How much does a PCB copy board cost?
The price of a PCB copy board varies depending on the specific type of board and its requirements. To calculate the cost, consider the following factors.
1. Circuit Board Size
The area of the PCB is a significant factor. For irregularly shaped boards, the measurement refers to the maximum dimension. There is a tolerance range for the board size, typically around +/-0.2 mm on one side.
2. Number of Circuit Board Layers
Shenzhen Honglijie Electronics offers copy boards with a variety of layers, ranging from 1 to 38. Here, a single layer refers to a single-sided board, two layers indicate a double-sided board, four layers denote a four-layer board, and six layers signify a six-layer board. Generally, the more layers a PCB has within the same area, the higher the copying cost.
3. Device Density
The density of components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) significantly impacts the workload and complexity of the copying process. Boards with high component density require meticulous attention during disassembly, position recording, and board grinding. Consequently, the cost of copying a board is closely linked to the density of its components—the higher the density, the greater the price.
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4. Difficulty of Operation
The complexity of operating a circuit board copying process primarily hinges on the number of layers and device density, along with various other factors. These include the board’s integrity, maximum thickness, minimum line width, minimum line spacing, smallest mechanical through-holes, smallest laser-drilled holes, smallest laser blind holes, types of blind holes, types of buried holes, copper thickness measurement, and spacing between multilayer boards.
What factors influence the cost of copying a board?
Different PCB copying companies may vary in their pricing, but the overall cost is mainly influenced by the PCB size, number of solder joints, number of layers, and specific tasks required.
1. PCB Board Size
The size significantly impacts the workload involved in copying the board. An essential step in the PCB copying process is polishing. Larger boards require more time for polishing, which increases the risk of damaging the original board. Consequently, the larger the board, the higher the copying cost.
2. PCB Layers
The number of layers in a board primarily affects the difficulty of the copying process. A greater number of layers, combined with various buried and blind holes, not only slows down the copying speed but also adds to the complexity of the task. Therefore, a higher layer count correlates with increased copying costs (for multilayer boards).
3. PCB Solder Joints
The number of solder joints is directly linked to device density and impacts the workload associated with dismantling, template creation, and circuit copying. More solder joints result in higher copying costs.
4. Copy Board Project
There are typically three types of files needed for a copy board: the PCB file, BOM list, and PCB schematic diagram (for more details, see: What are the copy board files?). Customers may not always need all three documents when copying a board. Generally, fewer document requirements lead to lower copying costs. If a chip requires a decryption program on the PCB, a specific chip decryption fee is usually applicable.
How to Quote for PCB Copying?
In general, many companies offer not just circuit board copying but also material procurement and processing services. For customers, after the completion of circuit board copying, follow-up development and batch processing are often necessary. If customers choose the same company for the entire process, they may benefit from discounts, reducing the copying price or potentially receiving free copying services.
The factors outlined above provide valuable insights into determining the cost of circuit board copying for different PCBs. This overview serves as a guideline for PCB copying quotations, which can vary significantly. Often, it may not just involve cloning the circuit board, but also creating a BOM list, decrypting chips, prototyping, or even mass production. Thus, PCB copying costs cannot be generalized.
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