Pcb Designing And Manufacture – Factors That Affect Costs

1. Article3: Pcbcart.com PCB DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURE – FACTORS THAT AFFECT COSTS A printed circuit board or PCB is a complex intermingling of electronic systems to create a circuit useful for electronic devices – This is the general definition though, let us examine technically what PCBs or printed circuit board software is all about. It is a plate or a board used for putting the different elements of an electronic device together, confirming an electrical circuit that includes the electrical interconnections between them.The most effortlessprinted circuit boards are the ones which have copper tracks or that interconnects only on one of the surfaces. These kinds of PCBs are commonly known as 1 layer printed circuit board or 1 layer PCB.On the other hand the most prevalent PCB manufactured today is the one that includes 2 layers, that is -one can find the electrical interconnections in both the surfaces of the board. It is also seen that, depending on the physical complexity of the PCB layout design or PCB layout software, the boards can be manufactured for 8 or more layers conveniently. While designing the PCB, software cost incurred is also very important. Printed circuit board or PCBmanufacturing costs rely on several factors that must be taken into consideration during the design process. If you are a newbie in the PCB design field, perhaps your design may not stand on the optimization of cost. Generally the beginner PCB designers don’t put much emphasis on the basic width, spacing and several other factors that have a huge impact not only in the equipments costs but also in the per unit prices.If you wish to keep your costs on a lower side, then have a look to some below mentioned points. Always try to keep the PCB board size to minimum in area - This point is the most basic and obvious rule, as the cost of PCBmanufacture cango high with increase in the size.Taking it to another side, theprice is approximately proportional to the board’s area. Another point for the PCB costs is the board shape and slots–The PCB designers make sure to put the layout on a standard size unless it is not urgent or mandatory. Using standard board shapes like rectangles and squares are cost effective as changing them irregularly to different shapes may incur extra cost. Also try to avoid slotsunless needed for mounting purposes of PCB design. There are few PCBdesign or software shops that charge additional costs for asymmetrical shapes which are different from the standard ones.Moreover, PCB designers recommend designing the boards with standard shapes such as square or rectangular to reduce costs. Yet another cost factor for the PCB layout and design is the size of the holes and annular rings–Try using bigger holes and annular rings as they are cost effective, thus manufacturing smaller holes engross the use of more specific machinery and tools, which significantly amplifythe costs. Relatively in the end, it is evident that while designing the printed circuit board layout, one has to be vigilant on many factors, out of which the cost incurred plays a crucial role. To know more about FR4 and advanced circuits, visit Pcbcart.com. ABOUT THE AUTHOR James Whitehall is an expert when it comes to printed circuit board manufacturing and design. He loves writing interesting articles and blogs about the topic and recommends PCBCart.com as the name to trust if you are looking printed circuit board fabrication services and support