How Much Does PCB Assembly Cost

How Much Does PCB Assembly Cost

PCB or printed circuit board mechanically supports as well as electrically connects the electronic components using the conductive tracks. These are used extensively in different electronic gadgets and devices for proper functioning. When PCB is populated with some electronic components, it is called PCB assembly or printed circuit board assembly. Many technicians and engineers wonder one thing about this and that is – HOW MUCH DOES PCB ASSEMBLY COST? Generally the cost of printed circuit board assembly can range from $10 to $50. The exact price depends on different factors.

FACTORS DETERMINING THE COST

There are a lot of factors that encompasses the total cost of PCB. These are:

* Labor
* Turnaround time
* Technology
* Quantity of the printed circuit boards needed
* Packaging of the parts

The price quote mentioned above is a rough estimation and it can vary widely depending on these 5 above-mentioned factors along with the manufacturers. Read on to know how these factors determine the cost of the printed circuit board assembly:

LABOR COSTS

The total cost of printed circuit board assembly can be impacted by the labor cost. Now, the cost of the labor can depend on the geographical locations, manufacturing companies and many more. Since, printed circuit board manufacturing needs highly skilled technicians as well as efficient machinery, the cost of the labor can be quite significant. There are certain regions where the cost of labor is significantly high whereas there are some where the cost of the labor is low. For example, PCB assembly cost in South Asia like China is significantly less than the ones in Western Europe and North America.

TURNAROUND TIME

Another factor that has a great impact on the overall cost of printed circuit board assembly is the turnaround time. Here, the turnaround time signifies the total time span which is required for completing the entire process of manufacturing and satisfying the request of the buyers. Faster the turnaround, higher will be the cost of the printed circuit board assembly. That is the rule. The shorter turnaround time tends to increase the cost of PCB assembly because of the efficiency of the machine. When the machine is of such high efficiency, the manufacturer will tend to charge more for the total cost.

TECHNOLOGY USED

The next factor that determines the cost of printed circuit board assembly is the technology. The most used technology is the SMT i.e. surface mount technology which can save your cost of manufacturing. This is because the cost of setup is much lower and the technology is highly automated. But this surface mount technology can result in the need for a through-hole drilling. This is to fit the addition SMD i.e. surface mount devices. This can result in drastically increasing the total cost of printed circuit board assembly.

QUANTITY OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS

The basic rule of manufacturing is – higher the quantity, lower the cost. This is based on the economies of scale. The manufacturing cost of printed circuit board assembly is no exception. When the printed circuit board assembly is manufactured in a large quantity, the unit price of each printed circuit board significantly drops down. This is a natural economic phenomenon that occurs because of the many factors that can drive up the assembly price higher. The programming costs and startup costs being fixed can only affect the initial units produced. Hence, more the quantity, lesser the total cost of printed circuit board assembly.

PACKAGING OF THE PARTS

Some of the parts involve more labor for properly assembling and packaging. For example, the electrical equipment like BGAs may need more effort as well as more time for packaging. It is because they must be connected to a particular electrical source. Since the BGAs have electrical pins, the assembly cost can get really high drastically.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD ASSEMBLY MANUFACTURER

Now, you already know what factors impact the total cost of the printed circuit board assembly. The next thing that you need to know is to choose the right manufacturer. Here are some of the important things that you must consider when choosing the right printed circuit board assembly manufacturer:

1. CHOOSE THE LOCATION WISELY

As mentioned above the South Asia manufacturers can produce or manufacture the printed circuit board assembly at a much lower cost. Hence, it is important for you to choose a manufacturer who is based on this region. One of the main centers of printed circuit board assembly manufacturing is China. You can research about the manufacturers present in China who can help you with a low-cost PCB assembly.

2. QUALITY OF THE MATERIAL

While choosing a low-cost manufacturer, you must keep in mind that you cannot compromise with the quality of the material. There are many manufacturers who provide the best quality material at the most reasonable rates. You can check their reviews to know more about the quality they offer.

3. RELIABILITY AND EXPERIENCE

The next thing that matters truly is the reliability. Well, experience and reliability is quite dependent on each other, with experience, companies become more and more reliable because of their great skills and improved knowledge. Even the reputation matters a lot. You need to check how long the manufacturer is working in the same industry to know more about it.

4. LATEST TECHNOLOGIES

One more factor that you have to consider is the latest technologies. There are some kind of technologies that are involved for the production and manufacturing of the printed circuit board. You need to ensure that the company you are choosing uses the latest technologies. This ensures better precision and accuracy.

CONCLUSION

This is all about the cost of the printed circuit board or PCB assembly. Well, as you can see there are many factors that determine the total cost of the printed circuit board assembly. But all these are relative from one manufacturer to another and one location to another. To make things easier for you, we have also provided a short guide on how you can choose the best printed circuit board manufacturer for your business or company. You can make a sound decision based on that.