Cost Drivers

in
Manufacturing
of
PCBs

Albert Schweitzer
Fine Line Gesellschaft
für Leiterplattentechnik mbH
Itterpark 4, D-40724
© Copyright Fine Line 11.01.2017 Vers. 1.4
 Table of Content
Content

General
Key cost factors in Production of
Printed Circuit Boards
Cost index of major process operations
for HDI PCBs.
Miscellaneous and closing remarks
General
 General

PCB fabrication is all about

removing the copper you
don't want.
 General

Today's design possibilities in the production of

printed circuit boards are so diverse and varied
that you can barely list them.

In the following presentation:

“Cost drivers in manufacturing of PCBs“

I like to indicate and classify the most important

PCB features with related process steps and
manufacturing methods in the production of PCBs,
sorted by their impact on cost.
 General

This attempt, to sort the PCB manufacturing

process steps to their cost, sounds simple at first.
But it isn’t simple at all because we have to
consider:

Different production strategy

Different production equipment

Different technology to create final
products
 General

Nevertheless, I’ll give it a try.

The result I like to present today isn’t perfect,

but I think it is a good starting point.
Key cost factors in production of
Printed Circuit Boards
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

PCB process cost consideration

Cost control must be considered in the early
phases of the PCB design process and in some
cases even in the actual circuit development.
All additional process steps have an associated
cost in terms of process times, materials,
consumables, energy and waste treatment.
Process costs impact PCB price regardless of
where they are manufactured, and once cost is
designed in, it is very hard, if not impossible, to
reduce cost without re-design.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

PCB process cost consideration

Clever design and good engineering are
the best solution for board designs with the
lowest possible cost index.

Please consider always:

important basis fore each PCB design
are the IPC Standards:
IPC-2220 – IPC2226.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

PCB process cost consideration

Costing in PCB fabrication is a complex
algorithm that account for many variables
that have an impact on the overall cost of
a part. These variables will weight in the
cost by different percentage factors.
Cost is a real factor based on complexity
And used materials and equipment, taking
into account the efficiency.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

The cost factors can be divided into three

categories:
Cost factors category I, Significant

Cost factors category II, Important

Cost factors category III, Minor

The allocation to category II and III depends on used
equipment and is therefore specific to the manufacturer.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Significant cost factors, category I:

Size of PCB
Effective utilization of material,Yield
Layer count
Complexity of PCB
Choice of material
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Size of PCB:

It is trivial:

The larger
the PCB,
the more
it costs.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Effective utilization of Material, Yield

Panel utilization is one of the most critical factors
with respect to PCB cost.

Good Utilization Bad Utilization

 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Utilization of Material, Yield

Manufacturing panels come in many sizes.
Some are optimized for special process or
materials, others are optimized for volume
production with many panel sizes being
vendor specific.
Common used Panel sizes:
• 18 X 24“ (457 x 610mm)
• 18 X 21“ (457 x 533mm)
• 21 X 24“ (533 x 610mm)
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Panel Utilization: Array Considerations

77,8%
=

Source: TTM
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Panel Utilization: Array Considerations

58% =

Source: TTM
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Layer count:
Also this cost factor is trivial to understand:
More layers = more production steps
+ more material
+ additional production time.

2 Layers 8 Layers
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Layer count:
This cost factor also differs from manufacturer
to manufacturer as well.

Change: 1L to 2L: Increase: 35 – 40%

2L to 4L: 30 – 40%
4L to 6L: 30 – 35%
6L to 8L: 30 – 35%
8L to 10L: 20 – 30%
10L to 12L: 20 – 30%
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Layer count:
Reduction of layer count does not always
reduce cost.

If reduction of layer count is achieved by

means of more complex technology
and/or yields are impacted by aggressive
design practices.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Cost versus number of layers:

Usually the
costs rise is
Linear to the
number of
Cost

Layers.

Cost of Produktion

Layer count

Source: Ronal E. Giachetti

 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Complexity of PCB:

75/75 µm Linewidth/Space 75/75 µm Linewidth/Space

Burried Vias drilled 0.3 mm Burried Vias drilled 0.2 mm
Burried V. Annual R. 150 µm Burried V. Annual R. 120 µm
PTH Via drilled 0.3 mm PTH Via drilled 0.2 mm
PTH Via Annual Ring 150 µm Technology PTH Via Annual Ring 120 µm
Microvia drilled 0.1 mm Change Microvia drilled 0.1 mm
Microvia Annual Ring 75 µm Microvia Annual Ring 60 µm
Copper filled PTH Via 20 µm Copper filled PTH Via 20µm
Thickness of PCB 1.2 mm Thickness of PCB 1.2 mm

