How much does PCB assembly service cost?

\$\begingroup\$

Click here to get more.

If you PCB is "standard", ie 1 or 2 layers, no ball grid array components, no very thin traces or clearances, rectangular shape, ... and if a "prototyping" quality is enough for you, then you have plenty of PCB assembly companies that offer very low prices (<50$ exclusing the cost of components). They are often based in china, and simply do several "standard" prototypes (for different clients) at once on the same PCB, and cut it afterwards.

If you don't require high reliability, nor ultra fast assembly, then it might be an interesting solution.

As soon as you start to have some specific requirements on the PCB itself or assembly (ie more than 2 layers, ball grid array, sizes bigger than usually 100*100mm, ...) prices increase, but often remain in the 50-200$ range.

You also get some similar prototyping services in many countries, which is a bit faster, but more expensive.

On the other hand, if you expect "industrial production" with full testing (X-ray, continuity test, isolation test, functional tests, on circuit programming of microcontolers, ...) for a single unit, then it will be very expansive for a single unit.

If you ask a manufacturer specialized in big series, then you will likely pay use setup costs (making the price very high for a single PCB).

So basically, if you want a single PCB (and don't plan a big series of the same wanting to order it from the same manufacturer), then make sure to choose a manufacturer specialized in prototypes. Then you choose between cheep manufacturing in China (with random quality), or expensive manufacturing locally.

PS : from your question, I would guess that you are not very used to have PCBs manufactured and assembled. So excepted if you are in a hurry (which you don't seem to be) or if you have very special requirements, I would start with a cheep assembly, in order to validate your design. If you have to modify something, you avoid paying twice the high price. If it is fine, then you can decide if the prototype is of good enough quality, or if you want to order a "final" version of better quality (this time, without doubts if the design is correct or not), the prototype the being a spare in case you get any issue with the new one.

Successful electronic product development is inseparable from professional and efficient PCB assembly manufacturer services. If you are looking for these answers:

• How much does PCB assembly cost?
• How to evaluate PCB assembly cost?
• How to reduce PCB Assembly costs?

Then the article is the right place. As a PCB assembly manufacturer with more than 10 years of experience, EASHUB will introduce to the details of PCB Assembly costs.

How much does PCB assembly cost?

Generally speaking, the cost of PCB assembly consists of the following parts:

• PCB production cost
• Component purchase cost
• SMT processing cost (SMD patch + DIP post welding)
• PCB assembly testing fee and assembly fee
• PCB manufacturing cost

If you will not provide the PCB board, and need a one-stop PCB assembly solution, then you can provide the PCB file and BOM list, and the PCB assembly factory will manufacture the PCB bare board according to your PCB file. However, the price of PCB bare board is affected by many factors, such as the number of layers, processes, materials, etc., we will list the following factors affecting the PCB price.

PCB production cost

PCB material

There are single-sided, double-sided PCB and multi-layer PCBs according to different applications. For the most commonly used double-sided PCBs, the materials used include FR-4, CEM-3, etc., with thicknesses ranging from 0.6mm to 3.0mm, and covering copper thickness is also different. Therefore, due to the difference in the materials used and thickness, even if it is a double-layer PCB, the price varies greatly. In addition to materials, there is also a big difference between ordinary thermosetting ink and photosensitive green oil in terms of solder resist ink. So, the price of PCB varies according to PCB materials.

PCB manufacturing process

pcb assembly manufacturing

PCBs can be made by a variety of production processes, and different production processes are also one of the main factors that affect the price of PCBs. For example, for gold-plated boards and tin-sprayed boards, silk-screen lines or dry-film lines can be used. Both manufacturing process differences will cause price changes.

PCB complexity

Suppose the materials used and processing are the same, if the PCB requirements are different, it will cause price changes. For example, if other conditions are the same, holes need to be made, the hole diameter of one PCB is greater than 0.5mm, and the hole diameter of another PCB is less than 0.5mm, then the difference in hole diameter will also cause the price of PCB change.

In addition, if the material, processing and aperture are the same, but the line width and distance on the PCB are different, it will also cause changes in the production cost. since the latter is more difficult to produce, it will increase more bad rate,resulting in increasing the cost of producing PCBs.

