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Many PCBA contract manufacturers promise “instant quoting” with their service. You may have high expectations when a CM advertises using this the term.  However, you’ll find that this phrase means different things to different CMs. We've analyzed the instant quote experience with PCBA CMs across the globe. Here's how CircuitHub compares.

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What is an industry-standard "instant quote"?

We've found that most contract manufacturers advertising an "instant quote" are providing you with a preliminary quote based off of a few basic elements such as the layer count, board dimensions, and number of part placements. However, in order to receive a precise quote you will need to upload all your files and have them pass a manual review or contact the CMs customer support. This additional data gathering step is done via form submissions, email, or even on the phone. Although getting a ballpark range quote might take a few minutes, the actual time between initiating an order and actually placing the order can take days.

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What is a CircuitHub instant quote?

CircuitHub requires you to upload your original EDA files in order to get a quote. We are aware that this is not conventional (we are happy to have an in-depth chat or sign an NDA), but we built our platform this way because we truly believe it provides a superior and more seamless service. Unlike Gerbers, EDA files contain perfect information that completely defines the BOM, bare board, and assembly. Rather than having a separate, manual DFM check, our software was built so that the import process in itself is a DFM check. Because of this, it is rare that your quote will ever change after placing the order button. This means that you can upload a project and place an order within the same hour, rather than waiting days for project approval or an exact quotation.

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How to get a ready-to-order quote on CircuitHub?

A few minutes from import to quote is all that’s needed. Here’s how to get there:

1. Log in (You can sign up here if you haven't already.)
2. Prepare your files for import (You can find required files here and our recommendations on how to specify part numbers in your EDA tool here.)
3. Upload your project to CircuitHub

That’s it! After you upload, our quoting algorithm provides you with an adjustable quote. By changing the board quantity and lead time you will instantly see a price update. This allows you to quickly find a configuration best suited for your current ordering needs. We also present a set of customizable board options. Most of these options are accounted for in our quoting algorithm, but if you have custom requirements that fall outside our standard capabilities, we generally return a manual quote in 24 hours or less.

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