How to Quote PCB?

What is a PCB quote?

A PCB quotation is a broad estimate of the time, PCB assembly cost, and capabilities of a manufacturer in converting a design into a physical board. It isn't always tied to the board's construction. For details on PCB design, manufacture, or assembly, a quote can be requested.

The PCB Fabrication Quotation tools obtain prices of your PCB fabrication needs from several suppliers on a bespoke PCB basis. All you have to do is fill out a special form or submit a Gerber file containing your specifications and choose the company from which you want a quote.

Quote for PCB prototype

The majority of contract manufacturer (CM) websites feature a part where you may obtain a quote for a prototype board. This gives you the option of obtaining information regarding prototype PCBs. These types of boards are used to determine whether a concept or design is viable. Prototyping is usually done on a tighter timetable with quicker turnaround times. During prototyping, 5-10 units are typically created.

 Documents needed to Quote a PCB Assembly

What do you need to acquire a PCB assembly quote? There are four fundamental papers, and how they are communicated depends on your company's technologies; we may collaborate to determine what is ideal for you. We'll go over what documents are required, what information they should all contain, and how they fit into the quote process.

The following are the essential documents:

1.      Printed on bare board (and Gerber files)

2.      Print the assembly instructions

3.      Material Bill of Materials (BOM)

4.      Vendor List That Has Been Approved

Print of Bare-Board

Print on bare board This print, also known as a PCB fabrication drawing or fab drawing, provides us with the essential papers needed to construct your bare PCB. Outer dimensions, board thickness, material, finish, number of holes and smallest hole size required, number of layers required, solder-mask color one side or both, silkscreen color one side or both, and any additional cost drivers should all be included in the bare-board print. Finally, both the component number and revision should be included in your bare-board print. The most common format is pdf.

You'll also need design files, which are commonly known as Gerber files. You should, however, make every effort to offer the design files in an intelligent data interchange format such as ODB++.

Don’t forget to check your data  After you've made all of your updates to your drawings, double-check that your assembly print and bare-board print have all of the necessary changes and that the revision numbers on all of the documents match.

Assembly Print - This is the manufacturer's blueprint, and it shows where the pieces are located, as well as any particular markings or packing requirements for the PCB.

BOM 

The bill of materials (BOM) is the component's master document. Each line item on the BOM should have at least an internal part number, description, quantity per, and, ideally, a reference designator. The approved vendor list (AVL) is frequently included in BOMs, obviating the requirement for a separate AVL. The fab part number and revision will be included in best-practice BOMs. The most common format for BOMs is Excel. Please keep in mind that any bespoke parts will require separate drawings to receive an accurate price.

Practice the Consistency – Create a consistent structure for your BOM that is simple to navigate and maintains consistency over revisions. Excel is the ideal file format to utilize, and each part number should be listed on a single line.

List of approved vendors

The supplier and the vendor's part number linked with your internal part number (IPN) or reference are provided via the Approved Vendor List (AVL). Each IPN may have many authorized manufacturers. This data is commonly included in the BOM.

Records of Previous Revisions - It's critical to keep track of all previous versions of your design.

compiling the BOM file:

To an engineer, a BOM file is a list of all the parts that go into a product, along with pertinent information like suppliers, lead time, footprint, and so on. The more precise the BOM, the better, but compiling it can be a long and arduous procedure.

• Manufacturer part number (MPN) – This is not identical to the number provided by the provider, such as a Mouser part number. It should be specific and only refer to one part.
• Designator – this is the code that appears on the Gerber files' silkscreen. It is distinctive to each part and specifies the product's placement on the board, even if there are numerous occurrences of the same component on the board.
• Amount – The quantity refers to the total number of components on a single board. If there are 3 of the same component, enter 3 and list the three identifiers separately on the BOM.

It's time to put it to the test

Go to the PCB quotation form on the Seeed Fusion website. Upload the BOM file to PCB Assembly by scrolling down. The calculator will generate the BOM below and the final quote on the right in a matter of seconds. If any components could not be found, you will be requested to identify alternate parts or provide a purchasing link to assist with procurement.

Where to find a PCB Assembly Quotation Online

 only PCB assembly is a circuit board with all of the needed components placed on it. Obtaining a PCB assembly quote is dependent on several criteria, including the type of PCB order, services, and the number of various parts, among others.

PCB Assembly Quote Calculator Steps

1. web Quote

There are numerous text boxes on the online form where you can fill in the required information. In each of the textboxes below, we need the following information

2.     Several Assembly Part:

This field is required since the part number will be displayed on your order.

3.    Revision Number:

This only applies if the part number has been changed.

4.     Order Type of assembling Service:

There are three sections in this one. Turnkey, kitted, consigned, or a combination of the three. We handle the complete manufacturing process in turnkey to provide you with an end-to-end solution. You must obtain the customer supply parts combo and supplies for the kitted or consigned order type, and we will handle the fabrication procedure. You can order the materials and parts you need in the combo order type if you already have them in your inventory, and we'll take care of the rest of the parts and process. As a result, you must fill in the relevant information in the appropriate area.

5.     Assembled boards Quantity:

You must select the number of PCBs to be constructed here.

6.     Unique Parts Number (BOM lines):

In this section, you must provide the number of unique parts listed in the Bill of Materials that are unique to a PCB.

7.     SMT parts total Number:

Here you must specify the number of parts that will be directly mounted on the board surface.

8.     Through-Hole Parts number:

This section must include the number of parts that are put into PCB pores.

9.     Fine Pitch Parts Number:

Include the number of surface-mountable parts with a lead pitch of fewer than 20 mils here.

10.  BGA Parts Number:

The amount of ball grid array (BGA) surface mount parts needed in integrated circuits must be stated here.

11.  QFN Parts Number:

You must define the number of Quid Flatpack No-Lead (QFN) parts that are joined to other parts via solder joints created on the board using solder paste. You must answer yes or no to each of the following questions:

1.     SMT Assembly on both sides

2.     Through-Hole Assembly on both sides

3.      Processing without the use of lead (RoHS)

4.      Inspection of Class III

5.     Processing of ITAR documents

Assembly's detailed information:

Although this is not required, you may include the specifics of your requirements. It will assist us in comprehending the intricacies.

•     Lead Time: Choose a timeframe from the drop-down menu above. This will help us determine how urgently your request needs to be fulfilled.
•      Authentication: If you're a registered user, you can log in and have your credentials checked. If not, you can create a user account on our website.
•      Review and Submit Quote: Once you've filled in all of the essential information, go ahead and click the Calculate button to get an instant PCB assembly quote and PCB assembly cost estimate.

Conclusion                                        

A PCB quote is a broad estimate of the time, shipping cost, and capabilities of a manufacturer in converting a design into a physical board. It isn't always tied to the board's construction. For details on Printed circuit boards design, manufacture, or assembly, a quote can be requested.