Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company'
The Chemical Connection: Experience and Wisdom Gained by Doing Business
It's Only Common Sense: Leveraging AI in Your Sales Strategy
Medical Device PCB Standard Reaches New Milestone
July 6, 2020 | ElmaticaEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Recently the IPC 6012 Medical Device Addendum reached a new milestone, passing the ballot after Industry review.
“We are extremely content with this step forward, moving us closer to industry launch. The development of PCB standards is in general a time-consuming process, the one for the Medical Addendum is no exception”, says Elmatica’s Chair of the Medical Addendum Task group, Jan Pedersen.
In 2016 Elmatica initiated a task group for Medical Applications. IPC accepted the challenge and founded IPC-6012 and 6013 Medical Addendum with Jan Pedersen as Chair.
Different industries require different standard settings
“Developing the standard we have had to look into all aspects and needs for medical devices. Identifying PCBs used in several applications such as implants and hearing-aids that have line widths, thickness, hole sizes and other features below current tolerances and limits in today’s Design, performance and acceptability standard,” says Pedersen.
Imperfections in materials that would be acceptable in other industries, may cause application failures in Medical Devices, same goes for what test frequency waivers are accepted within the industry, all factors that need to be analyzed and discussed in the Task Group.
One down - one to go with the IPC 6013EM
“Other obstacles we have faced are terminology, how to name different sections and PCBs, like Micro PCBs, and different Design Producibility Levels. For the last one we had to suggest a new level due to the complexity for Medical Device Applications, a completely new level, Level D”, says Pedersen.
“Developing standards is time consuming, however we aim for industry launch of IPC 6012EM late summer. Now we start working on the IPC 6013EM, hoping for launch around November” says Pedersen.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Technology and Industry 4.0
09/03/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsUltra high density interconnect (UHDI) technology is rapidly transforming how smart systems are designed and deployed in the context of Industry 4.0. With its capacity to support highly miniaturized, high-performance, and densely packed electronics, UHDI is a critical enabler of the smart, connected, and automated industrial future. Here, I’ll explore the synergy between UHDI and Industry 4.0 technologies, highlighting applications, benefits, and future directions.
Nolan’s Notes: Everyone Has Their Eye on India
09/03/2025 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesIn this issue of SMT007 Magazine, we turn our attention to the Indian EMS market. We start with an interview with David Bergman, whose foresight in the early 2000s opened doors for the Global Electronics Association to begin helping Indian EMS companies with standards and certifications that would give EMS companies a footing to enter a global EMS market.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/29/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week, we bring you Global Electronics Association’s Chris Mitchell’s government relations column on—you guessed it—trade deals. TTM is balancing its facilities between East and West. The Global Electronics Association released July numbers for North American PCB shipments, and the news is good. Meanwhile, the corresponding report for EMS might seem like bad news, but that’s misleading. Be sure to look deeper for the rest of the story. Finally, for a bit space-science palate cleansing, I’m sharing news of the latest launch of NASA’s X-37B.
Summit Interconnect Names Milan Shah as Vice Chairman of the Board
08/26/2025 | Summit Interconnect, Inc.Summit Interconnect, a leading provider of advanced PCB manufacturing, today announced that Milan Shah has been named Vice Chairman of the Board.
The Government Circuit: Navigating New Trade Headwinds and New Partnerships
08/25/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitAs global trade winds continue to howl, the electronics manufacturing industry finds itself at a critical juncture. After months of warnings, the U.S. Government has implemented a broad array of tariff increases, with fresh duties hitting copper-based products, semiconductors, and imports from many nations. On the positive side, tentative trade agreements with Europe, China, Japan, and other nations are providing at least some clarity and counterbalance.