4 Ways To Become A Certified IPC Specialist (CIS)

A  Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) program is a basic certification level suitable for anyone who wants to have a consistent understanding of an IPC standard’s criteria.  This could apply to production staff such as line operators, electronic engineers, quality engineers, and technicians.  

This IPC course is beneficial to those who want to expand their knowledge of the electronics manufacturing industry.  Employers who wish their assembly staff to maintain a consistent standard can also benefit from this course.  An online IPC training and certification course ensure that certificate holders understand the criteria within IPC standards and can execute these standards as common practice in their respective organizations.

The CIS program is the perfect solution if you’re an EMS company seeking to train and certify your junior-level workers.  Students have the choice of being certified in four different standards. 

This article will discuss those four different paths to a CIS certification.

IPC-A-610

The IPC-A-610 standard (The Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies) is the most popular and widely used inspection manual for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing and consumer electronics assembly.  Students who want to become CIS in this standard will learn from visual representations of soldered connections’ reject or accept criteria.  

Upon completing this course, students will be able to point out the minimum acceptable conditions for each solder joint involving every component available in the market.  In addition, the IPC-A-610 coursework also covers component issues, hardware consideration, and high voltage issues.

Certified experts in this standard will not only add value to EMS or OEM companies they work for but also to the current and potential customers who rely on their manufacturing partners to meet specific requirements.

IPC/WHMA-A-620

Many cable and wire harness manufacturers worldwide uphold the A-620 standard (Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies).  This is to ensure that their workers follow the best practices and regulatory requirements in all facets of building a wire harness which includes stripping, cutting testing, and quality assurance for spotting flaws with the assemblies.

This IPC course covers acceptable and non-acceptable criteria for all three classes for cable and wire assemblies.  With the help of full-color illustrations in the A-620 document, students will learn the best practices for wire preparation, crimping, ultrasonic welding, and splicing, among many other valuable skills.

J-STD-001

The J-STD-001 standard (Requirements for Soldered Electrical & Electronic Assemblies) is one of the essential IPC certifications a manufacturer needs to enforce in their production because it requires skills for maintaining the quality and reliability of soldered electronic assemblies.

This standard is often used as the benchmark for quality and expertise in the electronics manufacturing industry.  Students will experience building electronic assemblies based on accept and reject criteria of the standard.  

Upon completion of the course, students will have mastered the methods, materials, and verification criteria required for creating and inspecting high-quality soldered connections.

IPC-7711/7721

This standard, also called “Rework, Modification, and Repair of Electronic Assemblies,” focuses on the industry-approved techniques for removing and replacing components (SMT and Through Hole) on a circuit board.  

The IPC 7711 standard is about restoring PCBs to their original design, while the IPC 7721 covers restoring a board’s functional capability.  Both work hand in hand in the production area. Techniques learned in this course will help assembly line staff deal with many common PCB assembly defects, which adds tremendous value to their respective organizations.

Conclusion

Once a student completes a CIS program in any of these standards, they can either take additional courses in other standards or move on to become a certified trainer in their standard.  Certified IPC Trainers (CIT) will be able to teach CIS courses to other employees in their respective organizations with their own facilities.

If you’re interested in investing in an online IPC training and certification course for your employees, don’t hesitate to reach out to Blackfox, a leading provider of IPC certification and custom training systems to the manufacturing industry’s top companies.