Understanding common cost drivers prior to beginning your design can be invaluable when trying to build a reliant but cost effective circuit.
Basic Cost Drivers
- Material Utilization
- Layer Count
- Basic Complexity: Avoid anything less than 3/3 mil spacing with 5 mils on outer layers of rigid-flex, vias smaller than 8 mils, or lines/spacing in relation to the length of the trace
- Multiple surface finish requirements
- Special Material: Consider the polyimide cores you’re selecting. Non-standard core thicknesses will be more expensive along with thicker kapton or copper
- Special stiffener materials: Standard stiffener material is FR4. There is additional costs ceramic or metal material
Cost Adders
- Blind/Buried Vias
- Via Fill and Via-in Pad
- Class 3 which requires serialization, multiple cross sections, coupons, and outside lab testing
- Laser processing needed with microvias, laser skiving, masked defined pads, and tight tolerances
- New Technology and Materials