RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

What is a BOM in PCB Design?

A bill of materials (BOM) is an extensive list documenting all the parts and
components required to build an electronic product based on a printed circuit
board (PCB) design. The BOM serves as a master guide through the entire
manufacturing process spanning across procurement, assembly, testing and
fulfillment stages.

For any complex piece of electronic equipment containing hundreds or

thousands of discreet parts that need to be sourced, populated and validated,
maintaining an accurate BOM is absolutely essential for managing production.
Without a properly structured BOM guiding both human operators and
automated systems, assembling modern PCBs would essentially be impossible.

So in essence, the bill of materials is at the core of translating a completed PCB

hardware design into a physical reality. Let’s explore further what exactly
constitutes an electronics BOM.

Key Elements Comprising a PCB Bill of Materials

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

An effective BOM for facilitating PCB assembly is much more than just a
simple list of components. It is a meticulously structured datasheet
encompassing vital details on every individual item that collectively comprises
the build of materials needed for a board-level product.

Here are the typical data categories captured within an electronics BOM:

Part Number — Unique identifier code for each component

Description — Text name stating exactly what the part is

Manufacturer — Company that produces the component

Manufacturer Part Number — The specific part number used by the

manufacturer

Component Package — Physical form factor, case style, footprint

Reference Designator — Matching ID code labeled on PCB design prints

Location — Where part mounts on board (component placement)

Quantity — Number of units needed on hand

Beyond this, additional columns may specify pricing, sourcing information,

board layer side, tolerances, alternate substitutes, lifecycle status, assembly
instructions and other specifics as applicable per product.

Now let’s explore how BOMs get generated and evolve across the PCB
production workflow.

Origination of the Bill of Materials

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

The concept of a bill of materials originates right from the beginning stages of
the PCB design process. As the schematic diagram architecture takes shape,
parts get identified by reference designators and values which become the
starting foundation for BOM generation.

Once the board layout is completed, electronic design automation (EDA)

software can auto-populate a preliminary BOM by extracting a list of
components used including all the resistors, capacitors, ICs and other parts
along with their reference strings. This outputs the following essential data:

 Part Number — Software assigned numeric ID

 Description — Auto-identified by program library

 Reference Designator — Pulled from schematic & layout

 Quantity — Total usage count per board

This raw BOM provides approx. 50% of the required data. Additional manual
editing by the engineer then enhances it by filling in the other vital categories
like packaging specs, suppliers, part numbers, etc.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Now this initial engineering BOM acts as the source to drive procurement,
assembly and test activity. But the BOM evolution continues through multiple
stages as we will see.

BOM Role in Procurement

The manufacturing process kicks off by utilizing the engineering BOM to

procure all the required components needed to build the planned production
run quantity. This first involves specialized purchasing teams to source each
item from appropriate suppliers:

Part Selection — Find optimal part numbers meeting spec within cost goals

Supplier Identification — Determine best vendors aligned to capabilities

Pricing Negotiation — Leverage quantity for cost savings

Order Placement — Execute purchase orders

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

As BOM line items get sourced, the data expands to include manufacturer
parts numbers, supplier identities, procurement costs, lead times and purchase
order references.

This enhanced Procurement BOM manages both material planning and

actual part supply inbound to assembly. But further evolution happens before
production can begin.

BOM Role in Assembly

When components start arriving to the factory, they need to be prepared and
kitted out for loading onto PCBs along optimized assembly lines. Here the bill
of materials transforms into a Production BOM focused on enabling swift
manufacturing activity.

Some of the ways this Production BOM guides assembly includes:

 Line Layout — Group components into assemblies stations

 Machine Programming — Configure pick-and-place order, rotations

& positions

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

 Stencil Designs — Determine solder paste layer patterns

 Manual Kitting — Organize parts for operators

 Testing — Specify test points & limits

So for high volume SMT lines, the Production BOM provides critical
manufacturing build instructions down to all details needed for each specific
board variant.

BOM Role in Serviceability

The story doesn’t end once boards roll off assembly lines. During the product
life, components may fail needing repair or upgrade. Here the bill of materials
continues providing value in the form of a Service BOM.

Field maintenance, troubleshooting and warranty repair activities rely on

service BOM data such as:

 Lifecycle Status — Is part still active for replacement

 Alternate Parts — Substitute items if needed

 Repair Guides — Component removal, orientation info

 Diagnostics — Expected voltages, signal values

Having updated service BOMs ensures long term sustainment and satisfaction.

