What Affects PCB Assembly Cost
PCB assembly costs include labor, technology, turnaround time, parts packaging, and the number of PCBs required. The PCB Assembly Cost Calculator will help you determine your operating costs. However, a typical PCB assembly unit costs between $0.50 and $5, depending on the number of units manufactured.
Quote given is an approximate figure and does not include all tooling and setup costs. Overall, PCB assembly costs vary widely between printed circuit board manufacturers. Below, we’ll explore some of the factors that affect PCB assembly costs and how to minimize them.
Factors Affecting PCB Assembly Cost
Labor cost
The geographic location of the board affects the labor cost of PCB assembly. Labor costs can be high since PCB production requires skilled human operations as well as automated equipment. Therefore, companies have an incentive to produce PCBs in regions with lower labor costs.
For example, PCBs made in South Asia are often many times cheaper than PCBs made in North America or Western Europe. Assuming a three-day turnaround time, the average assembly cost in North America is about $1,100. In the People’s Republic of China, the same number of boards sells for $545.
However, international manufacturing may incur additional fees due to shipping, handling and communication delays. Therefore, low-cost manufacturing may introduce unknown expenses that must be considered before entering into a contract with an overseas manufacturer.
Turnaround time
One of the first questions that come to mind when asked “how much does PCB assembly cost” is: what is the estimated turnaround time? Turnaround time is the time required to complete the production process and meet buyer requirements. Faster turnaround times generally come with higher costs.
Buyers who require fast turnaround times can add a third (that is, 33% or more) to PCB assembly costs. A shorter turnaround time tends to drive up assembly prices because it often requires businesses to put existing orders on hold in order to prioritize yours. Likewise, expedited shipping with reduced turnaround time is more expensive than standard shipping.
Quantity
Higher quantities lead to cheaper PCB assembly costs due to economies of scale in production. In other words, when the production scale is expanded, the unit price per PCB will drop significantly. Many of the variables that drive up the price of assembly, such as start-up costs and programming, only affect the first units produced—all subsequent units may be manufactured without these costs.
Increasing the amount of PCB fabrication can save the business money in the long run by avoiding one-time charges that don’t need to be repeated. Therefore, you should be constantly on the lookout for manufacturers who can handle large orders.
Technology
Another important factor affecting the cost of PCB assembly is the technology used. On the one hand, surface mount technology (SMT) can help manufacturers save money due to lower setup costs and greater automation. However, SMT may require through-hole drilling to accommodate more surface mount devices (SMDs), increasing expense.
Packaging
Some parts require extra effort to pack and assemble properly. For example, electrical equipment requires extra time and effort to pack because it must be connected to a power source. Because BGAs contain electrical pins, BGA assembly costs can skyrocket because they must be x-rayed to check for shorts.
How to Reduce PCB Assembly Costs
Saving money on PCB assembly starts with learning how to design your PCB optimally. Many factors can affect the final pricing of a bare PCB, including:
- Surface treatment type
- Size and outline
- Layers
- Vias technology
Each of the above components can be redesigned to save costs when producing PCBs. For example, “vias” are responsible for making connections on a circuit board. Pricing for the product will vary depending on whether you choose blind or buried vias.
Detailed Bill of Materials
Create a bill of materials (BOM) that includes all the components and subassemblies needed to manufacture the PCB. We recommend following this PCB design checklist to ensure your BOM includes all important information such as assembler, part number, reference designation, and footprint. Replacement components for each component should be included in a reliable BOM.
Order time and quantity
Quantity and order time are important factors in determining product prices. Generally speaking, economies of scale determine that the larger the order quantity, the lower the unit price. Choose only manufacturers who can meet your company’s order volumes and turnaround times – be as flexible as possible in order timing to keep prices down while still adhering to the product’s PCB design constraints.
Testing and inspection
It’s not worth the reduced expense if it also means lower product quality. Therefore, you must always test and inspect your products to ensure that no bad PCBs enter the market. Otherwise, you may find that the cost of processing refunds and repairing customer relationships outweighs any cost savings by avoiding rigorous inspections.
To properly manage the temperature of traces on the inner and outer layers of a PCB, use the trace width calculator. With the right inspection methods, you can reduce your company’s long-term risk and guarantee that your circuits will respond and adapt to different temperature settings.
Final Conclusion
At Yingstar, we can effectively reduce the PCB Assembly cost with our cost-effective quality service, contact us now for the best PCB Assembly solution.
