How to Save Money When Buying PCB Electronic Board Assembly

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.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Shenzhen Thriver Digital Tech Co., Ltd. sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Way#1: Locate a Reliable, Professional and "Low-cost" PCB Assembler.

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.

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.

Way#2: Optimize Schematic Design of Bare PCBs based on Low Cost Concern.

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.

Way#3: Prepare an Effective and Complete BOM.

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.

Way#4: Make Components Sourcing Clear.

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.

Way#5: Adjust Order Volume and Lead Time.

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.

Way#6: Never Neglect Inspection or Test.

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.

PCBCart is dedicated to providing high-quality PCB manufacturing, assembly and prototyping services at an affordable cost.

PCBCart has been providing PCB fabrication, components sourcing and assembly services since . We are capable of processing numerous advanced spec. You may find our detailed PCB assembly capabilities here. If you have circuit card assembly requirements, please contact us for more information. Or, you may click below button to request FREE and non-obligation PCBA quote!

Request for PCB Assembly Quote

Helpful Resources
• Full Turnkey PCB Assembly Service from PCBCart
• Components Sourcing Service from PCBCart
• How to Evaluate A PCB Manufacturer or A PCB Assembler
• Making the Best of China's Electronics Manufacturing Resources to Obtain Optimal Balance between Cost and Performance

Back to Top

Introduction

In your hand, on your desk, are the plans for The Next Big Thing. You have quotes. You have estimates. You’ve contacted a dozen different vendors. Places are lining up to help you get started on The Next Big Thing.

As a smart businessperson that knows good ideas don’t come cheap, you’ve been looking carefully at each of your options to get the best price for everything. On one hand, you could have one vendor do the whole thing. However, it looks like if you break up production, you could use each vendor’s least expensive parts and save overall.

After considering all your pros and cons, you’ve decided to break up your production. It saves costs, after all!

Here is the Plan:

• Vendor 1: Makes the Printed Circuit Boards
• Vendor 2: Connects the wires to the circuit boards.
• Vendor 3: Creates the final assembly.
• Vendor 4: Ships the product to the customers.

It sounds like a brilliant, low-cost plan. The Next Big Thing gets built and delivered to your customers for presumably the lowest cost. That’s a win, right?

For more information, please visit PCB Electronic Board Assembly.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Having your project spread out amongst many vendors may seem great on paper, but it can also create a lot of unknowns. You’ll want to consider the full cost of your mechanical assembly, including potential hiccups before fully committing to that piecemeal build.

You know that time is your most important commodity and, among other variables, this is the most likely hidden cost in your piecemeal build.

The extra time when the boards and the wires don’t line up right and have to be redone. Time lost when the project needs adjustments and you have to work through all the previous vendors. More lag time when the shipping company doesn’t have the right packaging to protect your project.

You and The Next Big Thing deserve a better way that can cut down on these losses and potentially even save you money from the start.

What you need is a start-to-finish box build with one electronic contract manufacturer (ECM) that can reduce your shipping timelines, streamline your assembly process, and reduce your costs.

How can this be, you ask? How can a single source ECM compete with the cost savings you saw in your plan with multiple vendors?

The secret is in limiting too many hands and too many transitions. Single source ECMs like Levison Enterprises, promote cost savings by limiting the number of vendors and thus, limiting the number of “cooks in the kitchen.”

Why would too many “cooks” be a problem?

The Next Big Thing is complex, right? You’ve got detailed plans and have thought through the entire assembly process. At the same time, you know that it’s likely that design changes may need to be made as assembly gets started, possibly even after The Next Big Thing is in the manufacturing stage.

When those changes happen and your needs evolve, partnering with a single source ECM will allow you to make changes with one vendor instead of having to contact multiple places. With one vendor, you eliminate the potentially disastrous costs of miscommunication, and worse, lack of accountability somewhere in your mix of vendors.

Cost is a compelling decision point and the costs of “what-ifs” are difficult to determine. The following is intended to help you get the full picture of your costs and consider the potential losses in common “what-ifs” when it comes to electronic box builds.

Back to Top

What Are You Really Saving by Segmenting Your Build?

Even with the risks associated with segmenting your build, sometimes the siren song of cost savings still calls. No one is in business to throw more money at a project than necessary, so of course cost is going to weigh heavily into your decision.

Before you finalize the decision to segment, do take time to consider the real costs of a piecemeal build for your project.

Mistakes are the number one threat to your project in any type of build, but they are especially costly in a segmented build. If something doesn’t line up right, or the wrong grade of material is used, or someone skipped a step, you have to go down the long line of your production process to get the problem fixed. Every one of your vendors will likely pass the buck to the next.

Another cost threat is in 11th-hour changes. (Yeah, we know, those never happen.) Again, changes are likely in any kind of build, but when this happens in a piecemeal build, you will have to chase changes back through several different vendors, each now having to readjust their time frames. How far back into your production line and list of vendors are you willing to go to make the changes?

