Hands-on Soldering Experience at IPC APEX EXPO 2019

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Following a successful STEM Outreach program introduced at IPC APEX EXPO 2018, IPC will build on last year’s program for high school students by introducing a hands-on soldering experience to students from the San Diego area at IPC APEX EXPO 2019.

The IPC Education Foundation will host approximately 100 students for a day-long event including a panel session of industry leaders who will provide detailed information on the electronics manufacturing industry, as well as a tour of the show floor, focusing on the high-tech aspects of the IPC CFX showcase/working production lines. For the first time, students will be able to experience hands-on soldering at world championship solder stations with the support of IPC trainers teaching them the purpose, design, and fundamentals of a printed circuit board (PCB). Local San Diego-area schools attending the event include Morse, Mission Hills, Otay Ranch, San Marcos, e3 Civic, and North County Trade Tech High Schools.

“The goal of the program is to expose students to see, feel, touch and experience what this industry is all about,” said Colette Buscemi, IPC’s senior director of education programs, “and there is no better way to do that than putting tools in their hands, so they can see up close just how the equipment works.”

IPC’s STEM Outreach program is designed to encourage students to consider a career in the electronics industry by spreading awareness of electronics manufacturing as a career choice. The IPC Education Foundation expects to engage the emerging workforce, improve the perception of the manufacturing industry, prepare the talent pipeline, and to offer scholarships to deserving students, “It is an effort to expose a new generation to the potential of rewarding careers in an industry that requires workers with critical skills,” added Buscemi.

Sponsors of the STEM Outreach program/Student Soldering Hands-on Experience are Blackfox Training Institute, I-Connect007, ITW EAE, Mycronic, Nordson, Panasonic and Weller Tools. “This program is subsidized by generous donations from scholarships and membership contributions,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director of trade shows and events, “Staff from these companies will provide live demonstrations of the working equipment in their booths during the tour of the show floor and participate in panel discussions. It’s truly a community of people coming together to make this happen.”