How to Receive an Accurate PCB Quote
When a PCB designer finished the PCB layout, the next step is to prepare the related files and send it to a PCB manufacturer for a quote. And then get the board manufactured if the lead time is acceptable and the price is under budgetary. No matter who manufacture your printed circuit boards, the core intention is to fabricate a circuit board at minimum cost and reliable quality.
An accuracy of PCB quotes depending on the assess of it’s manufacturing process. In order to make the process quickly without any delay, it is better to include all the necessary files and specification in one package for a quotation work. If there is any critical information missing, the contact manufacturer will have to contact the designer. Once this communication is in the progress, the order will keep on hold, which might have some impact on manufacturing deadlines, as a result the production may take a longer time than expected.
The critical information and specification required for an accurate PCB manufacturing quote:
| Item | Specification | Remark |
| 01 | Gerber files | Not to send your PCB design flies, as the PCB manufacturer only read CAD files not design files. It is better to include these necessary files along with your Gerber file: fabrication drawing, excellon frill file, Readme.txt, IPC nest |
| 02 | Type of board | Rigid, flex, and rigid-flex, etc |
| 03 | Number of the board layers | 1, 2, 4, 6… |
| 04 | Single PCB dimensions | You need to mention the panel specification if you need a panel shipped for assembly purpose |
| 05 | Final PCB thickness | You need to present your stack up details once your PCB have any impedance requirement |
| 06 | Base material | You need to specify whether it should be UL certificated or not, as some suppliers like to use inferior material that not UL list to get lowest price without any notification to their clients. |
| 07 | Copper thickness | Specify your copper thickness is a final finished value or a base value, there are different feature which might impact the cost and impedance if there is. |
| 08 | Surface finishing | 08-1: The commonly used surface finishes include hot air solder leveling (HASL), electroless nickel immersion gold plating (ENIG), electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG), immersion Tin, Immersion Ag, OSP and others. Therefore, if not properly specified, a wrong type of surface finish will have negatively impact the PCB efficiency. This is an important specification that is often missed by most young designers while requesting a quote. 08-2: Specific coating thickness needed if it is immersion gold of which the difference will impact the final PCB cost. |
| 09 | Solder mask color | 09-1: Green is a common using color; other colors are also available but sometimes will limit the soldermask dam width on SMT PAD spacing. 09-2: Please evaluate your budgetary once a special brand solder mask required: such as Taiyo PSR-4000BN, etc.. |
| 10 | Silkscreen Color | 10-1: White is a common using color. 10-2: Just like the solder mask, just saying ‘yes’ in the silkscreen option is not enough. Questions regarding whether special brand (Such as Taiyo) and what color is required should also be answered. |
| 11 | Impedance or not | You need to provide impedance details if you have impedance on some layers of your circuit board, supplier can have this to have a calculation for access of manufacturing. |
| 12 | Via in PAD or not | If you have some via holes design in SMT PAD, you need to specify whether these via holes need to be filled or not, as this could be have an impact on PCB assembly quality if via holes on PAD not filled. |
| 13 | Package criteria | Vacuum packing is a common way now, but you need the exact PCS per lot package; or else the supplier will use their regular economic packaging such as 20pcs/package, 50pcs/per package. And, paper need to filled between PCBs if they are gold or silver finishing, to avoid the scratches which will have impact on assembly quality. |
| 14 | Quality criteria | IPC class 2 or IPC class 3 (Generally, class 3 has an excellent quality standard, but the cost will raise up more than 10%) |
All printed circuit board manufacturing quotation in WELLER will be done DFM review by our experienced engineer before any prices submitted, you can rely on as your professional PCB supplier.