In the drive for budget-friendly yet efficient practices for electronic manufacturing, organizations are increasingly resorting to low cost PCB assembly as a strategic approach to optimizing their financial plan while maintaining quality and efficiency. Low cost PCB assembly is the process involving fabrication and manufacturing of PCB at reduced cost while upholding the quality of the end product. This process involves using affordable materials and components readily accessible in the market empowering small businesses and startups to manufacture their PCBs economically. Amid the rapidly progressing technology sphere, with innovation as the cornerstone, the relevance of smart savings to PCB assembly is more evident than ever. This article offers an insightful view to understand the dynamics of cost-effectiveness and unfolds different strategies associated with low cost PCB assembly services to achieve optimization while ensuring high quality outcomes.

PCB Assembly Costs

PCB assembly costs encompass the total expenses incurred during PCB assembly. Associated costs can be sorted into various categories:

1. PCB Board Charges: The cost of the actual circuit board is the first part of PCB assembly expenses. Cost of PCB board is dependent on its type, size quality, material used during its manufacturing, specifications, and the difficulty of making it.
2. Component Sourcing Costs: PCB assemblers source components on behalf of clients and sometimes clients may also specify component suppliers. To acquire accurate components, PCB assembly suppliers need to adhere to the Bill of Materials (BOM), representing another essential aspect of assembly cost.
3. Build-up and Tooling Costs: Build-up and tooling costs refer to expenses in association with maintaining equipment, custom tools fixtures and moulds required for specific PCB designs. Low volume PCB assembly orders onetime costs that are crucial and inevitably raise assembly expenses. On the other hand, high volume orders need to bear substantial shipping costs, providing a halting effect on low cost PCB assembly project budgeting.
4. Labour Costs: A large number of labour forces are involved with PCB assembly process. The costs associated with the manual workforce engaged in PCB assembly, involves soldering components on the board. Labour costs are also affiliated with the evaluation and scrutiny of assembled PCBs for operational capability and excellence.
5. Testing Expenditure: A substantial pool of funds are used to procure PCB assembly testing equipment used for quality and functionality checking. It also absorbs expenses associated with damaged or malfunctioning components that need to be replaced or resoldered.
6. Logistics and Shipping: It includes the costs related to shipping components of PCB boards and orders of PCB boards between suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and users.
7. Customization and Overhead Costs: Custom modification fees refer to additional costs associated with accommodating particular client demands. The greater the integration of additional features, the higher the corresponding charges. Overhead costs include all the costs for maintenance, rent, utilities, administrative and managerial activities. These are the backstage cost required for fabricating and assembling a PCB board.

Factors Affecting PCB Cost

Numerous factors function as influence factors for the cost dynamics of PCB assembly. Identifying areas where increased expenses may arise during the production and processing stages aids in making cost-effective decisions, ensuring product quality and financial savings. Listed below are a few considerations that affect the costing of PCB assembly.

1. Type of PCB: Type of PCB refers to the specific design, intricacy of circuit layout and other features such as PCB size and materials employed during its manufacturing. All these factors have a far-reaching impact on the overall cost of PCB board. Expanding PCB dimensions leads to rising costs as it requires more materials and time to manufacture the final product. Opting for a smaller PCB board minimizes use of materials, making it a more core-effective choice for low cost PCB assembly. Even with larger sizes, costs on materials can be cut by strategically optimizing the usage of available space and reducing waste.
2. Layer Counts: Like the type of PCB, the number of layers also determines the cost of PCB assembly. Adding more layers to PCB has a direct impact on the associated PCB assembly costs. Extra layers call for extra material requirements and additional time invested in etching and bonding processes. The cost of PCB assembly services sees a notable surge after adding two to four additional layers, amounting to approximately 35-40% more. However, beyond a certain point, cost is projected to decrease as additional six to eight layers will increase costs by 30-35%.
3. Assembly Technology: Low cost PCB assembly services often lean towards the utilization of affordable yet uncompromising assembly technologies in PCB fabrication process. The deployment of efficient assembly techniques, including automated process and optimized workflow, enables these services to adeptly control costs while maintaining the integrity of assembled low-cost PCBs.
4. Labor: To achieve low cost PCB assembly services, labor must be obtained from low-wage areas. Western PCB assembly workers are skilled but demand high wages. Therefore, hiring workers from low-income communities is one of the ways to get low cost PCB assembly.
5. Order Volume: The number of PCB assembly orders significantly influences the PCB assembly cost. Low cost PCB assembly services are offered for larger orders while smaller quantity orders may result in higher prices, notably if quantity is below minimum order requirement.
6. Customization: Considering customization, the extent of specifications directly impacts associated expenses. It is essential to meticulously weigh the particular intricacies intended for customization. Variables such as number of layers, dimensions of traces and coatings applied to PCB boards all play a role in costs. Furthermore, assembly costs surge even farther. PCB assembly should necessitate specific features such as water resistance, extra protection against corrosion and chemical leakages, etc.
7. Delivery Charges: The anticipated delivery timeframe for PCB orders also corrodes the low costing strategies of PCB assembly. To align with customers’ schedule, manufacturers request workers to work overtime to catch up with deadline, leading to inflating costs through overtime pay. Conversely, conventional transportation consumes considerable time prompting the choice for expedited shipping for timely receipt of PCB orders. However, expedited transportation comes with higher costs.
8. Packaging Costs: The cost of packaging represents another variable affecting the overall PCB assembly cost. Different electronic elements packaging incurs varying assembly packaging expenses. Certain components require more workforce to complete the packaging process.

