PCBs are in almost everything that we use these days but what is the cost of making these small circuit boards? PCB designers and companies creating these products need to spend cash on getting them manufactured and this can add up to a lot of money.
Here, we are going to give you some tips on how you can cut costs in the PCB manufacture process. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more.
Table Of Contents
Choose A Professional Manufacturer
Our first tip for those who want to cut costs on the circuit board manufacturing process is to choose a reliable and professional manufacturer.
You will want to make sure that they have experience in this type of thing and that they are charging reasonable prices. If they aren’t experienced, then there is a risk of error which could you more money. Sometimes, it might be more cost-effective to fork out for a more expensive manufacturer in order to save in the long-run.
Make Sure Your Design Is Accurate
When you are trying to cut costs on your PCB manufacture, you need to make sure that your design is accurate before sending it off to be produced. To do this, we suggest that you use a premium software package to design your PCB like Altium Designer which will help you to create an accurate design. You can use this software to test your product and ensure that you aren’t wasting money by having it manufactured.
Focus On Cost Of Bare PCBs
Some parts of the PCB will cost more than others, and this is something that you need to consider if you want to cut costs. When it comes to the layer count, you’ll find that each layer costs more – so you might want to reduce these in order to cut costs. You will also find that vias can be expensive so you should also carefully arrange these in order to get the most out of your money when it comes to the manufacturing process.
Prepare An Effective BOM
Our final tip for those who want to cut costs on their PCB manufacture is to prepare an effective BOM. The BOM is known as the Bill Of Materials and it is an important document that you need to send to your manufacturer. To save some cash, add replacements to your BOM and this means that the manufacturer knows what to do if they can’t find your first choice. This will not only save you money on expensive alternatives, but it will also save you some time.
Conclusion
If you are planning on creating a PCB in the near future, then you should make sure to follow our advice. This entire process can be expensive and can eat in your project budget. Make sure to cut the costs where you can, and you will be able to stay within budget and get your project manufactured on time.