Cost 100% Cost 113%

Source: AT&S
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Complexity of PCBs:
Cost

Source: Fraunhofer
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Micro Via Structures:

Micro Via Structures can also have a big impact on the
manufacturing process, since they directly affect the
number of lamination cycles. The more variations you
have of which layers micro-via start and stop on, the
more lamination and drilling steps are needed in the
PCB manufacturing process. Which layers the micro
via starts and stops on creates a sub-construction, and
each sub-construction will require an extra lamination
and drilling cycle. (The lamination process is defined
as pressing a set of copper layers with dielectrics in
between two adjacent copper layers under heat and
pressure to form a multilayer PCB laminate).
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Micro Via Structures:

Cost Optimization:

HDI design reduces overall cost by decreasing the

number of layers and size as compared to a
STANDARD TECHNOLOGY PCB design for the same
level of complexity.

Not only HDI design make the PCBs smaller, lighter,

and thinner; but HDI PCBs provide a much superior
electrical performance.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

1x pressed 2x pressed 3x pressed

175%

2 + 4b + 2
150%
Cost

140%
2 + 4(6b) + 2
1 + 6b + 1
Staggered
120% Microvias
1 – 2; 2 – 3;
Staggered 7 – 6; 8 – 7;
115% 2+4+2 Microvias
Microvias +
1 – 2; 8 – 7; 1 – 2; 2 – 3;
2+4+2 7 – 6; 8 – 7; Buried Via
100% + 3 – 6;
Buried Via +
1+6+1 2 – 7; Buried Via
Microvias 2 – 7;
1 – 2; 2 – 3;
Microvias 7 – 6; 8 – 7;
1 – 2; 1 – 3; Staggered
8 – 6; 8 – 7; Vias

Complexity
Source: Fineline
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Common material selection criteria’s:

Lead free solder compatible (thermal reliability)
TG (temperature related reliability)
TCT, CTEz (temperature cycle reliability)
Degradation Temperature (thermal reliability)
High thermal conductivity (heat transfer)
T260, T288 (time to delamination)
εr (Dk), Df (electrical signal performance)
CAF resistant
Mechanical properties (Drop Test, stiffness, etc.)
Halogen reduced (environmental features)
etc.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Choice of Material:

The higher the frequency

the more important
is the choice of
materials

Source: AT&S
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Choice of Material:
Material Group e.g. Manufacturer/Type Cost Factor

Phenolic FR4 ITEQ 180A 1

High Speed / Mid Low Loss ITEQ 200LK 1.2
High Speed / Mid Low Loss Nelco 4000-13 EP 1.3
High Speed / Low Loss Nelco 4000-13 EPSI 3
High Speed / Low Loss ITEQ 968 3.5
High Speed / Low Loss Panasonic Megtron 6 4
Polyimide Nelco N7000-2 3
High Frequency Arlon 25N 4
High Frequency Rogers 4350B, RO4003 5
BT Packaging Substrate Nelco N5000-32 3
PTFE Based Microwave Materials Rogers 3000, 5000, 6000 10 - 50

Source: Fineline
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Note:
Due to the fact that the cost for:
Category II and Category III
will vary greatly depending on involved
manufacturer, I did not specified corresponding
cost factors in contrast, what I did for
Category I , PCB features.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Important cost factors, category II:

Line geometry, track and gap
Controlled Impedances
Hole sizes and count of holes
Plugged, filled Vias copper covered
Thickness of Copper
Use of Gold and thickness of Gold
Tight Tolerances
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Track and gap:

Avionic Sample

Digital Wide Band Receiver

The differences of the interconnect geometry is significant.

The cost as well!
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Track and gap:

Source: TTM
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Controlled Impedances:
When the impedance Testcoupon Structure:
of traces must be
controlled, additional
costs arise through
additional process
steps and additional
space requirements
for the test coupon.

Source: Polar
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Hole sizes and count of holes:

A simple Drill bit with 0.3mm
formula: Size comparison: = 300µm diameter

The more
A human hair,
drill holes in average
and 70µm = 2.7mil
the smaller
the holes
50µm Microvia
the more
expensive.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Hole sizes and count of holes:

Aggressive hole size and drill size, along with
non standard trace width and air gap can
increase price of standard thru hole technology
compared to the cost of more simple HDI
Technologies.
Small hole size and thick PCB (high Aspect
Ratio) increases drilling time and the drill
erosion which results in higher cost.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Hole sizes and count of holes:

Pay close attention to aspect ratio and hole
size. Often too small of hole will cause voiding
in the filling material. Too large of a hole
diameter will cause a larger dimple on the
surface of the pad from the filling process.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Hole sizes and count of holes:

The dielectric thickness for any blind hole
will need to be reduced to an aspect ratio
of 0.8:1.