How to Save on PCB Assembly Cost

Low-cost PCB assembly allows businesses and innovators to save money on the production costs. This holds paramount importance in minimising their expenses and increasing their profit scales. Deploying less financial aid in production processes, more resources can be allocated to other important aspects such as marketing, research, testing, etc. It has allowed engineers and entrepreneurs to evade costly mistakes and test their products before going to market. A number of ways are suggested below on how to save on PCB assembly cost.

1. Optimising PCB Design: To achieve low-cost PCB boards, one of the ways involves simplifying the PCB layout, reducing the number of layers, and selecting cost-effective materials and components judiciously. Parameters like surface finish, size of PCB, coatings applied on layers of PCB also profoundly impact PCB cost. The shapes of PCB boards such as squares and rectangles generally cost lower than that of customised shapes. Therefore, to make a low-cost PCB board opt for standard counts on sizes and materials.
2. Assembly Technologies: The technology applied in component assembly also influences the cost of PCB assembly. Various technologies engage in affordability of PCB assembly services. In general terms, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) associated costs is lower than that of Through Hole Technology (THT). This is because SMT process is automated and more efficient whereas TMT requires more time to punch holes on PCB. Additionally, inclusion of certain PCB assembly components can contribute to increased assembly costs. Another way to cut costs in assembly technologies is by reducing the use of vias. Vias are used to connect different layers of multi-layer PCB boards. These are very costly and therefore it must be thoroughly checked where to use vias and where these can be avoided. Automated assembly is another key technique employed to obtain low cost PCB assembly. It is responsible for making the soldering and assembling processes automated, rather than relying on manual workforce. It is more accurate, swift and less expensive than manual labor. In essence, it is imperative to understand project requirements and choose appropriate assembly techniques before commencing assembly process.
3. Obtaining Low Labour: Achieving low cost PCB assembly also depends upon workforce employed. Recruiting skilled workers from regions with low wage expenses should be contemplated to reduce costs.
4. Reliable PCB Assembler: Co-operating with known low-cost provider, trustworthy and professional PCB assembly services provider can also save PCB assembly costs while ensuring assembly quality. But before selecting a PCB assembler, few considerations should be taken into account. Certifications like ISO9001, RoHS, IPC and UL should be available with them to ensure high quality outcomes. Equipment should have a proper timely inspection and finally the business ethics of suppliers need to be verified from their previous clients to make sure they comply with the applicable regulations and prevailing laws everywhere and act ethically impeccably at all times.
5. Low Volume PCB Design: Low volume PCB design is a phenomenon by which users can have their customized and low order PCB boards requirements at a lower cost. This is greatly impactful on low cost PCB assembly services and is greatly utilised for achieving budget friendly PCB boards.
6. Adjusting Order Volume and Delivery Time: Following the principles of economics, the cost per assembly unit becomes more favourable as the quantity order increases. Therefore, it is recommended to place an order at once rather than in increments. It not only saves shipping charges but also helps in negotiating a specific date for delivery with the assembler. It is crucial to inform the assembler all the delivery requirements and provide a cue to start the assembly as soon as possible.

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Conclusion

After reading this article, you may have a good grasp of factors affecting PCB assembly and know how to obtain low cost PCB assembly when you are looking for a possible supplier. Frankly speaking, it is likely to produce PCB boards with a low price if you take all influence factors into consideration.