PCB production grade

Following different PCB production grade standards will also cause price changes, for example, if the user need Class 1 or Class 3. The qualification rates required by the two are different, which will affect the cost of the PCB.

Different PCB manufacturers

Even if the PCB with the same specification, the quotations from different PCB manufacturers are different. Because different manufacturers have different procurement costs, management costs, technical costs and manufacturing processes and so on. All these factors will affect the cost of the PCB.

Different PCB payment methods

Different payment methods will also affect the PCB price. If the payment can be made in full, the supplier will give more discount. If the payment period becomes longer, the PCB price will increase in a certain extent.

PCB Manufacturer location

Different PCB manufacturers&#; locations will affect the cost of PCB. Generally speaking, in the same country, if the PCB manufacturers are located in a complete supply chain and convenient transportation and logistics area, it will give a more affordable price.

Of course, you can also supply the PCB by yourself, but in terms of price and efficiency, it is recommended that choose a PCB assembly manufacturer.

Component purchase cost

PCB assembly patch processing requires purchasing a variety of components. If you cannot provide components by yourself, you can give a BOM list. The PCB assembly manufacturer will quickly allocate inventory or purchase according to your list. Since PCB assembly manufacturers have established a complete supply chain with component suppliers, the procurement costs are lower, and the required components can be found faster and more completely.

SMT processing fee (SMD patch + DIP post welding)

if you are a PCB assembly beginner, you may need to know the following items. If you are an expert, you can skip it and directly check the calculation method of SMT cost

What is SMT?

SMT is the abbreviation of Surface Mount Technology, called surface mount or surface mount technology. It is the most commonly used technology and process in the electronic product assembly industry.

It is a kind of surface mount component without leads or short leads (referred to as SMC/SMD) on the surface of the printed circuit board (PCB) or the surface of other substrates. A circuit assembly technology assembled by reflow soldering heating soldering method.

What are SMT process material requirements?

• sheet PCB
• Material Components
• Consumables Solder Paste

What equipment does SMT need?

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Shenzhen Thriver Digital Tech Co., Ltd..

Printing machines, placement machines, and reflow soldering are the three main production equipment.

In the actual production process, there are many testing equipments, SPI, AOI, etc.

What technology does SMT need?

A complete set of process flow for surface assembly, and problem control.

Programming techniques for device use

Quality process control techniques

What kind of production environment does SMT need?

Anti-static treatment in the workshop, temperature and humidity control (temperature 25± 2 degrees, relative humidity 40%-60%), and anti-static clothing for operators.

The main difference between post-welding processing of DIP plug-in and SMT chip processing

SMT chip processing and DIP plug-in post-welding are both important processes in PCB assembly processing, and their processing quality directly affects PCB assembly quality.

SMT is to print the components on the PCB board of red glue or solder paste through the placement machine, and then solidify through the soldering furnace;

DIP plug-in is to insert the components into the PCB board hole with DIP structure, and the DIP plug-in can be made by manual or automatic machine.

SMT chip processing is currently the most popular technology in the electronic assembly industry.

SMT chip processing technology features:

• High assembly density, small size and lightweight;
• High reliability and strong earthquake resistance;
• Low defect rate of solder joints;
• Good high-frequency characteristics, reduce electromagnetic and radio frequency interference;
• Effectively improve production efficiency and save costs;

DIP is one of the basic components of electronic components, which is called dual in-line packaging technology. If you use DIP by manual method, you need to wave soldering later to solder electronic components on the board.

For the inserted components, it should check whether they are incorrectly or missed.

Features of DIP Plug-In Process:

• Strong anti-bump performance;
• Low failure rate, easy to check;
• Product performance is more stable.

SMT chip processing and DIP plug-in have their own characteristics and relation, and they are one of the important processes in a series of PCB assembly production.

How to calculate SMT processing price?

At present, the SMT chip processing technology mainly includes lead-free soldering process, lead soldering process and red glue soldering process, etc.

When calculating the PCB SMT processing cost, the first part is whether the engineering cost needs to be charged according to the amount of your order. Generally speaking, if the number of PCB boards you purchase is greater than PCS, the PCB assembly manufacturer will not charge you additional engineering costs, otherwise, it will be charged. The engineering cost is about $300-$ depending on the processing difficulty.

