Fresh PCB Concepts: Key Considerations for Reliability, Performance, and Compliance in PCBs
Elementary Mr. Watson: Navigating RF—A Glide Path Approach to Design Success
Designers Notebook: Layer Stackup Planning for RF Circuit Boards
So Many Standards Committees, So Little Time
October 28, 2019 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
During the IPC Summer Meetings and Panelpalooza in Raleigh, North Carolina, I met with Leo Lambert, vice president and director of technology at EPTAC. We discussed IPC’s recent efforts to revamp the way standards are developed and interpreted as well as changes to training and education committees and a variety of methods for eliminating errors and duplicated comments when revising standards.
Andy Shaughnessy: Another day, another show, Leo. You’re the chair for a couple of committees, so can you tell us what your committees have been doing at the summer meetings?
Leo Lambert: Back in the day, I was the chair of the J-STD-001 task group of the Assembly and Joining Committee; now, I’m the chair of the IPC-A-600 Committee. IPC is reorganizing and taking a look at the way the standards are being developed, the way the standards are interpreted, and how the test programs are going to be conducted. There are also new sets of policies, rules, and procedures for the training programs—one for CIT/MIT, one for CIS, and one for CSE—which everyone is anticipating. They have released the initial version, but there are still corrections that need to be addressed and implemented.
In the meantime, this delay creates a lot of angst for the people who are using them, and we had a meeting this morning on some of those issues. Today, we had training meetings, which are very important to the development of the programs; however, everyone wants to attend all of the meetings. Therefore, with so many people involved, it is difficult to reach a consensus in a short period of time since everyone has some input and want to be heard. I understand wanting to attend all of the meetings, but then you realize that there are only so many hours in the day, so it is slow-moving.
Since we’re involved in the training business, we need to go to the training meetings because that’s the material that we’re going to be using and presenting to the students. Additionally, there are many mistakes in those documents that must be corrected, and the new IPC organization is addressing all of these. However, it will take time and patience. These errors are repeated at each training program by all of the training centers, and multiple inputs are sent to the IPC, which become difficult to address in a timely manner.
To read the rest of this interview, which appeared in the September 2019 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Nick Koop Launches IPC Flex Design Class
05/06/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineNick Koop is director of flex technology for TTM Technologies, and he’s been a staple of IPC’s flex committees for decades. He’s also a longtime flex design instructor, and he’s about to debut a new IPC class, Flex and Rigid-Flex Design for Manufacturability, which will run May 12–21. In this interview, Nick tells us about this new class and what attendees can expect to learn.
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
05/06/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitThere is certainly no shortage of work to be done in the IPC Government Relations department, as the U.S. waged a tariff campaign on practically every industrial country in the world and several countries embarked on high-tech initiatives with a mix of approaches to the crucial foundations of electronics manufacturing. Indeed, the breadth and speed of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign continues to be a serious challenge for our industry.
Meet Thiago Guimaraes, IPC's New Director of Industry Intelligence
05/05/2025 | Chris Mitchell, IPC VP, Global Government RelationsThe fast pace of innovation in the electronics manufacturing industry means business owners must continuously adapt their processes and capabilities to meet changing customer demands and market trends. To that end, IPC has hired Thiago Guimaraes as the new director of Industry Intelligence. In this interview, Thiago shares key goals and objectives that could revolutionize the industry as he helps stakeholders navigate industry trends and challenges.
Nolan's Notes: The Next Killer App in Component Manufacturing
05/02/2025 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesFor quite a while, I’ve been wondering what the next “killer app” will be in electronics manufacturing and why it has been so long since the last disruptive change in EMS. I believe the answer lies in artificial intelligence, which has exploded as the next disruptor.
IPC Excellence in Education Award: Zenaida Valianu
05/01/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Zenaida Valianu is the training manager at IPC who brings more than 25 years of expertise in standards and training development to her role. She has revolutionized IPC certification training programs by significantly enhancing their content with comprehensive curricula and engaging materials. She has also been instrumental in developing essential workforce training courses and contributing to various other initiatives.