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9 Years of Experience Tell You That Big Trap of Cheap PCB

Every one of us desires to save a little buck, and many people, when looking to save some cash, focus on finding some of the most affordable deals around. We all think this is the most effective method, but most people forget to consider PCB value instead of cost.

 

But in pursuit of saving costs, there are some areas that individuals should not skimp. At times, it is not a good thing pursuing cheap circuit boards if these costs will adversely affect the overall quality of your PCB.

 

However, if you are on a budget and looking for cheap PCB, there are some errors that you need to avoid. Here are nine things to look out for when in the market for a cheap PCB.

Every one of us desires to save a little buck, and many people, when looking to save some cash, focus on finding some of the most affordable deals around. We all think this is the most effective method, but most people forget to consider PCB value instead of cost. But in pursuit of saving costs, there are some areas that individuals should not skimp. At times, it is not a good thing to pursue cheap circuit boards if these costs will adversely affect your PCB’s overall quality. However, if you are on a budget and looking for a cheap PCB, there are some errors that you need to avoid. Here are nine things to look out for when in the market for a cheap PCB.

Pay Attention to Building PCB Boards

Your printed circuit boards are essential for the effective operation of your products. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you partner with a reliable manufacturer that can effectively and cost-effectively manufacture the boards you require. When in the market for a cheap PCB manufacturer, you need to pay attention to how they are building your boards.

Finding a reliable PCB designer is a laborious exercise. A majority are in PCB manufacturers are in business to make profits. Some do not understand the basics of designing printed circuit boards. There are several cases where customers complain of an unpleasant experience after purchasing their PCBs. When making inexpensive PCBs, make sure to pay attention to the structure of the board.

Even though you are looking for a cheap PCB manufacturer, ensure that they make your boards the right way, however reasonable they may be. 

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Is the Manufacturer a Regular Supplier?

Regular suppliers are those suppliers that engage in the repeated supply of goods and services to another firm. In other words, a supplier is usually a distributor or a vendor. When you are in the market for cheap correct PCB service provider. Thankfully, there are various PCB manufacturing or low-cost PCB fabrication, you have to be careful and only work with regular PCB suppliers.

You need to check for certifications and quality standards. Is your PCB manufacturer able to provide you with essential things such as UL 94V-0 fire resistance certifications? Ensure that besides being a regular supplier, they also comply with ISO, IPC, and UL quality standards. Make sure that your cheap PCB maker supplies boards regularly since regular suppliers come with reduced costs. 

Can you Guarantee Production Time?

Do you want your PCBs cheap? If so, then you must ensure that despite wanting them dirty, then your low-cost printed circuit board maker can make them according to the scheduled time. You must ensure that the company estimates the delivery time for the type of product you are placing, even if it is a cheap PCB prototype, will meet all your needs.

Despite wanting your PCBs dirty, you may need to check whether the firm is in an excellent place to provide quick turnaround services for rapid or rush orders. While they may be cheap, ensure that they can guarantee you some production time. They should not comprise costs for production time.

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Formal Agreement

Despite wanting your PCB manufactured cheaply, you need to ensure that your cheap PCB board maker is in a position to sign a formal agreement with you. A legal agreement requires the signing of documents between two or more parties. Such contracts very important, especially when you want to outline certain obligations and rights for a given partnership, project, or relationship.

When considering a cheap PCB manufacturer, you need to ensure that despite the promise of making your boards affordable, they should also be in a position to sign a formal contract with you. This way, you will ensure that you get the upper hand, especially when things do not go as planned. 

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Can they Provide you With Some Free Samples?

Business entities willing to promote new products often face a competitive marketplace. To ensure that they thrive, most of them see the need to provide their potential customers with some free product samples. Giving away product samples to potential customers is highly beneficial since it increases exposure, gives clients a taste of what is to come, and allows them to feel somewhat confident regarding their purchases. 

The same scenario applies when it comes to printed circuit boards too. Plenty of PCB makers, especially those opening for business, usually offer free samples to their customers to drive awareness of their products. Despite being in the market for cheap PCBs, ensure that your potential supplier can offer you a free sample to test before purchasing them. 

With free samples, you will be in an excellent position to know whether the products are suitable for purchase, despite them being cheap. It could be great if your potential manufacturer could provide you with some free samples to test before making a purchasing decision. 

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Does Cheap PCB Mean Low Quality?

Cheap PCB does not always mean low quality at most times. There are hundreds of customers that purchase cheap PCBs on almost a daily basis. Of importance to note is that low prices should not mean low quality. Even if a manufacturer makes a low-cost PCB prototype, they need to ensure that it does not compromise quality. Sadly, there are plenty of them in business who do so. To be on the safe side, you need to ensure that besides looking for cheap PCB makers, they do not compromise quality.

There needs to be some trade-off between price and quality. Even if your manufacturer promises to make your boards cheaply, you need to ensure that they are of good quality. But in case you are not on a budget, you may opt for highly-priced printed circuit boards that may contain other additional features that may not be present in cheap PCBs.

When you are in the market for cheap printed circuit boards, you need to ensure that you work with manufacturing firms that help their customers find high-quality products with some of the most competitive prices.

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Is Free Shipping Possible?

Unfortunately, free shipping is not always real or authentic, as most people may like to believe. A majority of shipping companies charge shipping fees for the services they offer, though they openly won’t tell you that. “Free Shipping” is one of the most attractive offers to a majority of online consumers. But shipping is not free at all. While cheap PCB makers may entice you with the idea of free shipping, you need to be aware that there is nothing like free shipping at all. In one way or the other, you will pay for shipping charges, which are typically inclusive of a PCB price.

More often, the lack of quality in a PCB is one of the most common ways PCB makers employ to reabsorb costs associated with free shipping. It would be best if you were cautious enough when making purchases to ensure that your board quality is not compromised. 

Look for Reviews

Despite being in the market for cheap circuit boards, you also need to ensure that you go through online reviews to find the best manufacturers in the market. Surveys are an essential part of brands and marketing companies. Inspections help build loyalty and trust and typically describe things that set your products apart from other products.

If you are thinking of getting your PCBs cheap, to be on the safe side, you may find it helpful to go through reviews to find the best manufacturers in the market. Here, you will be able to find those makers who will make your boards cheap while guaranteeing you quality. 

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China is Cheap PCBs are More Reliable

Without a doubt, Chinese PCBs are one of the most reliable boards in the market, despite them being dirty. It is important to note that cheap Chinese PCBs are more reliable when the manufacturing firm runs its factory, can provide you with some follow-up service, and has been in business for several years.

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Summary

Being cheap/affordable at WellPCB means that we highly value and care, not only about every dollar but also for our customers. But cheap PCB does not mean low quality in any way.

Hundreds of thousands of customers come to WellPCB every day, and they continually stay with us, letting us take care of their future PCB needs. They do so based on our quality and budgetary cost. We at WellPCB are the best quick, cheap PCB prototype makers around.

WellPCB can provide you with preferential prices and one-stop services to avoid making mistakes when choosing cheap PCBs. Try us today for the most inexpensive boards in the market. 

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Emma Lu
Our professional engineering support saves our customers a lot of trouble and loss. >>>>>> After you place the order, our engineer will conduct technical reviews to make sure the parts can be mounted well/correctly on the boards. We will check if the component packages match well with the Gerber footprints, if the part numbers you provided match well with the descriptions, and if the polarity is clearly marked. >>>>> When your design is ready, please send your Gerber and BOM so we can quote and start!

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