A Focus on Important IPC Standards for PCB Manufacturing

A printed circuit board is an essential element of many electronic devices because they add to its performance. Hence, manufacturers understand the importance of maintaining the quality of PCBs through various phases of manufacturing. Most manufacturers adhere to IPC standards for PCB manufacturing. These standards help them maintain the quality of PCBs from the design to testing and inspection phases. What is IPC? What are the popular IPC Standards? Stay tuned to know more.

Gain a Brief Understanding of IPC

IPC is a trade organization that standardizes the production and assembly requirements of printed circuit boards. Established in 1957, this organization was known as the Institute of Printed Circuit Boards and the Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits. The organization is now officially known as IPC since 1999. The organization publishes the acceptability standards for the printed circuit board industry. These standards are accepted throughout the globe. Currently, there are more than 4800 members in IPC. These members include companies that specialize in every aspect of PCB manufacturing right from designers to material suppliers to board manufacturers, assembly services, and OEMs.

Know About Important IPC Classes of Electronic Products

Before going into the details of IPC standards for PCB manufacturing, it is important to understand these three classes:

Class 1: This class covers general electronic products or everyday use products that have limited life and possess simple functions. The class covers devices such as remote controls.
Class 2: The class covers dedicated service electronic products that are highly reliable and possess a long service life. The PCBs covered under this class are mainly designed for regular service environments, where uninterrupted service is important, but not mandatory.
Class 3: The class covers high-performance electronic products, which must perform on-demand or assure continued performance. The products included under this class are usually designed for applications, where downtimes are not acceptable. Also, these products are designed for use in harsh environments. This category covers various equipment used in the medical and aerospace industry.

The design rules differ across these classes, so manufacturers must take into consideration when taking up projects fitting into any of these classes. IPC6012 and IPC-A- 600 are two prominent IPC standards for PCB manufacturing covering inspection and performance of PCBs. Every manufacturer must refer or adhere to them during the PCB manufacturing and assembly. These standards are discussed in detail in the next section.

IPC –A- 600: Level of Acceptance

This specification is also referred to as IPC-600, which sets the level of acceptance criteria for each product class. The specification outlines the target, and acceptable and non-acceptable conditions for every product. These conditions may be found during internal or external observation. This specification focuses on visual interpretation of requirements set forth in various PCB specifications.

IPC– 6012: Performance Requirements for Rigid Printed Circuit Boards

This specification outlines the performance requirements and qualification of rigid printed circuit boards in detail. Rigid circuit boards are designed in various ways such as single-sided PCBs, active/passive embedded PCBs, metal core PCBs, HDIs, and more. All these designs and their performance requirements are broadly classified in this standard.

How PCB Manufacturers Can Benefit from IPC Standards

Adherence to these standards will help PCB manufacturers benefit in the following ways:

Maintaining Quality and Consistency: Like any other industry standard, the IPC standards for PCB manufacturing are designed to promote quality among PCB manufacturers. As said before, these standards govern every stage of manufacturing. So, manufacturers who strictly adhere to them can be assured of a quality product. By following the specifications and their requirements, the manufacturers can assure consistent quality, which will ultimately contribute to client satisfaction.
Ensure Seamless Workflow During Manufacturing and Assembly: When adhering to IPC standards for PCB manufacturing, it becomes necessary to follow a specific streamlined and documented workflow, which helps ensure a seamless workflow within the team. The IPC standards also help ensure better communication among suppliers, vendors, clients, regulators, and so on.
Building Brand Reputation: Knowing the importance of PCBs, most OEMs prefer working with PCB manufacturing and assembly service providers that follow IPC standards for PCB manufacturing. This is because these standards help minimize assembly or manufacturing-related errors and produce quality products. This helps manufacturers build their brand reputation.
Cost Reduction: Needless to say, strict adherence to quality standards set forth by IPC standards for PCB manufacturing will help minimize manufacturing errors and material loss, as well as minimize the need for testing and inspection.

As the benefits and key IPC standards for PCB manufacturing are well introduced here, it is now important that you partner with the right PCB manufacturer for your next project. This post ends by introducing you to Twisted Traces, a leading manufacturer of rigid, flex, and rigid-flex circuit boards for industries such as aerospace and satellite, medical, LED, military, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and automotive industries. The company follows various IPC standards for PCB manufacturing during all phases of manufacturing.