore alternative sources for components, such as authorized distributors or excess inventory markets.
8. Utilize Automated Assembly Techniques
Surface Mount Technology (SMT)
SMT assembly is generally faster and more cost-effective than through-hole assembly for many applications.
Pick-and-Place Machines
Investing in or utilizing assembly services with advanced pick-and-place machines can significantly reduce labor costs and improve accuracy.
9. Consider Prototype-to-Production Services
Streamlined Process
Services that offer both prototyping and production assembly can provide cost savings through a more integrated process.
Expertise Continuity
Working with the same provider from prototype to production ensures continuity of expertise and potentially lower overall costs.
10. Optimize Packaging and Shipping
Efficient Packaging Design
Design your packaging to minimize shipping costs while ensuring adequate protection for assembled PCBs.
Bulk Shipping
Consolidate shipments when possible to reduce overall shipping expenses.
11. Leverage Local Assembly Networks
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Reduced Shipping Costs
Using local assembly services can significantly reduce shipping expenses and lead times.
Easier Communication
Working with local providers often facilitates better communication and faster problem-solving.
12. Explore Academic Partnerships
University Collaborations
Partner with local universities or technical schools that have PCB assembly capabilities for potential cost savings and access to emerging talent.
Research Opportunities
Such partnerships may also open doors to research collaborations and innovation opportunities.
13. Implement Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Principles
Reduce Assembly Errors
DFM principles help create PCB designs that are inherently easier and more cost-effective to assemble.
Improve Yield Rates
Better designs lead to higher yield rates, reducing overall costs associated with defects and rework.
14. Utilize Flex and Rigid-Flex PCBs
Reduced Assembly Steps
Flex and rigid-flex PCBs can reduce the need for multiple boards and interconnects, potentially lowering assembly costs.
Improved Reliability
These PCB types often offer improved reliability, which can lead to long-term cost savings.
15. Embrace Emerging Technologies
3D Printed Electronics
Exploring technologies like 3D printed electronics for certain applications can potentially reduce assembly costs.
AI-Driven Assembly Optimization
Leverage artificial intelligence tools to optimize component placement and assembly processes.
Comparison of PCB Assembly Cost-Saving Strategies
To help visualize the potential impact of these strategies, consider the following table:
Conclusion
Finding low-cost PCB assembly solutions requires a multi-faceted approach. By implementing a combination of these 15 strategies, businesses and individuals can significantly reduce their PCB assembly expenses without sacrificing quality. It's important to carefully evaluate each method based on your specific needs, production volume, and long-term goals. Remember that the most effective approach often involves a balance of design optimization, strategic sourcing, and leveraging both technology and partnerships.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Many engineers, especially novice ask questions like "Where to find the cheapest PCB assembly service?" or "How to reduce my PCB assembly cost?" To tell the truth, there's never any cheapest PCB assembly service. For those who only strive for low prices while neglecting PCB assembly quality, their projects may very much likely be failed due to low quality circuit boards. Although PCB Assemblers constantly digging ways to reduce circuit boards assembly cost to attract more business and gain more profit, price varies from one assembler to another. We strongly recommend you find a PCB Assembler which offers the best balance between assembly quality, customer service and cost. The priority is to adjust your circuit design to reduce the assembly cost, than you should pick up the right PCB Assembler with the best overall service within your budget. Here, we'll discuss 6 effective ways to cut PCB assembly cost with the insurance of high quality.
Almost all PCB assembly services providers declare to provide cost-effective service, but not all of them offer what they claimed. Firstly, you should fully aware of your projects' requirements and budget, then conduct a research from head to toe on each assembler through Internet, magazines or trade show. A lot of time and efforts are required, but it'll be totally worthwhile. When research PCB Assemblers, make sure you cover the following aspects.
&#; Certificates
Certificates accurately ensure a PCB assembler's manufacturing capabilities and management regulations they stick to, necessary certifications include ISO, RoHS, UL etc. ISO is a family of international quality management standards and guidelines aiming to promote global companies and organizations' capabilities to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of customers by efficiently and effectively improving the quality of their products and services. RoHS, short for Restrictions of Hazardous Substances, refers to a series of restrictive laws of application of 6 hazardous substances in the manufacturing of electronic and electrical equipment for environmental considerations. Applicable for PC boards and power supplies, UL listing service requires manufacturers to rigorously test their products by conforming to correct procedures in order to minimize product hassles.
&#; Equipment
Up-to-date equipment contributes to high efficiency and high quality of assembly. With the development and increasing popularity of SMT (Surface Mount Technology), SMT placement equipment is closely associated with components' high-precision placing and its high manufacturing speed.
&#; Component procurement
Based on our years' experience in PCB industry, we noticed too often money and time are lost in the PC boards manufacture stage because of the disjointed relationships between phases of the process. To save money and time, we recommend you cooperate with PCB Assemblers which offer components sourcing service. As thus, you can fully focus on project engineering and improving, and let the Assembler do what it's good at &#; purchase cheap but excellent components and assemble them onto your circuit boards. We'll discuss how to judge whether a PCB assembler features competitive components sourcing capability in the later part of this article.
Apart from those aspects, quotation rate, lead time, price, manufacturing capabilities, minimum order volume and others should be taken into consideration when selecting a reliable PCB assembler. Some of those aspects will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
It's worth mentioning that world electronic circuits are based on US dollar system, leading to few fluctuations on expenses between countries except labor cost that is distinctive from country to country. Therefore, PCB assemblers based in US and Europe have fewer advantages on price than those from populated developing countries, China for example.
