Hand-soldering competition to heat up SMT Hybrid Packaging 2017

March 9, 2017

Bannockburn, IL. IPC’s Hand Soldering Competition at SMT Hybrid Packaging 2017 will see skilled competitors go soldering iron to soldering iron May 16-18 in Nuremberg as they compete for cash prizes and a spot at the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship in Munich this November.

Hand soldering of high-density printed boards demands highly skilled operators to ensure a zero-defect soldering process, and this contest—IPC’s annual competition at SMT Hybrid Packaging—will recognize the best skills in hand soldering complex printed board assemblies. Over three days, participants will compete to build a functional electronics assembly within a 60-minute time limit. Assemblies will be judged on soldering in accordance with IPC-A-610F Class 3 criteria, the speed at which the assembly was produced, and overall electrical functionality of the assembly. IPC-A-610 Master Instructors will serve as judges.

The IPC Hand Soldering Competition winner and two runners-up will each earn cash prizes: 1st place—€300; 2nd place—€200; and 3rd place—€100. In addition, the first-place winner will earn a chance to compete against the best hand-soldering technicians from around the world at the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship in Munich this November.

www.IPC.org

About the Author

Rick Nelson

Contributing Editor

Rick Nelson is a technical journalist who has served as executive editor of Test & Measurement World, chief editor of EDN, and executive editor of EE-Evaluation Engineering. He has also contributed to publications including Vision Systems Design and Electronic Design, and he has participated in many live panel discussions and webcasts. Rick has also held systems-engineering and product-development positions at General Electric and Litton Industries. He received his B.S.E.E. degree from The Pennsylvania State University.