Winners of IPC Hand Soldering Competition at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2023 Announced

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In conjunction with Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2023, IPC hosted the UK regional Hand Soldering Competition in Farnborough, UK, February 7-9, welcoming 27 competitors from 20 European electronics companies. Skilled contestants competed to build an assembly in accordance with IPC-A-610 – Class 3 criteria, and were judged on the functionality of the assembly, compliance with the assembly process, and overall product quality. Contestants were allowed a maximum of one hour to complete the process.

On the winner’s podium were:        

First Place: Returning first prize winner, Justyna Mikolajzcyk, Zettlex, with 537 points from a possible 558, with a time of 55 minutes,10 seconds. She received a certificate, a cash prize of 300 EUR, and a gift from sponsor Almit. As the winner, Mikolajzcyk qualified for the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship at productronica in Munich, Germany in November 2023.

Second place: Przemyslaw Marszalek, TVC, with a total of 533 points completing his board in 51 minutes, 07 seconds. He received a certificate, a cash prize of 200 EUR, and a gift from sponsor Almit.

Third Place: Rich Barlow, GAITQ, Ltd., with a total score of 524 points, completing in a time of 56 minutes, 07 seconds. He received a certificate, a cash prize of 100 EUR, and a gift from sponsor Almit.

Best Company Team Award

The Best Company Award, determined by the best scores of the contestants from that company, was presented to Dyson Technology, Ltd, with three competitors achieving the best team performance in the competition.

IPC is grateful to the HSC sponsors for their generous support:

• Gold sponsors: Weller Tools, Thales
• Silver Sponsors: Almit, Ateliers Systems, NCAB Group, Optilia, Polygone CAO, Societe Francaise de Microscopie (SFM)

“IPC thanks and congratulates all the participants and their companies for their interest and for taking up the hand soldering challenge,” said Philippe Leonard, managing director, IPC Electronics Europe GmbH. “We look forward to a full year of exciting competitions, culminating in the World Championship in Munich later this year.”