Often times I read comments/recommendations about placing lots of vias for GND in 4-layer designs, as well as a line-up of vias surrounding the board to protect from EMI, etc. I was always under the impression that vias (either tented or not) have a certain impact in the final PCB cost, so I tried to minimize their numbers in my designs. However I might have been wrong and vias are extremely cheap? For instance, in a 4"x4" board, how much would it affect a design cost to have 400 or 200 vias instead of 100? Does the diameter of the via matters? I'm talking about normal all-the-way vias, not buried vias which I know are much more expensive.
Electronic – PCB vias impact in cost
costpcb-fabricationvia
Related Topic
- Electronic – PCB assembly cost per-board
- Electronic – Estimated cost savings by going from a 2 layer to a single layer pcb
- Electronic – Tenting Vias in PCB
- Electronic – Cost optimization – PCB Area vs. Double-sided load
- Electronic – Multiple vias on PCB
- Electronic – How to reduce cost for a circular PCB shape
- Electronic – Cost reduction by eliminating vias from PCB design
Best Answer
Vendors are not good at telling you how costs will vary based on different specifications. They will always ask you for your files and provide a quote to that specific board. They generally can't, or won't, give you a relative answer. In my experience the number of vias is not as important as the size or type. Microvias (definitions may vary from vendor to vendor) are much smaller and will cost more than a standard via. Blind vias (which do not extend through the entire board) will also be more expensive. The price difference between having 200 vias and 100 is probably going to be negligible. Back when holes were drilled manually the cost would have been impacted much more, but nowadays with machines doing all the work, it really doesn't make much of a difference. Keep your via diameters large whenever possible, though. If there's a higher chance of a bit breaking (because it's so small), the board house will charge you more for the fab.