PCB BOM Styles

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Electronic bill of materials used in PCB work come primarily in two formats —
namely flat BOMs and hierarchical BOMs. Let’s compare the two approaches:

Flat Bills of Material

A flat BOM is what typically comes to mind — essentially a spreadsheet style

list capturing component details with each part numbered row corresponding
to a board location:

Ref.DescriptionMfg. Part #QuantityC10.1uF

Capacitor399–1773–1-ND5U1Microcontroller ICATMEGA328P-MU1

This simplistic structure works nicely for low complexity boards. However flat
BOMs grow very lengthy as component counts rise, becoming hard to manage
across 1000+ lines.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Hierarchical Bills of Material

Hierarchical BOMs help streamline organization by segmenting components

according to subassemblies and hierarchy within complete board population.
For example:

Final Assembly

 Main PCB

 Microprocessor

 IC U1

 Support components

 Communications

 WiFi Module

 R1, R4, C5

 Bluetooth Module

 U3, Q2

 <! — →

 Connectors

This formats data based on physical functional groupings to aid

comprehension for production teams when populating multiple placements of
identical sub-circuits.

Hierarchical BOMs require a bit more front end work to properly organize but
deliver excellent clarity as products grow more sophisticated. Capturing part
data both ways in tandem provides flexibility.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Now that we’ve fully defined the bill of materials concept, let’s look at best
practices for implementation.

Guidelines for Managing PCB Bills of Materials

Following a set of core principles when developing and maintaining BOMs

helps ensure maximum quality and usefulness supporting streamlined
manufacturing. Here are some key guidelines that lead to excellence with PCB
bills of materials:

 Standardize Format — Establish a consistent template outlining all

data fields needed to procure, build and service assemblies. This aids
comprehension across engineering, purchasing and production groups.

 Link to Part Data — Connect BOM component entries to complete

part detail profiles in database including datasheets, specs parameters,
images and other vital information that aids decision making.

 Integrate with ERP — Ensure bill of materials interfaces with overall

enterprise resource planning platform to align with costing, inventory,
quality control and supply chain systems for optimal procurement
operational efficiency.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

 Leverage Design Software — Utilize EDA tools to auto-extract initial

baseline BOMs from PCB layout that engineers can then supplement with
supplier data to jumpstart manufacturing preparation.

 Control Revisions — Manage BOM version control carefully aligned

to engineering change orders on assemblies under development or active
production. Handle iterations smartly.

 Translate — For global partners, convert BOM package language and

measurement units to appropriate local conventions when sharing
internationally.

If such guidelines become entrenched within engineering and manufacturing

environments, BOMs can propel tremendous productivity improvements when
executing electronics production programs.

Conclusion

The bill of materials is far more than just a mundane parts list — it is quite
literally the lifeblood coordinating the collective realization of a complex PCB
assembly from initial concepts into a physical product.

By seamlessly linking design engineering intent through material procurement,

tightly integrating with automated assembly processes and serving field
maintenance; quality BOMs end up creating tremendous value across the
entire production continuum.

Electronics manufacturers that optimize their BOM practices ultimately

streamline operations, reduce overheads, mitigate risks and accelerate time to
market. With so much at stake, building excellence around bill of materials
management should be a priority for any organization striving toward
manufacturing leadership.

Frequently Asked Questions

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Q: At what level of detail are components broken out within tiered

BOM structures?

A: Generally sub-components inside complex modules like integrated circuits

or transistors would not be expanded down to individual core elements. But for
other assembly units like connectors containing multiple piece parts, detailing
helps guide production. Apply judgment on degree of breakdown based on
assembly/test needs.

Q: Who takes ownership of driving regular BOM updates and

distribution?

A: Responsibility for sustaining bill of materials should reside primarily with

engineering teams most familiar with product structure and component
selections, likely delegated to PCB design leads. But collaboration with
purchasing groups needed also. Include BOM maintenance within design
change processes.

Q: How frequently can BOM revisions be released to production to

avoid problems?

A: Even minor changes risk confusion if released too dynamically. Allow at

least several days between revisions for teams and machines to properly
realign unless an urgent unit replacement or spec correction demands
accelerated update. Strive for stability.

Q: What are the impacts of poor BOM practices?

A: Errors, omissions or lack of detail within BOMs causes procurement delays,

placeholder parts in assemblies, production bottlenecks, non-functional units,
extended debugging and rework costs or even complete manufacturing line
stoppages. Well-structured BOMs prevent these major headaches.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Q: Why automate BOM generation rather than just create

manually?

A: Manual BOM assembly becomes incredibly tedious past more than 10–20
line items and highly prone to accuracy errors that then propagate throughout
manufacturing. Intelligently leveraging design software automation tools to
extract standard component data jumpstarts the BOM creation process
securely.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/