Here are a few tips on how to reduce your pcb manufacturing costs.

1. COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN
ADVICE FOR MAKERS

2. If you're looking for the absolute, cheapest possible
assembly service, you'll need to look outside of
North America. If you really need a decent price with
good quality and good service, you can keep your
gaze West of the Atlantic and East of the Pacific.
Like everything else in the
modern world, design decisions
can have a pretty big impact on
your cost.
So, lets take a look at some design decisions that can
make your manufacturing more affordable.
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

3. Lead times are one of the biggest
factors in electronics manufacturing.
Screaming Circuits can turn a kitted
assembly job overnight, but it costs a
lot of money to do that.
Screaming Circuits also has a 20 day
turn-around that is much, much more
affordable. Accepting longer lead
times on PCB fab will drop your cost as
well.
1. Accept longer lead times
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

4. We build tons of QFN and BGA boards
- even down to 0.3 mm pitch micro
BGAs. That's great if you need those
packages. However, since all of the
leads are underneath, we have to x-ray
every part. That adds a bit of cost to
the process.
If you can, stick with TSSOPs and other
parts with visible leads.
2. Avoid leadless packages like QFNs and BGAs
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

5. We will gladly assemble parts on strips
of almost any size. But, to save costs,
use full or partial reels or continuous
strips of at least 12" long. It costs us
less time to work with reels and
continuous strips, and we pass those
savings on.
3. Use reels, or 12" or longer continuous strips
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

6. These days, thru-hole components
tend to be hand soldered. That costs
more than machine assembly, so use
surface mount wherever possible.
Surface mount components
tend to be less expensive
than thru-hole too.
If you do need a few thru-hole parts,
this is an opportunity to put in a little
sweat equity by soldering the thru-
hole yourself and save a bit of money.
4. Stick with Surface Mount
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

7. Putting surface mount parts on both sides of the
pc board is a great way to better utilize space.
However, if cost is more of a concern, and you
only have a few parts to put on the back side, it
may be more cost effective to move them to the
top side.
If you've got a lot of parts, the additional cost
for assembling both sides may be less than the
cost for the extra PC board size, but with a small
number of parts that's probably not the case.
Quote it both ways and see which is less
expensive
5. Consider keeping your surface
mount parts on one side
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

8. We can work with really tiny boards individually,
but sticking with a larger size makes the job
easier, and, again, we'll pass those saving on. If
your PC board is smaller than 16 square inches,
panelize it. We put in less labor and you get a
price break.
6. Panelize small boards
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

9. By following these guidelines, you get a decent price
and really good quality and service.
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN

10. For more information on this topic or others visit
blog.ScreamingCircuits.com
COST REDUCTION IN DESIGN