Questions: What information is needed for a budget quote? When should I request a quote?
Flexibility and Rigidity: Flexible materials are a rapidly growing segment of the PCB market. As we face the challenge of fitting increasingly complex electronics into increasingly smaller packages, flexible structures are a solution many are beginning to explore. The advantages in space, weight, and packaging are well-documented. However, cost and due diligence are often necessary to ensure the product makes economic sense.
This necessitates PCB designers providing early advice to work with manufacturers to ensure your design is manufacturable and to address any issues related to material availability. Requesting a budget quote early in the process also makes sense to ensure your design fits within the project's overall budget.
Here are the most critical things in budget pricing:
Proposed Material Stacking
Whether you have specific material constraints or material flexibility, it's best to request a stacking from your preferred manufacturer. This is a good time to find out which materials (if any) in the stack have long lead times and need to be factored into the project timeline. Obviously, common materials will reduce lead times and eliminate any minimum volume charges. However, if materials require longer lead times, "pre-ordering" materials upon finalizing the design after securing the stack can help reduce the overall project lead time.
What size are you expecting for the parts?
The price per piece depends on the number of pieces that can be nested on the production panels. The complexity of the design often dictates the size of the panels used. Typical panel sizes are 12" x 18" and 18" x 24" with at least a 1-inch border around the panel for prototyping, tooling holes, etc., effectively reducing the available space to 10" x 12" or 16" x 22". Flexible and rigid flexible PCBs often have unusual shapes and can economically fit these panel sizes, or creatively nest parts to help improve panel utilization, which can significantly impact costs.
Another factor affecting price is whether it will be delivered as a single sheet or in an array. If you do want parts assembled in an array, it's best to include this in the budget quotation stage. Work with your manufacturer and, unless they have already developed an array, advise them on a cost-effective one; if an array has been developed, ensure it utilizes the largest possible production panels.
What are the quality requirements?
IPC Class 2, IPC Class 3, and MIL-31032 all have different requirements and price points, which are important for your estimates. Do you require Part 3 testing? This also affects the total cost.
What is the minimum drill hole size?
The minimum drill hole size can affect the price. Mechanical drilling is generally cheaper than laser drilling, but mechanical drilling smaller than 0.008" can impact cost. The added cost of smaller mechanical drilling depends heavily on the manufacturer's equipment and processes, so it's essential to understand these features.
What is a through-hole configuration?
Do you consider a through-hole configuration to be standard in your design? Are there blind vias and buried vias? Are there microvias? If so, are these vias filled, stacked, or staggered? How many layers? The number of lamination cycles required to manufacture flexible or rigid flexible structures has a significant impact on cost.
What is the preferred surface finish?
Flexible and rigid flexible designs can use the same surface finish options as rigid sheets. Do you need HASL? Lead-free HASL SL, OSP, Silver, Tin, ENIG, ENEPIG, ENIG-these all have different price points, and both price and delivery time are influenced by the manufacturer's internal factors and the surface finish most frequently used.
To answer the original question:
Requesting pricing early in the design cycle can help determine if the design fits the product budget. This is especially important when using flexible and rigid flexible materials, as factors such as material utilization and through-hole structures can significantly impact costs. After estimating materials and the number of layers based on structural and quality requirements, contact your manufacturer for a stacking and budget quote. This is an excellent time to start a conversation and ask questions to ensure you don't inadvertently add unnecessary design costs.