Electronics PCB teardown
Case Studies
ElectronicsPCB $19.89 → $8.07

Electronics Teardown, PCB Should Costing & VAVE

Radar sensor, EV BTMS, and wiring harness - full teardown to should cost across India, China, and European manufacturing locations

April 30, 2026·8 min read

Products Analysed

3 assemblies

PCB Variants Compared

3 technologies

Bare PCB Cost

$3.05 (China)

PCBA Should Cost

$65.07 (India)

PCB Saving Found

$19.89 → $8.07

Scope of Work

What Emithran delivered

  • Review existing designs of PCB, PCBA, and wiring harness to determine cost drivers using should-cost methodology
  • Regional costing based on current manufacturing location (India / China / Europe)
  • Complete physical teardown of assemblies and component-level identification
  • PCB cross-section analysis via SEM / EDAX microscopy
  • VAVE idea generation and cost reduction workshops
  • Lessons learned documentation and knowledge base compilation

Execution Approach - 10-Step Should Cost

01
Setup - Work environment, project guidelines, procedures & checklist
02
Inputs - Gather sufficient inputs from the customer
03
Analyse - Generate process plan for PCB, PCBA & wiring harness
04
Study - Study available machines and processes for each operation
05
Select - Select suitable machines & process parameters
06
Calculate - Calculate process cost, material and machine hour rate
07
Identify - Identify the major cost drivers
08
Report - Generate should costing report
09
Review - Final customer review; summarise & deliver reports
10
Output - Suggestions for future review; knowledge document

Case A - Radar Sensor Assembly Teardown

10-Component Exploded View + PCB Layer Stack Analysis

Assembly Components

Radar Sensor Top CoverALMg3
Low Frequency PCBFR4 – 6 Layers
PCB ShieldingAlSi12CU1-fe
Radio Frequency PCBFR4 – 4 Layers
Radar Sensor Main CasingPBT GF 30
Connector7 Pin
Top Cover Bolt, Sealant, Breather-

LF PCB Layer Stack (6L)

Solder Mask Top0.010 mm
Copper Layer 10.072 mm
Prepreg 10.076 mm
Copper Layer 20.057 mm
Core 10.522 mm
Copper Layer 3–40.057–0.053 mm
Core 20.474 mm
Copper Layer 5–60.051–0.070 mm
Solder Mask Bot0.010 mm

RF PCB Layer Stack (4L)

Solder Mask Top0.010 mm
Copper Layer 10.063 mm
Prepreg 10.157 mm
Copper Layer 20.055 mm
Core 10.309 mm
Copper Layer 30.062 mm
Prepreg 20.342 mm
Copper Bot0.045 mm
Solder Mask Bot0.010 mm
Analysis method: PCB cross-section → mould → 1500× SEM imaging → EDAX analysis of Cu foil + coating thickness

Case B - Bare PCB Should Costing & Benchmarking

Main PCB · China · 65,000 units/yr · $3.046 should cost

Should Cost Breakdown - China Manufacturing

Bill of Material Cost
$1.35745%
Process Cost
$1.01133%
SG&A
$0.1896%
Margin + Mat. Overhead
$0.1415%
Scrap
$0.0712%
Total Should Cost$3.046 / unit

Bare PCB Technology Comparison

FR4 + PTFE

9L · 2-4b-2 HDI · OSP · 1.5mm

$12.08

10.07

FR4 + PTFE GFLowest Cost

11L · 2-6b-2 HDI · Im.TIN · 1.65mm

$8.07

6.73

FR4 + Ceramic GF

12L · 2-8b-2 HDI · OSP · 1.9mm

$19.89

16.58

Case C - PCBA Should Costing · EV Battery Management System

India Manufacturing · Total: $65.074 / unit

BOM Cost
$47.672
Profit (10%)
$5.524
SG&A (5%)
$2.762
Conformal Coating
$1.587
Resin Potting
$1.468
Solder Paste
$1.288
Process Cost
$4.263
Rejection + Setup
$0.509
Total EX-Works$65.074 / unit

PCBA Cycle Time Breakdown

Testing Process
16.97s
Depaneling
10.99s
Manual Process
9.89s
TH Process
8.3s
SMD Process
8.06s
Solder Paste
5.23s
Other
9.34s
Total Product Cycle Time: 68.78 seconds

Case D - Wire Harness Should Costing · EV Application

6-Step Methodology · Multi-Connector Harness

01Requirement Check

Annual quantity, production plant, Material Master, Assembly Drawing, GQRS

02Drawing Study

Connector specs, wire routing, shielded conductor assemblies, continuity requirements

03Circuit Analysis

From/to connections, terminal/seal identification, GD spec part number search

04Public Sourcing

Connector, terminal & seal costs via Octopart/ciiva; preferred: TE, APTIV, MOLEX

05BOM Creation

Part No, Manufacturer, Class, Qty, Unit Cost, Currency, Source reference link

06Process Calculation

Cavity plug, terminal insertion, crimping, taping, inspection - auto-calculated cycle times

Sample Process Cost Output

Labour OperationPartsCycle Time (s)Cost (USD)
Connector Terminal Insertion2155s$11.158
Wire Twisting Operations1360s$9.461
Inspection Time1600s$7.032
Connector Electric Test2630s$8.270
Connector Placement2615s$4.135
Machine Terminations2153s$7.678
Taping Operation1180s$2.118
Total Process Cost$81.838

Emithran Capabilities Demonstrated

End-to-end electronics cost intelligence

4

Cases Delivered

Radar sensor teardown, bare PCB benchmarking, PCBA should cost, and wire harness costing - all in one engagement.

1500×

SEM Microscopy Depth

Cu foil thickness, coating layers, and laminate cross-sections validated via SEM/EDAX - not estimated.

$8.07

Lowest-Cost PCB Found

FR4 + PTFE GF technology (11L, Im.TIN) identified at $8.07 vs $19.89 for ceramic hybrid - $11.82 per unit saving.

68.78s

PCBA Cycle Time Mapped

Testing, depaneling, manual, TH, and SMD processes individually timed and costed - full EX-Works model delivered.

For Enquiry

Need PCB teardown, should costing, or VAVE for your electronics?

Emithran's electronics team covers bare PCB, PCBA, and wire harness - from physical teardown through to supplier negotiation baseline.