When sourcing PCB assembly services, surface-mount technology tends to dominate the conversation. But through-hole assembly hasn't gone anywhere. Connectors, large capacitors, transformers, power relays, and other components that carry significant current or endure mechanical stress still rely on DIP (Dual In-line Package) soldering. If you are looking for a dip soldering price quotation china, knowing what goes into the cost and what separates a reliable shop from a risky one can save you from expensive surprises later.
Surface-mount assembly handles most of the components on a contemporary PCB, but certain parts are simply better off with through-hole mounting. Electrolytic capacitors, wire-to-board connectors, relays, power inductors, and fuse holders all benefit from the stronger mechanical bond that through-hole pins provide. In automotive electronics, industrial controls, medical devices, and power supply units, mixed-technology boards that combine SMT and DIP sections are the norm rather than the exception.
Wave soldering remains the dominant method for processing through-hole assemblies. The PCB, with components already inserted, passes over a molten solder wave. Flux application, preheating, wave contact, and cooling happen in sequence. When the parameters are dialed in correctly, all through-hole joints on a board can be soldered in a single pass. The process sounds straightforward, but getting consistent results across hundreds or thousands of boards requires well-maintained equipment, experienced operators, and disciplined process control.
When you ask for a dip plug-in welding service quotation, suppliers typically look at several variables before they can return a number. Understanding these factors helps you compare quotes more intelligently.
Larger boards take longer to traverse the wave soldering conveyor and require more fixturing. Pin count matters too — a board with 200 through-hole pins costs more to process than one with 30, not because of solder consumption but because insertion, inspection, and touch-up time all increase with pin density.
Prototype runs of 5 to 50 pieces command a higher per-unit price because setup costs (programming, fixturing, first-article inspection) are amortized over a tiny quantity. Medium batches of 500 to 2,000 units bring the per-board cost down noticeably. Large production runs deliver the best unit economics, though they also expose process problems at scale, which is why a factory's quality infrastructure matters more as volume goes up.
If you provide the components (consignment or "kitted" assembly), the quoted price reflects labor, equipment, and overhead only. If the manufacturer handles procurement, the quote bundles component cost, sourcing overhead, incoming inspection, and inventory carrying cost. A factory that runs a disciplined component management system — with authorised distributor relationships, BOM risk reviews, and proper warehousing — can often source parts at better pricing and with fewer counterfeiting risks than a buyer going it alone.
A basic wave soldering service typically includes visual inspection after soldering. If your project demands plug-in AOI, ICT, functional testing, X-ray inspection, or thermal imaging, expect these to appear as line items in the quotation. The cost of testing is real, but so is the cost of shipping defective boards to your end customer.
Boards that need conformal coating, low-pressure injection molding, program burning, or finished-product assembly after DIP soldering will naturally carry a higher total quotation. One advantage of working with a supplier that offers the full range under one roof is that these downstream processes can be quoted and scheduled together rather than managed across multiple vendors.
Not every shop that says it can handle through-hole soldering service runs a proper production line. A professional DIP operation should have several things in place.
First, trained and certified operators who understand component forming, insertion standards, and solder joint acceptance criteria. On a well-run line, every operator knows what IPC-A-610 Class 2 and Class 3 acceptance looks like and can self-inspect their work.
Second, wave soldering equipment that is properly maintained. The difference between a machine that gets its temperature profile checked daily and one that runs until something breaks shows up directly in joint quality. Flux density, preheat temperatures, conveyor speed, and solder pot contamination all drift over time if nobody is watching them.
Third, a controlled work-in-process flow. Boards waiting for insertion, boards waiting for wave soldering, and boards waiting for touch-up should move through clearly defined stations. A good DIP line will have IPQC (In-Process Quality Control) checkpoints and QA sampling built into the workflow, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Fourth, post-soldering processes — lead cutting, repair welding, board washing, and visual inspection — should each have dedicated stations. A line that blurs the boundaries between these steps tends to produce inconsistent results.
DIP soldering rarely exists in isolation. Most projects also need PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, testing, conformal coating, and possibly box-build assembly. When these services sit with different suppliers, the buyer takes on coordination cost, shipping delays, and the risk of finger-pointing when something goes wrong.
A manufacturer that can handle PCB board making, component procurement, SMT, DIP, conformal coating, pcba test, and finished-product assembly under one roof eliminates those handoff points. The board flows from one process to the next without leaving the factory, traceability stays intact, and one engineering team owns the entire build. For buyers managing projects across time zones, this consolidation alone can justify a slightly higher unit price.
Farway Electronic operates out of a 2,000-square-metre production facility in LongGang, Shenzhen. The company has been providing PCB assembly and electronic manufacturing services since 2018 and has served more than 100 customers across over 20 countries.
On the DIP side, Farway runs two dedicated plug-in production lines equipped with Nitto wave soldering machines. The lines include 24 rear-welding stations for post-solder touch-up and a board-washing machine for flux residue removal. The workflow runs from component forming and insertion through wave soldering, lead cutting, repair welding, board washing, and functional testing, with IPQC checks and QA sampling built into each stage.
The operator team is trained and certified, and work-in-process areas are controlled to prevent mix-ups between different customer orders. For mixed-technology boards that combine SMT and DIP sections, the factory's two SMT lines — running Yamaha placement machines and Jintuo ten-zone reflow ovens — feed directly into the DIP lines, so boards don't need to be packed and shipped between separate facilities.
Farway holds ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 certifications, meaning the quality system that governs its DIP lines meets both general manufacturing standards and the stricter requirements of the automotive supply chain. The factory also carries ISO 13485 for medical device manufacturing, which adds another layer of process control and documentation. IPC-A-610 serves as the acceptance standard for assembly workmanship.
Testing capability covers the full spectrum relevant to through-hole assemblies: manual visual inspection, plug-in AOI, first-article inspection, X-ray, ICT, thermal imaging, high- and low-temperature reliability testing, functional testing, and oscilloscope-based measurement. The company also offers online and offline program burning as part of its testing services.
For projects that need environmental protection, Farway operates an automated conformal coating line that handles boards up to 550 mm × 470 mm, supports selective masking and double-sided spraying, and accommodates dense, high-pin-count assemblies. The facility also has four low-pressure injection molding machines for encapsulating sensitive electronics — a process commonly used for medical sensors, automotive electronics, and LED lighting modules.
To receive a meaningful DIP soldering quotation, a supplier needs a few things from you. Gerber files and a BOM (Bill of Materials) are the minimum — they tell the factory what the board looks like and what goes on it. If the board is part of a larger product, sharing the assembly drawing and any special testing requirements helps the engineering team flag potential issues before quoting. Indicating your expected annual volume lets the factory structure pricing appropriately, and stating whether you need component procurement or will supply parts yourself changes the scope of the quotation entirely.
A factory that asks questions before quoting — about your application, your certification requirements, your delivery timeline — is generally a better sign than one that fires back a number in ten minutes. The questions mean someone is actually reading your files.
If you need through-hole assembly for automotive electronics, industrial controls, medical devices, new energy products, communications equipment, or security systems, Farway Electronic can provide a detailed quotation based on your Gerber files and BOM. The engineering team reviews each inquiry against the factory's actual production capacity, so the numbers you receive reflect what the line can deliver. Visit the dip soldering price quotation china page or contact sales@farway.hk to start the conversation.
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