Powering the Future: How Packaging Choices Make or Break Performance
Nolan’s Notes: Our Spotlight on Europe
Learning with Leo: Interpreting IPC Soldering Requirements and Acceptance Criteria
New Course Presents a Comprehensive Guide to IPC Standards
October 10, 2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Francisco Fourcade, electronics technology standards manager for the Global Electronics Association, has spent years helping companies understand and implement the standards that keep the electronics manufacturing industry moving forward. In this interview, he shares updates on ongoing standards development efforts and previews a new course, "IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry,” which starts Oct. 14.
Marcy LaRont: Fran, what have you been working on in the past several months?
Francisco Fourcade: We have been keeping busy, continuing to develop many new standards while revising existing ones, following industry needs and bringing solutions to our members and partners in electronics manufacturing.
LaRont: Tell me about the new course that starts this week. It sounds like it will be a comprehensive guide to IPC standards throughout the supply chain, from design through test.
Fourcade: This new course focuses on educating industry professionals on how to navigate our extensive library of standards. Using a natural product flow approach, participants will learn about relevant standards starting with design, through fabrication, into assembly, cleaning, coating, and testing of electronic assemblies.
LaRont: Which IPC standards will you cover during the course?
Fourcade: The course is geared towards the applicability of all IPC standards related to producing PCB and wire harness assemblies. The list of standards is extensive; participants will be given a pragmatic approach to every step involved in electronics manufacturing covered by an IPC standard.
LaRont: Of the areas pertaining to standards, what sticks out as particularly complicated or not as well understood as some of the others?
Fourcade: In general, the areas covered will span many aspects of electronics manufacturing. Depending on the knowledge base of each participant, some sections might feel more complicated than others. However, the approach is to explain the processes and how related IPC standards support them.
LaRont: This course is divided into three sessions, each with a slightly different focus. How long will each session be, and will there be breakout sessions or live Q&A during the live virtual session?
Fourcade: The course has three two-hour sessions. Each session has two topic sections, following a typical process for producing an electronic assembly. We start with an introduction to standards, expanding common knowledge, followed by PCB design, PCB fabrication, PCB and wire harness assembly, cleaning and coating, inspection, and reliability testing. Participants will be able to ask questions during the live virtual session and will be quizzed at the end of each section to reinforce the knowledge they have acquired.
LaRont: Will the recording also be available to registrants after the live virtual sessions?
Fourcade: Indeed, every session will be recorded so that students can review it for a 90-day period to refresh their knowledge.
LaRont: Fran, what makes these types of educational opportunities so valuable for attendees?
Fourcade: These types of educational opportunities hold a substantial value supported by the expertise and experience of the instructor, enriching the content and answering participants' questions live to enhance their knowledge retention.
LaRont: In closing, is there anything else you would like potential registrants to know?
Fourcade: Get ready to immerse yourself in our extensive library and learn to navigate it finding the IPC standards applicable to each one of your electronics manufacturing processes.
Click here to register for the course.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
The Power of Apprenticeship: Connecting Talent, Training, and Opportunity
03/10/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The lack of a skilled workforce looms large over the electronics manufacturing industry, but the Global Electronics Association is building a powerful solution through an apprenticeship program that has evolved into a nationally recognized, well-funded workforce engine. Cory Blaylock and Vicki Hawkins are cutting through red tape with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to access millions of dollars in funding, and their collaboration with industry companies, creative problem solving, and commitment to success is helping address this great challenge and shape the next-gen electronics workforce.
East Asia at APEX EXPO 2026: Focusing on Cross-regional Exchange and Industry Connectivity
03/03/2026 | Sydney Xiao, Global Electronics Association East AsiaAt APEX EXPO 2026, the Global Electronics Association East Asia team will promote engagement with global experts, industry partners, and member companies by participating in technical committee meetings and industry forums, and by organizing networking dinners and exhibitor visits. More than 40 companies from East Asia are expected to exhibit at this year’s show, representing Mainland China, Taiwan Region, Japan, and Korea.
Keysight and Ericsson Collaborate to Enable Pre-6G Interoperability Validation
02/26/2026 | BUSINESS WIREKeysight Technologies, Inc. and Ericsson have collaborated to troubleshoot and validate interoperability between an Ericsson pre-6G base station (gNB) and prototype pre-6G devices, using Keysight’s WaveJudge Wireless Analyzer Solutions.
Technology Pavilion Debuts at APEX EXPO 2026
02/26/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationMany of the technologies shaping the future of electronics manufacturing, particularly in areas such as 3D integration, digital manufacturing, advanced design workflows and automated metrology, are moving faster than traditional publication and standards cycles. The APEX EXPO 2026 Technology Pavilion will bring technology innovators such as these to the forefront, through a dedicated space where emerging tools, approaches, and early-stage breakthroughs can be shared with attendees.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why You Can’t Afford to Miss APEX EXPO 2026
02/26/2026 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonAPEX EXPO is one of those rare events where the whole industry comes together in one place: design, fabrication, assembly, materials, reliability, equipment, and standards. It’s where some of the most respected voices in the industry take the stage: researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders who are shaping what comes next. Between the technical sessions and keynote presentations, attendees are gaining insight directly from the people driving innovation and setting direction across the electronics ecosystem.