Whether it’s mistakes or last-minute changes, it all means a massive headache for you and a lagging production timeline for your project.

Further, a lagging production timeline for whatever reason means shipping delays. This is frustrating enough, but if late delivery isn’t an option, you’re likely looking at increased costs for expedited shipping.

In a perfect build, with ideal manufacturing partners, maybe mistakes and changes would be minimal and easy. However, the more partners you add, the greater your chances of running into a costly mistake.

Are the potential cost savings still there when you consider the increase in risk?

An all-in-one electronic contract manufacturer relieves both of these potential threats. They know your project inside and out, making them nimble with changes on the fly that won’t affect your timeline. If there happens to be a mistake, they can quickly get to the root of it and make changes to the production line without having to work backward through a list of other vendors who aren’t interested in fixing the problem.

A single group of highly-trained people dedicated and working on your project means cost savings in materials, shipping and time. It means a transparent level of accountability. Most importantly, it means much less headache for you.

Equipment

A good all-in-one ECM partner will be able to do all of your work, and do it well. You need a partner that can do SMT, through-hole technology, mixed flex circuit, and rigid flex technologies, while also keeping up-to-date on the latest technology.

If they have all the technology and processes you need, also consider whether or not the ECM can handle the full order of your project. After all, that’s the whole point of using an all-in-one ECM.

When it comes to the assembly itself, take a look at the work areas. Are they clean? What kind of technology have they invested to help meet the innovation needs of your projects? Can you take a tour of the facilities to see them in action? Basically, does your all-in-one ECM have the kind of space that not only meets your needs, but does it to your standards?

Back to Top

Packaging And Shipping With Ease

Packaging and shipping are the steps that always need support from a sub-contractor. However, a good ECM partner will be willing and able to relieve this headache for you.

You are making a substantial investment in your build and packaging and shipping is not the time to skimp on costs. You want to protect that investment the best way you can. This is where your all-in-one ECM becomes a huge time saver for you as they can keep your shipping costs down and ship directly to where your project needs to go.

Your ECM knows your build and its specs. The ECM also knows the regulations and shipping methods that will work best for your product. Don’t risk your investment by handing this over to shipping companies that may not have experience handling electronics or other sensitive equipment just to save a buck.

Not only does your all-in-one electronics manufacturer know your needs, but they know what the shipping companies need as well. Your electronics assembler should understand tonnage and work with shippers across the U.S.A. and world to help customers achieve low-cost, high-quality shipping solutions for their products.

Back to Top

Repairs Made Easy

When you’re focused on finding the right solution to design and assemble your box build, it’s hard to also think about what happens when this major investment eventually has a problem. Unfortunately, even the best quality projects don’t last forever. However, in the instance that your project needs support or repairs, an all-in-one ECM is still your best solution.

An all-in-one ECM knows your build. They helped you design it. They oversaw the manufacturing of each part and made sure it was assembled to your exact needs. No other place will be better equipped to identify technical issues when they arise.

As much as your all-in-one ECM is uniquely positioned to give you the best possible design, assembly, and shipping service, it’s also ideal for troubleshooting your product design and manufacturing issues.

With an electronics build to print manufacturer at the helm of your top-level assembly, the in-house team of engineers can quickly find the causes and solutions to any project issue. Whether it’s an entire product or a component part that needs repair, the people who built your project are going to be the fastest to find and fix the problem. Plus after the root cause is identified and every aspect of the repair is complete, your all-in-one ECM will  ship it where it needs to go. All of this reduces your downtime and gets you back to what you do best.

No one wants to talk about a project breaking or malfunctioning, but to be realistic, you need to consider this in your plan. When choosing an all-in-one ECM, remember that a good ECM will stand behind their work. Ask about a warranty on your parts and assemblies. Make sure your ECM will repair your assembly and ship it back to you or directly to your end user.

We have trained and skilled engineers with a background in design and programming. Our engineers can look over your design before production and find ways to save money on parts and your complete assembly.

Our dedicated staff know your project inside and out. You’ll get a dedicated project manager who oversees each phase of your project build and assembly. Each phase is headed by a sub-assembly manager who will design a team of expertly trained staff who become the authority on their phase of your build.

We also create unique ideas for shipping and fulfillment. Save money and let us handle fulfillment for your box build or cabinet assembly.

We stand behind our work and offer a warranty on our assemblies. We can easily make repairs on your project because we know your project inside and out. Levison Enterprises will work with you to make sure repairs are done quickly and right.

Our quality certifications set us apart from the competition. We take quality seriously strive for continuous improvement, making us more lean, efficient, and able to create your project with speed, but also a superior attention to detail.

Let Us Help You!

Levison Enterprises provides dedicated quality processes to produce reliable, critical to performance electronic integrated products through design support, comprehensive manufacturing solutions and collaborative client engagement.

Contact Us

Want more information on PCBA Copy Service? Feel free to contact us.