The second part is some suppliers may charge a small amount of stencil cost between $50-$100.

The third part SMT patching cost is calculated based on the number of patch points. For example, 2 corners of SMT patch material count as one point, DIP One corner of the plug-in counts as one point. For more detailed points, please refer to the following table:

SMT patch point calculation method:

SMT

NOPatch NameCalculated PointsRemarks 1Capacitor, Resistor (-)1 2Capacitance and resistance (below )2Throwing material for too small3Secondary and tertiary tubes1.5Directed 4Tantalum capacitors, aluminum electrolytic capacitors, inductors2Larger components count as 4 points5SOP&#;QFP chip3 feet/count 1 pointThe component feet cannot be seen 6QFN&#;BGA chip2 feet/count 1 pointThe component feet cannot be seen 7Pin header3 feet/count 1 pointminimum 3 points 8Other special-shaped components2 feet/count 1 pointminimum 3 points 

DIP :

NOPatch NameCalculated PointsRemarks 1Electrolytic capacitors, power sockets, Y capacitors, diodes, etc.1 pin/count 1 point  2pin headers2 pins/count 1 pointminimum count 2 points 3the larger pad of the back soldering component.1 pin/count 2 pointsCalculate the multiple of the normal point 4Other common components2 feet / 1 pointCalculated according to the actual situation 

The unit price of patch points is between 0.~0.002 USD range. The total SMT processing cost is calculated by multiplying the total patch points by the unit price.

PCB assembly testing cost

The cost of PCB assembly testing is generally between $0.3 per piece of PCB, and the cost of PCB assembly and packaging is about $0.15 per piece. The cost of PCB assembly testing will decrease according to more quantities.

How to Reduce PCB Assembly Costs

The whole process of PCB assembly is complex, involves many aspects, and takes a long time. from PCB design, and prototype development to production control, every step requires a lot of labor and material resources to track and control.

Therefore, after we have estimated the PCB assembly cost through the above process, we can reduce the PCB assembly cost as much as possible in advance of quality assurance. As a professional PCB assembly manufacturer, EASHUB understands the pain points and needs of customers very well, and we will introduce some ways to reduce the cost of PCB assembly.

A) If users need a small quantity of PCB assembly, you can choose a professional PCB assembly manufacturer like ours for proofing. Each PCB assembly manufacturer has its own advantages, focus, and process capabilities. If it is a small amount of PCB assembly, try to choose these customized and efficient PCB assembly factory, which has fast speed, high efficiency and more advantages in price.

B) When purchasing components, try to choose a supplier with inventory, or when you get in touch with the PCB assembly manufacturer, you should first understand whether they have some inventory or whether they need to purchase from outside. External procurement requires more time and energy, and it is not easy to control the procurement price.

C) It is very important to choose the PCB bare board manufacturing process. At present, the mainstream double-sided PCB uses FR-4 immersion gold board and gold-plated board, but their prices are different. If there are no special requirements in terms of process, it is recommended to choose conventional materials in the selection of PCB materials. Special plates such as aluminum substrates and copper substrates not only need to be booked in advance but also require higher technology that increases the cost of PCB.

D) Know if there is a charge for PCB assembly testing? For Assembly testing and packaging cost, many PCB assembly manufacturers need to charge separately, and if the volume is large, some manufacturers can reduce the part cost. Therefore, before signing a contract with a PCB assembly manufacturer, customers must understand clearly whether there is an additional charge for assembly testing.

The above are some methods to reduce the cost of PCB assembly given by EASHUB based on many years of PCB assembly experience. However, the way of reducing the cost of PCB assembly before ensuring the quality of the product. Do not lose product quality to reduce prices, otherwise, it may cause irreparable losses.

Final Word

Above we have introduced that PCB assembly costs deepen on different factors, mainly including PCB bare board, electronic components, SMT chip processing and assembly testing. How to evaluate and calculate the cost of PCB assembly, and finally we put forward some methods to reduce the price of PCB assembly, We hope to help you. If you are looking for a reliable and affordable PCB assembly manufacturer, you can contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Want more information on PCB And PCBA Assembly Service? Feel free to contact us.