Winners of IPC Hand Soldering & Rework Competition at NEPCON Nagoya 2022 Announced

IPC hosted its popular IPC Hand Soldering and Rework Competition in Nagoya, Japan on October 26-28, 2022. Held for the first time in person since the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition welcomed 24 finalists from 17 electronics companies from Japan. The total number of the competitors exceeded 130; 24 finalists passed the primary and the secondary qualifiers and competed at the final stage.

Skilled contestants competed against each other to rework a functional electronics assembly within a 45-minute time limit. Assemblies were judged on soldering in accordance with IPC-A-610H, IPC J-STD-001H, IPC-7711/21C - Class 3 criteria, the speed at which the assembly was produced, and overall electrical functionality of the assembly.

On the winner’s podium at NEPCON Nagoya 2022 were:

First place: Masaki Nakamichi, Panasonic Corporation. He received a certificate, a cash prize of USD$500 and a soldering station from premier sponsor -- JBC Soldering Japan.  As the winner, Nakamichi qualified for the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship at electronica in Munich, Germany, November 15–18, 2022.                                                                                     

Second place: Yuki Miyashita, FUJIFILM Healthcare Manufacturing Corporation. He received a certificate and a cash prize of USD$300.

Third place: Nao Morita, Advantest Corporation. She received a certificate and a cash prize of USD$100.

IPC would like to thank Hand Soldering and Rework Competition sponsors and partners for their generous support this year:

• Premier Sponsors — JAPAN UNIX, JBC Japan
• Supporting Sponsors — NIHON SUPERIOR, SMIC

For more information on upcoming hand soldering and rework competitions in Asia, contact Yusaku Kono, IPC Japan representative, at YusakuKono@ipc.org.