As selecting a perfect fit PCB assembler is such a complicated process, striving for only one or a couple of those aspects are just unilateral, you should consider them comprehensively.
The first step before real manufacturing is to check whether your circuit can be normally implemented, which is called DFM check. A lot of PCB assemblers provide free DFM check service you can rely on to reduce the assembly cost.
Factors influencing cost of bare PCBs are listed in the following figure:
To reduce the cost of your bare PCBs, measures can be done to each element:
&#; Layout Count
PCB cost increases with the adding of layer count, namely the more layers one circuit board has, the more expensive it'll be.
&#; Via Tech
Vias, including blind vias, buried vias or even microvias, play a key role in building interconnections on a circuit board. Generally speaking, the more vias, the more expensive and the smaller diameters of vias are, the more expensive PCBs will be. Therefore, you should carefully arrange the number of vias to reduce the cost of bare PCBs while guarantee the sufficient functions.
&#; Size & Shape
Circuit boards should be designed neatly and functionally. PCB's size should correspond to the requirement of pick and place equipment owned by your PCB assembler, it should be accurately designed to be capable of implementing all functions and accounting for moderate space. Panels are recommended when necessary. However, with the improvement of density and complexities of modern electronics, small PCBs can also be relatively complex. To be small doesn't directly lead to low cost.
Shape also affects price of PCBs. Basically, standard shapes such as square or rectangle lead to low price while special shapes lead to high price.
&#; Surface finish
By preventing pads from oxidizing, Surface finish helps ensure excellent solderability and electric performance. Different type of surface finishes (HASL, OSP, ENIG, ENEPIG etc.) has its advantages and disadvantages, chose the best fit surface finish type based on your products' requirement.
Actually, cost of bare PCBs results from comprehensive elements each of which possibly leads to slight fluctuation of final prices. These're only some tips based on our years' manufacturing and assembly experience, more tips can be expected from your own.
BOM, short for bill of materials, is a comprehensive list of raw materials, items, assemblies and sub-assemblies, components etc. for product manufacturing. You might think creating a BOM is much easier than making the Gerber file while we found more mistakes tend to be made in BOM then in Gerber files.
A complete BOM should include essential items for PCBA including Part number, Manufacturer name, Reference designator, Quantity, Description, Case/Package, SMT method, Top/Bottom, Points/Footprint, Comment/Note, BOM level, Comment/Note. Usually, PCB Assemblers have their in house BOM template and BOM creating guidelines, which you can fill in accordingly and speed up the quotation procedure.
It's highly recommended to add components replacement in your BOM. As electronics is developing super fast, components upgrade rapidly with old items eliminated. Though your PCB assembler will inform you about items that went out of production, time will be wasted to locate the replacement and production will be delayed accordingly. With the complete BOM and replacement provided, PCB assembler can quote in just one or two days and start the production with your confirmation. It's always good to look forward and be fully prepared for any kind of emergency.
If you're with a company of small size, it's hard to control your budget and project schedule. Under this circumstance, rely on PCB assembler will make more sense. Record PCB assemblers are more likely to have friendly relationship with franchised component distributors due to their long-term cooperation. They can get your demanded components from those distributors at wholesale price, which is much lower than retail price. To evaluate a PCB assembler having genuine cooperation with franchised component distributor, you may ask for their purchase invoice from distributors.
Order volume is usually inversely proportional to the price of each commodity. In general, the more you order, the less expensive each circuit board assembly price will be (the same goes to PCB fabrication). Please take your company's situation into consideration, know your order volumes (high, medium or low), then select a PCB assembly manufacturer capable of providing service catering to your requirements.
In terms of lead time, the main problem lies in its calculation way. Different PCB assemblers have different lead time calculation ways. Make sure you know PCB Assemblers' lead time calculation: Where does starting time start from? The day you pay? The day you order? The day your components received? Well, the basic rule on lead time is that the longer your required lead time is, the lower price you'll get.
You must be wondering the relationship between cost reduction and inspection or test. In actual fact, inspection or test implementation drives to cost increase. However, under the theme of our mission explained at the beginning of this article, we aim to reduce cost without losing high quality of products. Inspection or test has been playing a crucial role in contributing to high quality of products by telling us about issues or mistakes in advance. Some PCB assemblers are capable of providing such service while others don't. It's more convenient and efficient to have products inspected or tested in their manufactured house. Under such conditions, PCB assembler usually provides a lower cost on inspection compared with those only dealing with inspection. Furthermore, your products don't need to suffer from being delivered everywhere.
If your PCB assembler provides inspection service for you at the end of production line, you should provide your test jig so that their test can be implemented according to your specification. Ordinary inspection methods range from visual inspection, AOI (automated optical inspection) to AXI (automated X-ray inspection).
For large volume order, it's necessary to carry out First Article Inspection on the first several products prior to real volume assembly. It leads issues such as component orientation and polarity to be exposed so that modification can be made in time. Time permitting, you can even ask your assembler to deliver sample products to you so that you can get it run in real circumstances.
There's one more rule, namely stick to one PCB assembler as your forever partner. If you are doing business with a PCB assembler for more than five years, then I suggest that you can depend on them continuously based on smooth cooperation, mutual credit and trust established through years. However, if you're having a tough time with your PCB assembler recently, or you're suffering from a cost crisis of your business, then it's time to make some changes. Rigorously conforming to the rules of thumb discussed in this article, you can adjust your decision and select your new PCB assembler again. And you'll surely cut some cost without sacrificing quality.
Article wrote by PCBCart's editor Dora Yang, originally posted on Electronic Design website.
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