We strongly recommend that you find a PCB assembler that provides the best balance between assembly quality, customer service, and cost. The priority is to adjust the circuit design to reduce assembly costs rather than to select the correct PCB assembler with the best overall service within the budget. Here, we will discuss six effective ways to reduce PCB assembly costs through high quality insurance.

Approach 1: find reliable, professional and "low-cost" methods for PCB assemblers.

Almost all PCB assembly service providers claim to provide cost-effective services, but not all of these service providers provide the services they claim. First, you should fully understand your project's requirements and budget, and then research each assembly from head to toe through the Internet, magazines, or trade shows. It will take a lot of time and effort, but it will be well worth it. When researching PCB assemblers, be sure to cover the following areas.

• certificate

ISO is a set of international quality management standards and guidelines designed to promote the ability of global companies and organizations to meet and exceed customer needs and expectations in an effective and efficient manner. Effectively improve the quality of products and services. RoHS, short for hazardous substances limitation, is a series of restrictive laws that address the use of six hazardous substances in the manufacture of electronic and electrical equipment for environmental reasons. UL list services for PC boards and power supplies require manufacturers to test their products rigorously by following proper procedures to minimize product hassles.

• equipment

The latest equipment helps to improve efficiency and high quality assembly. With the development and increasing popularity of SMT (surface mount technology), SMT mount equipment is closely related to the high precision mount and high production speed of components.

• component purchase

Based on our years of experience in the PCB industry, we have noticed that the PC board production phase often wastes money and time due to the disconnect between the stages of the process. To save money and time, we recommend that you work with a PCB assembler who provides component procurement services. As a result, you can completely focus on project engineering and improvement and let Assembler do what they do best - buy cheap but good components and assemble them on your circuit board. We will discuss in the second half of this article how to determine whether a PCB assembler has competitive component purchasing capabilities.

In addition to these aspects, quotation rate, delivery time, price, manufacturing capacity, minimum order quantity and other order quantity should be considered when selecting a reliable PCB assembler. Some of these aspects are discussed in the following paragraphs.

It is worth mentioning that the world's electronic circuits are based on the dollar system, resulting in very little fluctuation in costs between countries, except that labor costs differ from country to country. As a result, PCB assemblers with headquarters in the United States and Europe have less advantage in terms of price, such as from China's populous developing countries.

Choosing a perfectly fitted PCB assembler is such a complex process that fighting for only one or a few aspects is only one-sided and you should consider them all.

Approach 2: focus on optimizing bare PCB schematic design based on low cost.

The first step before actual manufacturing is to check whether the circuit can be implemented properly. This is called a DFM check. Many PCB assemblers offer free DFM inspection services that you can rely on to reduce assembly costs.

The following figure lists the factors that affect the cost of bare PCB:

To reduce the cost of bare PCB, each element can be measured:

• layout count

The cost of a PCB increases with the number of layers; the more layers a board has, the more expensive it is.

• through technology

Through holes, including blind holes, embedded through holes and even microholes, play a key role in building interconnection on circuit boards. Generally speaking, the more through hole, the more expensive the through hole, the smaller the diameter, the higher the cost of PCB. Therefore, you should carefully arrange the number of through holes to reduce the cost of a bare PCB while ensuring adequate functionality.

• size & amp; The shape of

Circuit boards should be designed neatly and fully functional. The size of the PCB shall conform to the requirements of the pick-up and drop equipment owned by the PCB assembler and shall be precisely designed so as to be able to achieve all functions and adapt to medium space. Panels are recommended when necessary. However, as the density and complexity of modern electronics increases, smaller PCBS can be relatively complex. Small without directly resulting in low cost.

The shape also affects the price of the PCB. Basically, standard shapes (such as squares or rectangles) lead to low prices, while special shapes lead to high prices.

