The Knowledge Base: Beyond the Badge—Why Membership Matters More Than Ever
Smart Automation: AI—Revolutionizing Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
Standard of Excellence: The Role of Technology in Enhancing the Customer Experience
Winners of IPC Hand Soldering Competition at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics Announced
February 21, 2022 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In cooperation with Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, IPC hosted its popular Hand Soldering Competition (HSC), on February 8-10. Skilled competitors demonstrated their expertise in hand soldering printed circuit boards while competing for cash prizes.
The first-in-person trade show held in the United Kingdom since the onset of the COVID pandemic, and the first time IPC held a competition at Southern Manufacturing and Electronics, the HSC welcomed 15 competitors, representing 11 electronics companies from the United Kingdom. A technically challenging competition board was introduced this year which resulted in only two of the 15 competitors successfully completing a functioning circuit board assembly.
On the winner’s podium at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics were:
First Place: Justyna Mikolajczyk, ZETTLEX (United Kingdom), completing her board in 57 minutes and 50 seconds, scoring 549 points out of 558 possible points. She received a first-place certificate, cash prize of £300 and a gift from HSC sponsor Almit.
Second Place: Przemyslav Marszalek, TVC-The Validation Center Ltd. (United Kingdom), completing his board in 57 minutes and 56 seconds with 524 points out of 558 possible points. He received a second-place certificate, a cash prize of £200 and a gift from HSC sponsor Almit.
IPC thanks Polygone CAO, who designed this year’s competition board in accordance with IPC-A-610H criteria and featured 116 components that provided a significant challenge to competitors,
IPC-A-610 Master Instructors from ART-Advanced Rework Technologies, an IPC licensed master training center in the United Kingdom, served as competition judges for this year’s competition.
IPC thanks HSC sponsors for their generous support:
- Gold Sponsors: Hakko, Atelier Systems and Thalès
- Silver Sponsors: Almit GmbH, Optilia, SFM-Société Française de Microscopie, and Polygone CAO
- Local Sponsors: Southern Manufacturing & Electronics and ART-Advanced Rework Technologies.
Upcoming HSC competitions in Europe include:
- Regional Competition in Hungary -- InnoElectro in Budapest from March 29-31, 2022
- Regional Competition in Germany -- SMTconnect in Nurenberg from May 10-12, 2022
- Regional Competition in France -- Global Industrie in Paris from May 18-20, 2022.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Living His Dream: IPC EAO Course Leads Thejas K to Role as Quality Engineer
05/30/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityIt’s not often that a child wants to follow in the footsteps of their parents’ career. But Thejas K, a 22-year-old from Mysuru, India, whose mother Padmavathi was an EMS operator for nearly 20 years, is now an associate engineer in the quality department at Cyient DLM where PCB assemblies are manufactured for aerospace and defense.
GTSMT SMT Production Lines are Transforming Modern Electronics Manufacturing
05/29/2025 | EINPresswire.comGTSMT, a prominent leader in the Surface-Mount Technology (SMT) sector, announced the introduction of cutting-edge innovations designed to tackle the evolving challenges facing the global electronics manufacturing industry.
IPC Applauds Leadership of Reps. Moore and Krishnamoorthi on PCB Manufacturing Bill
05/28/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association serving more than 1,400 U.S. companies and over 3,200 worldwide, strongly supports the bipartisan reintroduction on May 28 of the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates (PCBS) Act in the 119th Congress.
Smart Automation: AI—Revolutionizing Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
05/27/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a staple in our personal and professional lives. In electronics manufacturing, integrating AI to combat common inefficiencies and to contextualize data will open new doors into how we supplement our traditional processes. In some specific areas of the electronics manufacturing process, integration of AI on the factory floor is already having a tremendous effect. One such area is PCBA inspection, particularly 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) systems.
Indium Promotes O’Leary to Director of Global Accounts
05/27/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation, a leading materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management industries, announces the promotion of Brian O’Leary to Director of Global Accounts.