PIEK and IPC would be delighted to welcome you at this year’s SMT Hybrid Packaging Fair in Nuremberg. Please visit our stand no. 400 in Hall 4 and find the experts in the electronic interconnect industry there. Exchanging experiences, getting to know each other and entering the hand-soldering competition are the main things to go for.
Invitation to the IPC HSC for Professionals
This competition reveals who is an expert in hand soldering. Only those who can hand solder a high-density integrated circuit in a flawless process stand a chance of winning. When you think you are such a person with champion-like capabilities, please prove what you are able to do in the hand-soldering competition. The competition is held at the IPC / PIEK stand 400 in hall no.4.
Prizes are as follows. The top three solderers all get a cash prize:
- Gold – € 300
- Silver – € 200
- Bronze – € 100
Apart from this, the winner is also invited to the world championship at the IPC APEX EXPO 2019. From 29 until 31 January 2019 the world championship will take place in San Francisco, California. IPC will pay for accommodation and flight. IPC reserves the right to select the participant of the world championship.
Invitation to the IPC HSC for Beginners
A new event this year is the hand-soldering competition for beginners. The competition has now been widened to the non-professional scene to spot talents. All people can participate who want to demonstrate their soldering skills. The rules for this competition are similar to those of the competition for professionals. The point is hand-soldering an integrated circuit at beginner’s level.
Prizes to be earned here are as follows:
- Gold – € 30
- Silver – € 20
- Bronze – € 10
Rules and time scales
Professionals get a maximum of 60 minutes and beginners get a maximum of 30 minutes. The IC has to be fully functioning. The functionality is checked and assessed by IPC Master Trainers in accordance with the IPC-A-610 class 3 standard. The maximum score is 445. The person with the highest score wins.
Hand-soldering competitions have become a tradition over time. The first one was held in Sweden and caused quite a stir. IPC saw an opportunity to embed this in its quality drive and set rules, criteria and standards. This is how the hand-soldering competitions have grown into a global phenomenon. In the course of the years the design of the IC was adjusted, so that it would meet the requirements of a global competition. Furthermore, across-the-board rules were laid down for all competitions everywhere. On top of this, a jury of Master IPC Trainers was established to assess the performance of participants to the IPC-A-610 class 3 standard. Regional competitions take place in various countries aound the world, and the regional winners are invited to the IPC world championship.
PIEK is involved in the hand-soldering competition in two ways. PIEK’s Managing Director Rob Walls is a member of the jury. And in 2016 the winner was one of PIEK’s customers.
Registering for the competition can be done by following this link Hand-soldering competition or direct with larswallin@ipc.org at the IPC.