This will ensure that plating will be able to

migrate to the base of the hole to provide
acceptable copper thickness.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Plugged, filled Vias copper covered:

Source: Peters
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Thickness of copper:
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Top 20: Worldwide Copper Mining

 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Thickness of Copper

Source: Elmatica
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Thickness of copper:
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Thickness of gold
Gold
Price-Chart
Since year
2000.

Price per
troy ounce
In US-Dollar.

1 Troy ounce = 31,103 gram

 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Tight Tolerances

The variance between manufacturers, in case of tight

tolerances, is big as well. Each deviation from standard
caused costs. Main issue is used equipment.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Minor Cost factors category III:

Different surface treatments
Thickness of PCB
Contour of the printed circuit board
Solder Mask
Legend Print
Performance Class: IPC Class II/III etc.
Side Plating (Edge Plating)
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Cost for different surface treatments:

Source: AT&S
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Cost for different surface treatments:

Source: TTM
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Cost for different surface treatments:

Note:
Please consider the shelf live time of each finish
beside all other technical features.

Finish: HASL Immersion Au Immersion Ag Immersion Sn Organic

ENIG OSP

Shelf live time: 12 12 2.5 - 3 1.5 - 2.5 2-3

[month]
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Cost for different surface treatments

1 Layer PCB, HAL Finish 4 Layer PCB, HAL Finish

HAL Finish HAL Finish

Source: AT&S
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Thickness of PCB:
The standard thickness for PCBs is:
1.6mm (0.063 ").
It depends on the manufacturers whether
thinner PCBs > = 0.8 mm will have same,
lower or even higher price levels. Thicker
versions are becoming increasingly expensive.
Attention! Always note the "Aspect Ratio“.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Contour of the printed circuit board:

Large price fluctuations

between different suppliers
are possible.
Significant price
fluctuations in
case z-axes
routing is
required.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Solder Mask:
Significant additional costs only in case of
Advanced clearance and thickness requirements.

Source: Fineline
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Legend Print:

Nothing to write home about 

 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Performance class: IPC Class II/III etc.

The technical differences between classes
2 and 3 are rather small. From 105 features,
described in IPC-6012B, only 12 features
differ between Class II and Class III.

The higher cost for PCBs manufactured

in compliance with class III requirement
results from the higher testing effort only involved .
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

Side-Plating (Edge-Plating):
It is possible to metallize the
edges of the PCB to increase
the EMC strength and reduce
the emission of the PCBA
as well.

Further example: The plug has a metallic separation

surface located in the in the middle area of this
connector. The PCB side is partial metallized to serve
as a reference plane.
Cost index of major process operations
for HDI PCBs
 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

For the most accurate cost estimate, Fineline

recommends taking an existing design scope
and then adjusting the requirements based on
estimated technologies required. These estimates
will provide more relative data points to make
any cost per technology decision, and prevent
surprises later in the process when resources
have been committed to a design.
 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

HDI process cost index consideration:

For the purpose of developing a basic cost index

for engineering purposes, one way to look at the
fabrication process is to keep track of the
number of major operations.

Following, I defined 7 costly processing steps

for determining a HDI base cost index.
 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

7 costly processing steps for determining

a HDI base cost index
Inner Layer processing
Copper Plating processing
High Pressure Lamination
Mechanical Drilling
Laser Drilling
Vias covered with copper
Vias filled with copper
 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

HDI Cost Index Consideration:

The following examples use a 12 layer printed
circuit to illustrate how different via configurations
impact manufacturing complexity.

Starting with a standard through hole design,

than adding blind and buried vias, micovias
and via-In-Pad technologies
 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

5 Inner layer processes

1 Copper plating process
1 High pressure lamination
1 Mechanical drilling
0 Laser drilling
0 Vias covered with copper
0 Vias filled with copper
8 Total index

12 Layer PCB with Through Hole Vias

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

Inner Layer Processing 5 5

Copper Plating Processing 1 1
High Pressure Lamination 1 1
Mechanical Drilling 1 1
Laser Drilling 0 0
Via covered by copper 0 1
Vias copper filled 0 0

8 9

Cost Index = 8 Cost Index = 9

Inner Layer Processing 5 5

Copper Plating Processing 1 1
High Pressure Lamination 1 1
Mechanical Drilling 1 1
Laser Drilling 1 2
Via covered by copper 0 0
Vias copper filled 0 0

