Contents
Establishment Time
Among other things, some experience in the field is precious when it comes to the manufacture of printed circuit boards. How long has your printed board manufacturer been in the area? Are they new or just starting? You may want to be careful, especially when dealing with printed circuit board manufacturers that are just starting since most of them operate on a trial-and-error basis.
More established manufacturers have fast connections in the PCB manufacturing industry, and they know and understand where to get reliable resources and have an in-depth understanding of the manufacturing process while also offering their clients competitive market prices.
Additionally, establishment time will provide you with relevant information regarding their competence in the field and how well they have been able to adapt and respond to changes that this industry experiences.
PCB Factory or Middlemen/intermediaries
If you have purchased printed circuit boards from a Chinese manufacturer before, there is a high chance that they passed through several intermediaries before reaching you. Again, you must have realized how expensive it is as you ended up paying more.
So, why deal directly with a factory as opposed to intermediaries? The reasons are many. However, when dealing directly with a factory, you are rest assured of lower prices –you effectively cut out intermediaries by sourcing directly-, transparency, accountability, reliable shipping dates, less paperwork, and fast customer service, to mention but a few.
When looking for a trustworthy PCB manufacturer in China, ensure that you work only with the ones that deal with you directly. If you bump into some with intermediaries in between, you better walk away since they are in business to exploit you by having middlemen between them and you, the end-user of the product. For this, you can trust us as well as PCB company.
China PCB Manufacturer Certifications Available
It is easy to tell the quality and standards of products to expect by analyzing the certifications that a manufacturer has accredited. It becomes more costly to deal with a PCB manufacturer that lacks the required certifications in the long run. Certifications do provide some additional insight regarding how qualified a PCB manufacturer is in the business.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes some standards relating to quality management, including ISO 9001. If you intend to source your PCB from a Chinese manufacturer, make sure that you only source from companies that comply with all the set standards. These standards may, of course, include some broad regulations and other measures such as the non-use or restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). PCBA factory must have military and 3C certification.
When dealing with PCB manufacturers in China that have got with UL, ISO9001, and RoHS, among others, then you can be sure that you are working with companies that strictly stick to set standards and regulations. This way, you are assured of high-quality products.
Manufacturing Capacity
As the end-user of printed circuit boards, it is frustrating dealing with a manufacturer whose boards cannot meet your needs as desired. The capabilities of printed circuit board manufacturers, commonly referred to as PCB houses, specify nearly all the technical aspects that every hobbyist or enthusiast needs to consider.
Your PCB manufacturer needs to make your board(s) according to your specifications and within an agreeable timeframe. Your supposed PCB manufacturer must ensure that the end product satisfies you. How many layers do you need? Are you particular about the material used? Apart from all these, you need a working relationship with companies that can meet essential needs such as the maximum PCB dimension, spacing, board thickness, precision, and testing technology, among others.
Source of Raw Materials and Components Used by the Manufacturer
A critical question that many PCB users look at when judging the best PCB manufacturer in China is their materials. There are plenty of low-cost manufacturers who source substandard components cheaply, an aspect that ends up compromising the efficiency and performance of their boards.
Even though it is not wrong to select PCB makers that source their materials locally, it is vital to ensure that you work with PCB makers that use ISO9001 and UL-certified materials or components. Make sure that you only deal with those manufacturers whose raw materials meet RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Materials) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemical), to mention but a few.
This way, you’ll not only be ensuring that you safeguard the environment, but also your overall health and other independent users of products containing PCBs in them.
Whether it Can Sign an NDA With You
When it comes to the world of PCB manufacturing, confidentiality is highly crucial. It is essential to ensure that you work only with firms that are ready to sign what is known as a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Confidentiality will ensure that your related PCB interests are protected.
Again, you may want to ensure that the Non-Disclosure Agreement has got no holes that could come back to haunt you. With the NDA in place, you’ll be better positioned to ensure that the PCB manufacturer you are dealing with will not steal the blueprints of your products and other ideas only to sell them to other third parties.
It is essential to ensure that you only deal with PCB makers ready to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with you, an aspect that will make you feel confident in working with PCB manufacturers as opposed to a competitor.
Prices
As much as they might be tempting, always be wary of meager prices. In the past, plenty of Chinese PCB manufacturers did stand out from the crowd based on their unbelievably low prices. Though with increased environmental concerns and various regulations, most companies now have numerous laws regarding their production. These regulations, in the end, spike the PCB prices in the local and international markets.
Finding a PCB manufacturer that sells their PCB at meager prices, and not what you would generally expect to see in the market as a bargain, you need to be careful. Unscrupulous manufacturers might produce substandard products for you to deliver to you hazardous products in the long run.
Why should you compromise on the quality of your printed circuit boards as you opt for cheap ones? Cheap things can turn out to be expensive if you are not careful. Underpriced materials are mostly known to underperform and fail to last for long.
Customer Reviews
Lastly, it is essential to look for what other people think about a manufacturer. Once you have singled out a manufacturer you want to work with, you could check experiences from previous customers with the manufacturer. This way, you will be in a better position to understand or judge whether a PCB maker will bring profit to your business or a waste of your time and money.
Luckily enough, in this day and age of improvement, there are plenty of ways of collecting customer reviews; going online and searching for them is the easiest way. Also, you can achieve this through other means. For instance, you can ask your friends and companies that have used PCBs from a company regarding their experiences.
Summary
It is not an easy exercise to find the best China PCB Manufacturer Company that you can trust with your products, especially if you are looking at Chinese PCB makers. There are literally hundreds of them in the market, and finding the best in the market may end up being a frustrating and challenging exercise. But if you are here, stop searching since you are in the right place. We at WellPCB are undoubtedly the best in the market. We have decades of experience in the field, work with you directly, have positive reviews, and believe in your prototype and products’ confidentiality. Additionally, we source our materials from reputable suppliers and manufacture PCBs that can meet your needs effectively. Choose us at WellPCB for the best products designed to meet your needs.
