The release of the "C" revisions of IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 and associated certified training materials mark a significant step in a transition that began in the early 1990s. Military standards were the primary documents used to qualify and facilitate the manufacture and exchange of electronics products. The Department of Defense (DoD) determined that it should not be investing time and money in disciplines driven by commercial markets. The IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries, through its membership of users and suppliers, organized to establish industry consensus standards which have replaced many of the canceled or obsolete military standards.

The IPC-A-610 presents acceptance requirements recommended as a reference for use when evaluating or establishing design and process requirements. Revision C of the IPC-A-610 provides performance requirements for use with the companion IPC-HDBK-001 and J-STD-001. The 001 documents describe materials, methods, and verification criteria, that when applied as recommended or required, will produce quality soldered electrical and electronic assemblies.

Consider this excerpt from the Department of Defense notice adopting IPC-HDBK-001:
" . . .Department of Defense policy is to rely on performance based requirements whenever practical and to not require standard management approaches or manufacturing processes in solicitations and contracts.....
Nevertheless, defense program managers and contract oversight personnel must have an understanding of the underlying management, engineering, and manufacturing processes at work so they can evaluate and monitor contractor processes. DoD activities may use this handbook and its associated documents when evaluating electronic manufacturing strategies, processes, and management."

The IPC-A-610C is nearly 200 pages longer than its predecessor. It contains new sections describing associated documents, high voltage and high power requirements. The document also describes special requirements for unsupported through-holes with component leads. These new requirements augment the specification.

New sections describing more Surface Mount Technology (SMT) body types improve relevance for many users of surface mount components, including flat lug leads, tall profile components with bottom only terminations, inward formed L-shaped ribbon leads, and ball grid area or array packages. The section on laminate conditions now includes acceptability of flexible and rigid-flex printed wiring.

Clear photographs or computer enhanced drawings replace most of the illustrations that were in the B revision. The IPC-A-610C is a big improvement in terms of the quality of illustrations.

The biggest change in the J-STD-001, removal of special definitions for the words "Must", "Shall", and "Should", provides a quantum leap forward in terms of interpretation. If you can understand the new IPCA- 610, you can understand the new IPC-J-STD-001. Your process people, quality people and purchasing people will appreciate this change.

The new standards reflect reasonable performance requirements for soldering and cleaning in the context of increasing concerns for our environment. It is not that the standards have been relaxed, but rather clarified. Opportunities for unreasonable or dogmatic performance demands have been reduced. For example, discernible residue from cleanable fluxes is a defect in all product classes, while flux residues from no-clean processes may be allowed. Any flux residue that inhibits visual inspection is a defect in Class 2 and 3.

The new versions of the IPC-A-610 and the J-STD-001 provide better information and are easier to understand than their predecessors. Consider how much more complex electronic manufacturing has become in recent years and you have to agree, making the standards easier to understand is quite an accomplishment. New training material from the IPC to train trainers, workers and operators to the "C" revision of the J-STD and IPC-A-610 are finally available.

For more information, please contact the EMPF Registrar at (610) 362-1295, or via email at registrar@empf.org.