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The development and use of a software program that not only predicts a board's cost but also provides indices of its manufacturability, called PCB Design for Assembly (PCB/DFA), are described. The software is intended to reduce design cycle time and manufacturing cost. Well before placement and routing, it quickly generates 'on paper' alternative board designs that would be economical to manufacture.>
Boothroyd et al. (1993) studied this question.