PCB Components on Bill of Materials

An old saying goes in manufacturing: "Cost, quality, and delivery: pick two." Is that always true? Actually, manufacturers can create a lower-cost, high-quality product with reduced lead time—even for complex products such as printed circuit boards. In this post, we will discuss the importance of PCB components on the bill of materials. 

To smooth the actual PCB fabrication process, PCB designers must work closely with their manufacturers as well as component suppliers. The page regarding the BOM is between customers and manufacturers should be exactly the same, so each component needs to have comprehensive documentation: manufacturer and manufacturers’ part number, a quantity per assembly, a reference designator, and a part description. The last must include general information like commodity type, package size, and a component footprint.

Designers should select components for availability first, then unit cost, and then package size. Standard component packages from standard manufacturers will tend to have the highest availability—use these whenever possible. 

SMT components tend to be smaller and less expensive, and can be mounted to both sides of a board, increasing flexibility in design. For all the most rugged applications, SMT components should be considered before through-hole components.