A QUALITY-BASED COST MODEL FOR NEW ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS AND PRODUCTS

This article outlines a method for developing a quality-based cost mod el for the design of new electronic systems and products. The model in corporates a methodology for determining a cost-effective design margi n allocation for electronic products and systems and its impact on man ufacturing qualify and cost. A spreadsheet-based cost estimating tool was developed to help implement this methodology in order for the syst em design engineers to quickly estimate the effect of design decisions and tradeoffs an the quality and cost of new products. The tool was d eveloped with automatic spreadsheet connectivity to current process ca pability and with provisions to consider the impact of capital equipme nt and tooling purchases to reduce the product cost.