• surface treatment

Surface treatment helps ensure excellent weldability and electrical performance by preventing pad oxidation. Different types of surface treatment (HASL, OSP, ENIG, ENEPIG, etc.) have their advantages and disadvantages, according to your product requirements to choose the most appropriate type of surface treatment.

In fact, the cost bare PCB is generated by a combination of factors, each of which can lead to slight fluctuations in the final price. These are just a few hints based on our years of manufacturing and assembly experience, and you can get more hints from your own expectations.

Approach 3: prepare a valid and complete BOM.

BOM, short for bill of materials, is a comprehensive list of raw materials, materials, components and sub-components, components, etc. You might think that creating a BOM is much easier than making a Gerber file, and we found more errors in the BOM and then in the Gerber file.

The complete BOM should include the basic items of PCBA, including part number, manufacturer name, reference code, quantity, description, shell/package, SMT method, top/bottom, dot/package, comments/comments, BOM level, comments/comments. Typically, PCB assembly tools have internal BOM templates and BOM creation guidelines that you can fill out and expedite the quotation process.

It is strongly recommended to add replacement components to BOM. With the rapid development of electronic products, components are rapidly upgraded and old products are eliminated. Although your PCB assembler will inform you about items that are out of production, time is wasted to determine the replacement and production will be delayed accordingly. By providing a complete BOM and replacement, PCB assemblers can quote within a day or two and start production upon confirmation. It's always good to look ahead and be fully prepared for any emergency.

Approach 4: make component purchases clear.

If your company is small, it can be difficult to control your budget and project schedule. In this case, it makes more sense to rely on a PCB assembler. Thanks to long-term partnerships, record PCB assemblers are more likely to develop friendly relationships with licensed parts dealers. They can get the parts you need from these dealers wholesale, which is much lower than the retail price. To evaluate the PCB assemblers who are actually working with the franchisees, you can obtain the purchase invoice from the franchisees.

Approach 5: adjust order quantity and delivery time.

The order quantity is usually inversely proportional to the price of each item. Generally, the more you order, the cheaper it is to assemble each circuit board (and PCB manufacturing). Please consider your company's situation, know your order quantity (high, medium or low), and then choose the PCB component manufacturer that can meet your requirements.

The main problem with lead times is the way they are calculated. Different PCB assemblers have different lead time calculation methods. Make sure you understand lead time calculations for PCB assemblers: where does the start time start? The day you paid? The day you ordered it? The day your component was received? So, the basic rule of lead time is that the longer lead time you need, the lower the price you get.

Approach 6: never ignore inspections or tests.

You must be wondering about the relationship between cost reduction and inspection or testing. In fact, inspection or test implementation can increase costs. However, under the theme of the mission we explained at the beginning of this article, our goal is to reduce costs without losing quality products. Inspection or testing plays a vital role in promoting high quality products by telling us about problems or errors in advance. Some PCB assemblers can provide this service, while others cannot. It is more convenient and effective to inspect or test products in the houses they make. In this case, PCB assemblers typically offer lower inspection costs than those that only handle inspections. In addition, your product does not need to be delivered anywhere.

If your PCB assembler provides you with inspection services at the end of the line, you should provide your test fixture so that their testing can be carried out according to your specifications. Common methods include visual inspection, AOI (automatic optical detection) to AXI (automatic X-ray detection).

For large orders, it is necessary to make the first inspection of the first inspection. Several products before actual assembly. It causes problems such as component orientation and polarity to be exposed so that modifications can be made in time. If time permits, you can even ask your assembler to provide you with a sample so you can run it in real time.

Another rule is to stick with a PCB assembly as your eternal companion. If you have been in business with PCB assemblers for more than five years, I recommend that you continue to rely on them based on the smooth cooperation, mutual trust and trust that you have built over the years. However, if you've been having trouble using the PCB assembler recently, or if your business is experiencing a cost crisis, it's time to make some changes. Strictly following the rules of thumb discussed in this article, you can adjust your decision and select a new PCB assembler again. And you can certainly cut some costs without sacrificing quality.