Introduction
- Overview of PCB assembly and manufacturing
- Importance of getting quotes for budgeting and planning
- Main options are online quotes or instant quotes
- Thesis: While online quotes can be convenient, instant quotes often provide more detailed and tailored information.
Online PCB Assembly Quotes
What Are They?
- Quotes generated from customer inputs on a web form or site
- Based on predefined formula using limited inputs
- Provides quick ballpark pricing estimate
- Typically no human interaction
Pros
- Fast and simple to get a quote
- Available 24/7 outside business hours
- Helpful for budgetary purposes
Cons
- Lack of detail and customization
- Pricing is not firm commitment
- Limited inputs may not capture full scope
- No expert guidance on optimization
When Best Suited
- Early conceptual project stage
- Budgetary and feasibility analysis
- Simple, low mix board designs
- Non-critical applications
Instant PCB Assembly Quotes
What Are They?
- Quotes generated via live chat, phone, email with sales reps
- Interactive consultation to capture details
- Customized quote based on inputs and optimization
- Firm pricing commitment (subject to order validation)
Pros
- Captures complete project details and requirements
- Expert guidance to optimize design, components, costs
- Firm committed pricing after order validation
- Account rep provides ongoing support
Cons
- Requires scheduling time for live consultation
- More effort than solely web-based
- Wait time for quote turnaround
- Must be during business hours
When Best Suited
- Actual project planning and execution
- Complex, high-mix designs
- Advanced technical requirements
- Need for supply chain partnership
Detailed Comparison
| Factor | Online Quote | Instant Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Very fast | Moderate turnaround time |
| Convenience | 24/7 access | Within business hours |
| Interaction | None | Consultation with account rep |
| Inputs | Preset web form | Customized to project |
| Pricing | Rough estimate | Firm commitment after validation |
| Optimization | Limited | Design, components, costs |
| Responsiveness | Pre-set algorithms | Account rep guidance |
| Ongoing Support | None | Dedicated rep |
What Impacts PCB Assembly Pricing?
- PCB characteristics
- Layer count
- Board size
- Board thickness
- Material (FR4, Rogers, etc)
- Pad size/pitch
- Hole size/pitch
- Fine pitch components
- BGA/CSP/QFN packages
- Component considerations
- SMT vs. through-hole parts
- Lead sizes and pitches
- Package sizes and types
- Component sourcing
- Testing and inspection
- ICT test
- Flying probe
- AOI inspection
- X-ray inspection
- Certifications
- UL, IPC standards
- ITAR
- ISO-9001
- Special processes
- Conformal coating
- Potting and encapsulation
- Press-fit connectors
- PTH filling
- Selective wave solder
- Qualifications
- Design reviews
- Test board builds
- Process verification
- Order parameters
- Quantity
- Lead times
- Expedited shipping
Getting the Optimal Quote
For Simplicity and Speed
- Online quotes if basic budgetary estimate needed fast
- Ensure form inputs accurately reflect design needs
For Precision and Optimization
- Instant quote with live consultation
- Provide complete design, BOM, scope details
- Review recommendations for optimization
- Validate committed pricing with order
General Tips
- Get multiple quotes for comparison
- Clearly communicate all requirements upfront
- Request firm pricing commitment
- Understand complete terms and conditions
- Establish ongoing supply chain relationship
Conclusion
- Online quotes provide quick ballpark pricing estimates
- Instant quotes deliver detailed, customized pricing after consultative process
- Many factors impact final PCB assembly pricing
- Precisely communicating requirements gets optimal quote
- Developing supply chain partnerships enables maximizing value
Frequently Asked Questions
What details are needed for an online quote?
Typically only high-level details like PCB quantities, board size/layer count, lead times, and a few component parameters. It lacks the customization of an instant quote.
What is the typical turnaround time for an instant quote?
Most assembly partners aim to provide detailed instant quotes within 1-2 business days after capturing all project requirements during an interactive consultation.
Can I get instant quotes outside normal business hours?
Unfortunately live consultations needed for instant quotes can only occur during normal business operating hours. For after-hours, online quotes provide an estimate.
When are online quotes not suitable?
If the application has complex requirements, tight tolerances, advanced components, or rigorous quality standards, an online quote won’t capture the details needed for an accurate pricing estimate.
How can I get the best pricing on instant quotes?
Being flexible on production lead times, providing longer-term forecasts, optimizing designs for ease of assembly, and establishing ongoing supply chain relationships can help reduce assembly costs.
Should you Use a PCB Assembly Online Quote?
After generating your printed circuit board design, you need to find a PCB manufacturer to transform your circuit board design into an actual printed circuit board (finished product). However, before you commence the circuit board fabrication process, you must get a printed circuit board quote first from the manufacturer. The printed circuit board quote is vital because it provides crucial information regarding your project’s cost and time requirements.
