PCB material and copper weight basics in PCB Design - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a PCB design analyst at an electronics manufacturing company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a report showing how different PCB materials and copper weights affect the cost and weight of PCBs produced last quarter.

📊 Data: You have data on PCB orders including material type, copper weight (in ounces), quantity, cost per unit, and weight per unit (grams).

🎯 Deliverable: Create a dashboard showing total cost and total weight by material and copper weight, with clear visualizations to help the manager decide on material choices.

Sample Data

OrderID	Material	CopperWeight_oz	Quantity	CostPerUnit_USD	WeightPerUnit_g
1001	FR4	1	500	2.50	15
1002	FR4	2	300	3.00	18
1003	Rogers	1	200	4.00	14
1004	Rogers	2	150	4.50	17
1005	Polyimide	1	400	3.50	13
1006	Polyimide	2	350	4.00	16
1007	FR4	1	600	2.45	15
1008	Rogers	2	100	4.60	17

1

Step 1: Create a new table grouping data by Material and CopperWeight_oz.

Group by Material, CopperWeight_oz; aggregate Quantity as SUM, CostPerUnit_USD as average, WeightPerUnit_g as average.

Expected Result

Table with rows for each Material and CopperWeight_oz combination showing total Quantity, average CostPerUnit_USD, and average WeightPerUnit_g.

2

Step 2: Calculate Total Cost for each group by multiplying Quantity by CostPerUnit_USD.

Add column TotalCost = Quantity * CostPerUnit_USD

Expected Result

New column TotalCost showing total cost per group, e.g. FR4 1oz: (500+600)*2.475 approx 2718.75 USD.

3

Step 3: Calculate Total Weight for each group by multiplying Quantity by WeightPerUnit_g.

Add column TotalWeight_g = Quantity * WeightPerUnit_g

Expected Result

New column TotalWeight_g showing total weight per group, e.g. FR4 1oz: (500+600)*15 = 16500 grams.

4

Step 4: Create a bar chart showing Total Cost by Material and CopperWeight_oz.

X-axis: Material, grouped by CopperWeight_oz; Y-axis: TotalCost; Use different colors for copper weights.

Expected Result

Bar chart clearly showing which material and copper weight combinations cost the most.

5

Step 5: Create a bar chart showing Total Weight by Material and CopperWeight_oz.

X-axis: Material, grouped by CopperWeight_oz; Y-axis: TotalWeight_g; Use different colors for copper weights.

Expected Result

Bar chart showing total weight distribution by material and copper weight.

6

Step 6: Add filters to the dashboard to select specific Materials or Copper Weights.

Add slicers or dropdown filters for Material and CopperWeight_oz.

Expected Result

User can filter charts to focus on specific materials or copper weights.

7

Step 7: Summarize key insights in a text box on the dashboard.

Write summary: 'FR4 with 1oz copper is the most ordered and cost-effective. Rogers material is more expensive but lighter.'

Expected Result

Clear summary text visible on dashboard for quick understanding.

Final Result

Dashboard: PCB Material and Copper Weight Analysis

Material | Copper Weight | Total Cost (USD) | Total Weight (g)
------------------------------------------------------------
FR4      | 1 oz          | 2718.75         | 16500
FR4      | 2 oz          | 900             | 5400
Rogers   | 1 oz          | 800             | 2800
Rogers   | 2 oz          | 1125            | 4250
Polyimide| 1 oz          | 1400            | 5200
Polyimide| 2 oz          | 1400            | 5600

[Bar charts show Total Cost and Total Weight by Material and Copper Weight]

Summary: FR4 with 1oz copper is the most ordered and cost-effective. Rogers is pricier but lighter.

✓FR4 material with 1 oz copper weight has the highest total quantity and total cost.

✓Rogers material is more expensive per unit but offers lighter PCB weight.

✓Polyimide material costs and weights are between FR4 and Rogers.

✓Copper weight increase from 1 oz to 2 oz raises both cost and weight significantly.

Bonus Challenge

Add a calculated measure to find cost per gram for each material and copper weight combination.

Show Hint

Divide TotalCost by TotalWeight_g to get cost per gram.