BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, March 8, 2016 — IPC’s Hand Soldering Competition at SMT Hybrid Packaging 2016 will see skilled competitors go soldering iron to soldering iron, April 26-28, as they compete for cash prizes and a coveted spot at the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship at IPC APEX EXPO® in San Diego in 2017.        

Hand soldering of high density printed boards demands highly skilled operators to ensure a zero-defect soldering process, and this contest — IPC’s annual competition at  SMT Hybrid Packaging — will recognize the best skills in hand soldering complex printed board assemblies. Over three days, participants will compete against each other to build a functional electronics assembly within a 60-minute time limit. Assemblies will be judged on soldering in accordance with IPC-A-610F Class 3 criteria, the speed at which the assembly was produced and overall electrical functionality of the assembly. IPC-A-610 Master Instructors will serve as judges.

The IPC Hand Soldering Competition winner and two runners-up will each earn cash prizes: 1st place — €300; 2nd place — €200; 3rd place — €100. In addition, the first place winner will earn a chance to compete against the best hand soldering technicians from around the world at the IPC World Championship at IPC APEX EXPO® in San Diego, in March 2017.

For more information, prospective competitors can contact Email Contact, IPC European Representative or visit www.ipc.org/hsc-smt-2016. On-site registration is possible if there is space available.

IPC thanks hand soldering Gold Sponsors: JBC Tools, Kurtz Ersa, and Weller; Silver Sponsors: Almit GmbH, Balver Zinn GmbH, and Elmatica; Bronze Sponsor: Optilia, and PIEK; Contest Contributors: IFTEC Institut, and Microsolder Ltd., for their support of the IPC hand soldering competition.

About IPC

IPC ( www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,600 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.