Eric Reno said:

>Hello,
>I'm looking for information that would explain about how to cost reduce a
>PCB.  I
>work for Mutoh America and am new to the PCB world.  I'm looking for
>standard off the
>shelf parts and processes.  The information that I am looking for should
>contain
>substrate material types and their reletive cost differences (percentages
>only) and
>characteristics, sokdermask, hole size, density level of copper from one
>board edge
>to the other, etc.  I'm trying not to talk to PCB shops so that I amy get
>an unbiased
>opinion and know what is possible in this industry.

Sorry, you just broadcast this message to every major circuit board company
in the US, and some foreign ones. Your secret is out.

>I'm finding this to be a difficult task.
>
>Do you have any suggestions on were I can obtain this type of information?

>From any of the major circuit board shops. They know all about this stuff.

Try this:

-specify FR-4 laminate
-no finished PTH hole sizes below 0.020"
-use foil construction to reduce core count in the stackup (generally, let
the fab house do whatever they favor in the layup)
-line width and space at no less than 0.008"/0.008"
-keep finished holes per square inch below 50
-for multilayers, expect to pay these ratios (reduce layer count to minimum):

2 layer 1.0
4 layer 1.7
6 layer 2.6
8 layer 3.5
10 layer 4.5
12 layer 5.3

In regard to the above, most of the time the autorouters in some CAD
packages add 2 or more signal layers as compared to a talented human. Avoid
use of them in your design process if possible, unless you are making only
a few of the design.

Design your finished unit or array (length and width) to optimize the yield
in an 18" x 24" panel with 16.5" x 22.5" of useable space. Most any circuit
board shop in the world can process this panel, and they charge more or
less the same per-panel cost if you get 4, 6 or 8 units from that panel.

Read IPC-D-275.

You can complicate it all you want to, but if you use common sense you will
save money and too often designers throw out sense in favor of obscure
design objectives unrelated to cost.

Most of the better circuit board shops are giving quotes within about a 15%
range these days, the market has turned very competitive in the past few
months.

I'd say cost reducing a board right now is a piece of cake. It was much
harder a year ago...


regards,

Jerry Cupples
Interphase Corporation
Dallas, TX US
http://www.iphase.com