Using high quality or low quality FR4?

Quality grade of FR4 materials and their application scenarios

FR4 materials are divided into different categories according to their quality grades, and each category is suitable for different application scenarios:

FR-4 A1 grade: Mainly used in high-end electronic products such as military industry, communications, computers, digital circuits, industrial instruments and meters, automotive circuits, etc., with excellent performance and world-class quality.

FR-4 A2 grade: Suitable for ordinary computers, instruments and meters, high-end home appliances and general electronic products, with good performance and moderate price.

FR-4 A3 grade: Specially designed for the home appliance industry, computer peripheral products and ordinary electronic products (such as toys, calculators, game consoles), the performance meets the requirements and the price is competitive.

FR-4 A4 grade: Suitable for ordinary home appliances, computers and general electronic products, with excellent performance and price ratio, but low performance.

FR-4 B grade: Poor quality stability, suitable for small-sized circuit board products, with the lowest price, but not suitable for large-area circuit boards.

Differences in the characteristics of FR4 materials of different quality grades

Electrical insulation performance: All grades of FR4 have excellent electrical insulation performance, but grade A1 performs better in high-end applications.

Mechanical strength: Grades A1 and A2 have higher mechanical strength and are suitable for applications that need to withstand greater external forces and impacts.

Heat and moisture resistance: All grades of FR4 can maintain stable performance in high temperature and high humidity environments, but grade A1 performs better in extreme conditions.

Considerations for choosing high-quality or low-quality FR4

Cost: Low-quality FR4 materials are cheaper and suitable for projects with limited budgets. High-quality FR4 is suitable for high-end applications with higher performance requirements.

Application requirements: High-end electronic products such as military industry and communication equipment require high-quality FR4 to ensure stability and reliability. Ordinary home appliances and electronic products can choose lower-quality FR4 to reduce costs.

Environmental conditions: Equipment working in high temperature and high humidity environments should choose high-quality FR4 to ensure stable performance. For applications in general environments, low-quality FR4 is sufficient to meet the needs.