Typically, circuit board manufacturers can only generate accurate and optimized circuit boards when they have all the necessary details regarding the circuit board in an accurate manner. Moreover, the circuit board quote provides information regarding what you should expect your finished product to look like at the end. Your PCB manufacturer executes your board’s fabrication process according to the details you provide in this PCB assembly quote. Therefore the PCB assembly quote is pretty vital. But what exactly does it entail? Is there a way to access PCB assembly quotes online? And are these online quotes as crucial as the physical ones?
What exactly is a Printed Circuit Board Assembly Quote?
A circuit board quote is a rough estimation of the manufacturer’s time, cost, and capabilities as per fabricating your circuit board. Moreover, circuit board quotes aren’t only ideal for PCB assembly processes. They also come in handy in the circuit board manufacturing and designing phases. A PCB assembly quote typically offers a rough estimation of the circuit board manufacturer’s capabilities in terms of converting your PCB design into a finished product.
Printed circuit board quotes indicate more than just the cost of generating your circuit board design. They also reveal the following:
- The number of circuit boards that you want to be produced
- A rough estimation of how long it will take your manufacturer to create your circuit board or circuit boards
Moreover, the work of the manufacturer becomes easier whenever a client submits an accurate quote. That is because the production process becomes smooth with no generation of faults. Therefore, it is crucial to include every piece of information that you feel is necessary for the fabrication of your circuit board. However, if there’s any missing data on the quote, the circuit board manufacturer will likely call your circuit board designer to gather the missing info.
In addition, the successful fabrication of a circuit board primarily depends upon the circuit board assembly quote.
What is a PCB Assembly Online Quote?
Generally, a printed circuit board assembly online quote is a PCB quotation form provided via the internet by the manufacturer. Manufacturers mainly utilize their online platforms (websites) to post their company PCB assembly quotes online. After posting them, all you have to do to access them is visit their site. Moreover, you can quickly fill in the forms online via the site and then submit them online without printing any physical documents.
Why are PCB Assembly Online Quotes Good?
Printed circuit board online quotes are efficient due to a couple of reasons that include:
Cheaper
Online forms increase accuracy, standardization, and efficiency while at the same time reducing the cost of collecting data. In addition, while working with an online form, you do not have to incur the cost of printing papers to fill in information. Instead, you must fill in the information online and submit it to your board’s manufacturer.
Moreover, submitting the PCB assembly quote online eliminates the need to travel to the manufacturer’s firm or physical location to hand in your quotation. Therefore it is more convenient when compared to physical PCB quotes.
Time Efficiency
Printed circuit board online quotes are usually posted by PCB manufacturers online on their company websites. Therefore, to access these forms, you must visit their site and search for the PCB assembly online quote, and you are all set. On the other hand, when working with a physical form, you have to travel all the way to the PCB manufacturing company to get the form. You must then fill it out and mail it back or take the document back yourself.
However, when dealing with the online version, you only have to fill in the information needed in the online quote via your smartphone or laptop. Then when you are done, you can just click on submit, and your circuit board manufacturer will automatically receive your circuit board quote from the other end. By using this method, you get to save a lot of time. Moreover, you can carry out this task in the comfort of your home.
Easier Data Handling
Online forms provide means to gather information more efficiently compared to physical forms. When interacting with these forms, you will find them self-explanatory, making them user-friendly and easier to interact with. Moreover, they contain option fields that provide all the information you might need for a particular field.
Moreover, the information you fill in these online quotes can be analyzed and evaluated quickly by the circuit board manufacturer. Therefore, in most cases, the information you send via the online forms will be utilized by your manufacturer to carry out your circuit board fabrication process.
Information found in Printed Circuit Board Assembly Online Quotes
Printed circuit board online quotes typically contain crucial details that include:
- Minimum space that will exist between traces
- Board dimensions
- Minimum width of the trace
- Outer layer CU (copper) finish
- Layer Count
- Materials to be utilized on the circuit board
- Hole count
- Annular ring requirements
What Documents do you need to quote a Printed Circuit Board Assembly?
When sending a PCB assembly quotation, you have to include the following documents:
- Bare board print – it provides essential data required to effectively fabricate bare circuit boards
- Bill of material – this document is utilized to govern the component. In most cases, experts will call this document a BOM.
- Assembly Print is basically the blueprint the manufacturer will utilize to fabricate your circuit board.
- Approved vendors list – Provide the manufacturer’s actual part numbers that work on the board’s internal part number.
Conclusion
Printed circuit board assembly quotes are, without a doubt, vital to the successful assembly of a circuit board. The information you provide on this form helps the circuit board manufacturer accurately generate your circuit board as you requested without any faults. However, if you mess up while filling out these forms, you might give your manufacturer a hard time during production. However, it would help to consider using PCB assembly online quotes to reduce the chances of filling in incorrect or inaccurate info. They are convenient and cheaper, and the information they deliver is analyzed and evaluated more effectively. Therefore we hope this article has provided you with all the information you were looking for regarding PCB assembly online quotes.
