NCAB Group introduces specialist cost-driver tool for PCBs

Whether your role is managerial, commercial or technical in focus, there’s a good chance that you have an interest in ensuring that the printed circuit boards (PCBs) you’re designing, purchasing and/or assembling are as efficient as they can be in terms of achieving the lowest total cost, on a sustainable footing, without compromising on the functionality or reliability of the end product.
The majority of the cost (ie 80%-90%) is built into the product in the early stages of the design phase before either the PCB supplier or EMS company has sight of the design. The NCAB Group has also found that many of the cost drivers directly impact all aspects in producing and delivering a more sustainable product.

The NCAB Group has actively divided the cost drivers into two categories: the ‘hard’ costs and the ‘soft’ costs. The ‘hard’ cost drivers cover aspects relating directly to the physical printed circuit board itself. Examples would be copper weights and build complexity. In these cases, the impacts on sustainability are somewhat more tangible.

The ‘soft’ cost drivers are those elements that, unless considered in detail, can lead to delays in engineering, lost time and misspecified demands that merely serve to either drive cost upwards or fail to identify what’s needed in order to achieve the desired quality or long-term reliability. According to the NCAB Group, this is not sustainable PCB production.

In terms of an example of a PCb cost-driver, let’s examine the size of the PCB itself. This is one of the simplest drivers to understand in that, much like a house, the larger it is, the more it will cost.

Should a defect occur in a smaller circuit, the remainder of the panel can still be acceptable for production. When a defect occurs in a larger circuit, however, a larger portion of the raw material is discarded, The environmental impact of material demand can be seen in that less material equals a lower impact.

Certain factors are a little less quantifiable, but can certainly have just as much of an impact on both cost and sustainability.

Want to know more? Download the NCAB Group’s cost-driver tool.

*Further information is available online at www.ncabgroup.com