Optimize Your PCB Array Design

Overview

PCB arrays arrange multiple PCBs on a sub-panel for efficient assembly. Choosing the right array configuration directly impacts manufacturing costs. Counter-intuitively, arrays with fewer parts can sometimes yield more total parts per panel.

Focus on getting the most parts per panel, not arrays per panel

When designing arrays, focus on maximizing parts per panel, not arrays per panel. You might expect that more parts on the array will equal more parts on the panel, but that's not always true. In some cases, an array with fewer parts is more efficient and yields more parts per panel.

Example: 9-Part vs 10-Part Array

Consider these two array designs: one with 10 parts and another with 9 parts. Counter-intuitively, the 9-part array performs better on the same panel size due to more efficient material utilization. The 9-part array yields 9 more parts per panel (90 to 99 parts), reducing the panels needed for a given order by about 9%. Over a production run, that's significant cost savings.

How to Optimize Your Array Design

Always calculate the array within the context of the manufacturing panel size to find an optimized array design for each panel. Since your supplier may use several different panel sizes, finding the best array design for each panel size can be a complex challenge. Fortunately, KwickFit's panel calculators automatically calculate the best array design for any panel size.

To learn more about the importance of designing the array for the manufacturing panel, read our complete panel optimization guide and other array design considerations for the assembly process.

Add KwickFit to your designer's toolbox to automatically find optimized array designs for any panel size. With KwickFit, you'll consistently achieve the lowest PCB price from your supplier.

Combine array optimization with part-size analysis

The array is only one of two levers. The other is the board size itself, when you have room to change it: trimming a board a fraction can let more boards fit on the panel. Each lever changes the best setting of the other, so the real optimum is a combination, not a single choice. KwickFit's Auto Matrix Array finds the best array for every panel size, and Analyze Part Size to Increase Yield finds the board-size threshold that adds more boards. Run together, they search both at once, which is impractical to do by hand. See how this plays out in real dollars in The PCB Cost Cliff.