FAQ: What is IPC, IPC -610, and J-Std-001?

PMG provides labor solutions to American manufacturers. That’s what we do in a nutshell and we take the “solution” part seriously. We end up asking a lot of questions to make sure we find the right way to solve the real problem. Actually, our community asks a fair amount of questions, too. In this blog, PMG answers the most common questions.

IPC

What we know as IPC commonly is actually IPC International, Inc., (which wasn’t always the legal name). In 1957, a group of six printed circuit board manufacturers got together to create the Institute of Printed Circuits (IPC). The goal of this institute was to create industry standards, support industry advancements, and remove supply chain obstacles (something we all understand even in 2021). In 1999, the organization brought more manufacturers into the group and also stretched into the electronics industry as a whole. With this, the IPC changed it’s name, too. It was now The Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits. The name changed once again, when the organization gained more influence and exposure. This time to IPC International Inc. or what we call IPC.

The IPC continues to monitor, advance, review, and regulate the electronic industry. It does this by setting standards for the development, testing, and quality of electronics and Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). This includes J-STD-001.

J-STD-001

J-STD-001 is formally known as IPC J-STD-001H, which is a mouthful to say so it’s often shortened to J-Standard (J-Std.). This standard ensures companies follow the criteria for soldering processes and materials on a global scale including assembly processes, inspection processes, and testing processes. It ultimately emphasizes process control and process requirements for soldering electronics, to include a required certification by those who are assembling and soldering PCBs.

IPC-610

Do you see a reoccurring theme with these industry standards? They have long, drawn out names and titles. IPC-610 is a shortened version for the IPC-A-610 Endorsement. What does this standard do? It qualifies someone to complete inspections and acceptability tests on electronics and PCBs, verifying that all work performed is to IPC standard (such as J-STD-001).

Interested in More?

As you can imagine, there are MANY more standards that fall into IPC categories, far too many to list. If you’re interested, you can find them here.

Are you IPC-610 or J-STD-001 Certified?

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Have a question of your own?

We want to answer your questions. If you have any questions at all, send them to writingteam@pmgservices.com and we’ll get them answered!

Kim Mooney, Technical Manager & Coach