IPC 610 - Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies

Applying IPC 610 to your business will improve production quality and reduce costs.

Accurate assembly and manufacture of electronic equipment results in an increase in quality and reliability and a decrease in reworking, saving time and money and, even more importantly, ensuring that customers don’t receive faulty equipment or products that fail shortly after purchase.

In some circumstances the only way to gain a manufacturing contract might be to meet the IPC 610 standards and hold IPC 610 certification. This course is therefore aimed at anyone in your team who needs to understand soldering standards. Those who pass the course will be able to discriminate between good, bad and acceptable solder joints for components soldered to PCBs.

Note: IPC-A-610E is the name of the training course, with E being the latest revision. This is synonymous with IPC 610, IPC 610 E, IPC 610E, IPC A610E and IPC-A-610

Click on each heading below to reveal more details

Who should undertake IPC 610 training

This standard is aimed at anyone needing to understand whether a soldered joint is acceptable, such as:

• assembly operators
• goods in inspectors
• quality assurance inspectors
• quality supervisors
• assembly manufacturing supervisors
• production managers
• managers and directors who want to understand the impact of assembly quality on their products and processes
• anyone responsible for the quality and reliability of electronic assemblies

IPC 610 for trainers or staff

There are two levels of IPC 610 training.

• To have your team able to apply the standard you need the Application Specialist (or CIS) level.
• To take responsibility for your own training at least one of your team must gain the Certified IPC Trainer (or CIT) level to train and certify other staff. Any company with a large number of staff who will benefit from IPC 610 knowledge and certification may find it more beneficial to have a certified trainer to train and maintain its own employees.

Electronics Yorkshire has Master IPC Trainers delivering CIS and CIT certification across all five practical and classroom-based IPC programmes.

IPC 610 course overview

The goal of IPC 610 training is to improve an individual’s skills and ability to discriminate between acceptable and unacceptable electronic assemblies. Candidates don’t just learn when a particular assembly should be accepted or rejected, they learn the reasons why.

To complement the IPC 610 soldering quality assurance course Electronics Yorkshire offers practical skills soldering courses which include an IPC qualification.

IPC 610 covers three classes of quality assurance:

Class 1	General electronic products - such as cameras, audio/video and domestic appliances. The lifetime of these products is limited, and a failure is not critical.
Class 2	Dedicated service electronic products - such as printers, copiers, computers and general production equipment. The lifetime of the products is longer than class 1, the amount of usage is higher, and an uninterrupted service is desirable.
Class 3	High reliability/critical products - such as military, aerospace and medical. Not only is the product lifetime extended but the products must function without interruption and downtime is not an acceptable option.

 

IPC 610 is a modular programme. Apart from mandatory modules your staff may only need the elements relevant to your company; however both IPC and Electronics Yorkshire strongly recommend that all modules are taken. For Certified Trainers all modules are mandatory; CIS courses listed in the Training Calendar include all modules.

	Application Specialist	Certified Trainer
Module 1 – Introduction/IPC Professional Policies and Procedures	Mandatory	Mandatory
Module 2 – Foreword, Applicable Documents & Handling	Mandatory	Mandatory
Module 3 – Hardware Installation	Optional	Mandatory
Module 4 – Soldering (Including High Voltage)	Optional	Mandatory
Module 5 – Terminal Connections	Optional	Mandatory
Module 6 – Through Hole Technology (Including TH Jumper Wires)	Optional	Mandatory
Module 7 – Surface Mount Assemblies (Including SMT Jumper Wires)	Optional	Mandatory
Module 8 – Component Damage and Printed Circuit Boards and Assemblies	Optional	Mandatory
Module 9 – Solderless Wire Wrap	Optional	Mandatory

The IPC 610 Table of Contents can be accessed here.

 

Pass rates and notes:

Application Specialist	Certified Trainer
A minimum of 70% is required on each closed and open-book written test to achieve a pass	An average of 80% is required across all the closed and open-book written tests to achieve a pass
On completion of the course, the Application Specialist will receive a copy of the IPC 610 Standard	On successful completion of the course, the IPC 610 Trainer will receive all IPC materials to carry out the Application Specialist training. These include: CD-ROM with teaching visuals Instructor Guide IPC-A610E Written Examination
For modules 5, 6 or 7; modules 4 and 8 must be taken beforehand	Application Specialist training materials, manuals and course certificates can only be purchased by Certified IPC-A-610 Trainers

 

Each course provides a global IPC certification valid for two years. For students who have previously achieved either Application Specialist or Certified Trainer IPC-A-610 Certification within the last two years a relevant Recertification course is available.

IPC 610 course location and booking

Courses are delivered in our advanced training and technology centre:

Electronics Yorkshire

Airedale House

Clayton Wood Rise

Leeds LS16 6RF

You can view our list of training course dates. Please call us on 0800 610 1601 to book the course of your choice.

We can also conduct training on your premises; call us to discuss this option.

IPC 610 course duration and costs

Training courses at our training and technology centre:

Certified Trainer	Application Specialist
Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) course is 4 days All modules are mandatory. A copy of the IPC Standard and IPC's training materials are included for each student.	Certified IPC application Specialist (CIS) course is 2.5 days Modules 1 and 2 are mandatory and together take one full day. All modules are covered within three days; omitting modules is unlikely to reduce overall attendance time. A copy of the IPC Standard is included for each student.
CIT Recertification is also available - ask for details	CIS Recertification is also available - ask for details

Please call us on 0800 610 1601 for further details and to book the course of your choice.

Electronics Yorkshire Full Members undertaking training at our Leeds centre receive a 20% discount on training costs. Discounts can also be offered for multiple bookings.

If, within seven days of the course commencement date, there are insufficient students booked onto this course, Electronics Yorkshire maintains the right to cancel and offer alternative dates.

On site training at customer's location:

Certified Trainer	Application Specialist
Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) course is 4 days All modules are mandatory. Course materials are provided during the training; one copy of IPC's training materials is included and more can be purchased separately from Electronics Yorkshire.	Certified IPC application Specialist (CIS) course is up to 2.5-day Modules 1 and 2 are mandatory and together take one full day. Each individual module requires a different amount of classroom time. All modules are covered within three days. Course materials are provided during the training; one copy of the standard is included and more can be purchased separately from Electronics Yorkshire.
CIT Recertification is also available - ask for details	CIS Recertification is also available - ask for details

Please call us on 0800 610 1601 for further details and to book the course of your choice.

IPC 610 'challenge tests' for CIS and CIT can also be booked, please call us to make arrangements.

 

Older standards

Please note that the latest revision of this Standard is IPC-A-610E. This supersedes the following training courses: IPC 610 A, IPC 610 B, IPC 610 C, IPC 610 D, IPC 610A, IPC 610B, IPC 610C, IPC 610D, IPC-A-610, IPC-A-610A, IPC-A-610B, IPC-A-610C, IPC-A-610D