9 10

Cost Index = 9 Cost Index = 10

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

Inner Layer Processing 4 4

Copper Plating Processing 2 3
High Pressure Lamination 3 2
Mechanical Drilling 2 3
Laser Drilling 0 0
Via covered by copper 0 0
Vias copper filled 0 0

11 12

Cost Index = 11 Cost Index = 12

Inner Layer Processing 5 4

Copper Plating Processing 1 2
High Pressure Lamination 1 2
Mechanical Drilling 1 2
Laser Drilling 2 2
Via covered by copper 1 0
Vias copper filled 1 0

12 12

Cost Index = 12 Cost Index = 12

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB
Inner Layer Processing 4 4
Copper Plating Processing 2 2
High Pressure Lamination 3 2
Mechanical Drilling 2 1
Laser Drilling 0 4
Via covered by copper 2 0
Vias copper filled 0 0

13 13

Cost Index = 13 Cost Index = 13

Inner Layer Processing 4 4

Copper Plating Processing 2 2
High Pressure Lamination 2 2
Mechanical Drilling 2 2
Laser Drilling 2 2
Via covered by copper 1 1
Vias copper filled 0 1

13 14

Cost Index = 13 Cost Index = 14

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB
Inner Layer Processing 3 3
Copper Plating Processing 4 3
High Pressure Lamination 4 4
Mechanical Drilling 4 3
Laser Drilling 0 0
Via covered by copper 0 3
Vias copper filled 0 0

15 16

Cost Index = 15 Cost Index = 16

Inner Layer Processing 4 4

Copper Plating Processing 2 2
High Pressure Lamination 2 2
Mechanical Drilling 1 2
Laser Drilling 4 4
Via covered by copper 2 2
Vias copper filled 2 2

17 18

Cost Index = 17 Cost Index = 18

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

 Cost Index for a 12 Layer HDI PCB

Inner Layer Processing 3 3

Copper Plating Processing 3 3
High Pressure Lamination 3 3
Mechanical Drilling 2 2
Laser Drilling 4 6
Via covered by copper 2 3
Vias copper filled 2 3

19 23

Cost Index = 19 Cost Index = 23

Quelle: TTM / Fineline

Miscellaneous and closing remarks
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

As I mentioned already:
For the most accurate cost estimate, Fineline
recommends taking an existing design scope
and then adjusting the requirements based on
estimated technologies required. These estimates
will provide a more relative data points to make
any cost per technology decision, and prevent
surprises later in the process when resources
have been committed to a design.
 Cost factors in manufacturing of PCBs

1x pressed 2x pressed 3x pressed

175%

2 + 4b + 2
150%
Cost

140%
2 + 4(6b) + 2
1 + 6b + 1
Staggered
120% Microvias
1 – 2; 2 – 3;
Staggered 7 – 6; 8 – 7;
115% 2+4+2 Microvias
Microvias +
1 – 2; 8 – 7; 1 – 2; 2 – 3;
2+4+2 7 – 6; 8 – 7; Buried Via
100% + 3 – 6;
Buried Via +
1+6+1 2 – 7; Buried Via
Microvias 2 – 7;
1 – 2; 2 – 3;
Microvias 7 – 6; 8 – 7;
1 – 2; 1 – 3; Staggered
8 – 6; 8 – 7; Vias

Complexity
Source: Fineline
 Sanmina PCB Fabrication – Cost Ratio Calculator
Link: http://www.sanmina.com/components/printed-circuit-boards/cost-ratio-calculator/index.php

Quelle: Sanmina
 Sanmina PCB Fabrication – Cost Ratio Calculator
Link: http://www.sanmina.com/components/printed-circuit-boards/cost-ratio-calculator/index.php

Instead 6 Layer
New: 10 Layer
Cost Ratio
Change from:
“1” to “1.56”

Quelle: Sanmina
 Closing Remark

Cost control must be already considered in the early

phase of PCB design.
Each process step create associated cost in terms
of process times, materials, energy and waste
treatment.
Each PCB designer should know and understand
the basics how to manufacture a PCB.
Smart design and good engineering are always the
best solution for PCB design with lowest possible
cost index.
 It‘s unwise to pay to much, but it‘s worse
to pay too little.

“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse

to pay too little. When you pay too much,
you lose a little money - that's all. When
you pay too little, you sometimes lose
everything, because the thing you bought
was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying
a little and getting a lot - it can't be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add
something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will
have enough to pay for something better.”

John Ruskin (1819-1900)