Harnessing Knowledge: A New IPC Course Now Available

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Didem Üstün is a mechanical engineer and subject matter expert about military cable design who’s now teaching a wire harness and semiconductor course through IPC. Here, she and Kel Allen, IPCs online instructor-led training manager, discuss the mechanics of the course and why you should consider taking it—especially if you have limited knowledge of wire harness.

Nolan Johnson: Didem, tell me about the work you do.

Didem Üstün: I hold a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Gazi University. I have just graduated from the Executive MBA program at Bilkent University in Ankara. I have been working at a defense company in Turkey for more than 10 years. Right now, I have been working at FNSS Defense Systems for almost nine years.

I am preparing and presenting harness subsystem design and integration plans according to project requirements. I am also both preparing cable design/manufacturing documents and data packages, which include electrical wiring schematics, 2D/3D drawings and identifying specific requirements linked to the associated cables in accordance with IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards and auditing subcontractor companies to ensure that their cable manufacturing complies with standards.

Johnson: Let’s talk about the new IPC course. What does it cover?

Üstün: This course provides a comprehensive foundation of wire harness and cable design for the electronics industry. We will cover a range of basic cable and wire types and other fundamental components and materials. This program also talks about wire harness. Students will understand and learn how to read the electrical wiring diagram for their wire harness and how they need to develop their design according to this diagram. These fundamental things are critical issues for wire harness design.

Johnson: We don’t often think about how the disciplines of semiconductor and wire harness course intersect or how they interface. Who should be attending this course?

Üstün: This course is fundamental for wire harness design, but is also designed for mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, designers, and operators.

Johnson: Engineers seem obvious, but why should operators also take this course?

Üstün: If operators understand the technical and design drawings, they can provide more accurate feedback to the engineers during manufacturing. That's why it's important. It's really good for them to take this course.

Johnson: Oh, I see. If the operators understand the fundamentals better, then they can interact with the engineers about issues much more knowledgeably.

Üstün: Exactly.

Johnson: With engineers and operators attending the class together, I anticipate they will all learn a wide range of new skills. What are some of the skills that you would expect the attendees to take away?

Üstün: After this course, participants will easily apply what they’ve learned to their jobs because knowing the fundamentals of wire harness will help them start to design. They will learn about the important elements for design and how to plan for manufacturing withing their design skills. These skills will enable them to more effectively design a reliable cable solution.

Kel Allen: Can you elaborate on that more? What will students know how to do?

Üstün: Students will understand how to read the electrical wiring diagram so that they can properly design a wire harness design, thinking about how to choose the right materials for their cable design. That is the basic foundation for my cable design. That's why it's really important to understand these steps.

Johnson: What else should we know about the class?

Üstün: It is an online, ongoing course that meets twice a week in two-hour sessions. Our first, two-week session begins Feb. 3, 2025 with convenient times for North America and European students. We will offer it two additional times this year: June and September.

Allen: Similar to our PCB design classes, where students build a project through the use of Altium using a license we provide, this course focuses the steps of wire harness design by examining wire applications, electrical schematics and evaluating industry standards like IPC/WHMA-A-620, which students receive a copy as a resource for the course.

IPC is expanding its training courses beyond traditional PCB design to engage more of our members by providing information that expands into nontraditional areas. Enroll to secure your place in IPC’s Introduction to Wire Harness Design I. For more information and to enroll, visit our course page.

Johnson: Thank you, Didem and Kel, for explaining more about the class. Sounds very interesting.