IPC Standards Commonly Used in PCB Circuit Design

What is IPC standard

IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industry Association is a global trade association that sets certain standards for the manufacture of PCB and other types of electronic components. In addition to manufacturing, it also provides standards for assembly, electronic equipment protection, training, market research and public policy advocacy.

The members of IPC are all over the world, with more than 4500 companies. These members come from all aspects of the electronic industry, such as designers, circuit board manufacturers, suppliers, assembly companies and equipment manufacturers.

History behind IPC

IPC is a member driven organization, which was established by 6 printed circuit board manufacturers in 1957 in the name of "Printed Circuit Board Research Institute". The organization was established to remove supply chain barriers, establish industry standards and support industry development.

Later, the organization was renamed the Institute of Interconnection and Packaging Electronic Circuits. Since 1999, they have adopted IPC under the slogan of "Association of Connected Electronics Industries". However, the complete form of IPC represents the Institute of Printed Circuits. IPC is headquartered in Bannockburn ll and has offices in the United States, China, India, Sweden, Russia and other major countries/regions.

Why are IPC standards important?

IPC standards ensure that manufacturers manufacture safe, reliable and high-performance PCB boards by focusing on manufacturing details and committed to maintaining quality throughout the manufacturing process.

These standards can help different companies maintain the same parameters in PCB quality assurance and reliability, so that they can meet customer expectations and improve production processes in many different ways.

IPC standards support PCB manufacturers in many ways.

Maintain the quality and reliability of the final product: IPC standards will help manufacturers manufacture products with higher quality and reliability. When the manufacturer maintains the standard from the first step of the manufacturing process, the final product will have better performance and longer service life. The quality and reliability of products should be maintained to compete in the electronics industry, so manufacturers should always maintain these two factors.

Consistency: Maintaining the consistency of quality and other parameters is the most difficult task for manufacturers. By maintaining IPC certification, PCB manufacturers can maintain their consistency and ultimately improve customer satisfaction.

Better communication: IPC standards ensure that the same language is used internally and externally to define terms related to the life cycle of electronic devices, which also reduces the risk of communication errors. With the help of IPC standards, customers, suppliers, suppliers, regulators and other personnel involved in the process can better communicate with each other.

Maintain reputation: IPC is an internationally recognized standard, so everyone in the electronics industry knows it. If you hire a new employee who knows nothing about your company, and you follow IPC standards in the industry, he/she can undoubtedly follow your reputation without difficulty. Therefore, this process will improve the quality of your products and improve your reputation, so that you will be able to attract more customers to buy your products.

Cost reduction: When you follow the IPC standard in each step of the manufacturing process, the final product will have better quality and be reliable in use. Therefore, it is not necessary to check the quality of each product. It is manufactured, which will reduce the test cost. Because everyone in the process uses the same terminology to communicate, the possibility of delay and rework caused by poor communication is reduced, and the company pays a price for delay and rework.

PCB circuit design needs to follow IPC standards. I have introduced the importance of IPC in what IPC standards are. Here are some commonly used IPC standards.

IPC-2581: It is a standard for sending information between PCB circuit designers and manufacturers or assembly companies. It helps to provide a standardized format for exchanging design data, thereby helping to ensure consistent production results.

IPC-2221: This is a standard for PCB design, which addresses topics related to PCB circuit design, such as design, layout, materials, mechanical and physical properties, electrical properties, thermal limits, parts lists, and more.

IPC-6012B: It determines the qualification and performance required for hard PCB manufacturing. It meets the requirements of products in terms of structural integrity, weldability and conductor spacing.

IPC-A-600F: it sets acceptable standards for PCBs, describes what the target conditions for PCBs are, and what the acceptable and unqualified conditions for all components of PCBs are. It describes everything from gold fingers to copper plating.

IPC-TM-650: IPC issued PCB test methods under IPC-TM-650, which provides guidance for evaluating all aspects of PCB. It provides a test method for testing the surface electromagnetic migration tendency of the board, measuring the resistance to the current passing through the PCB substrate surface, and a method for testing the ion cleanliness.

In addition to these standards, there are more standards for every aspect of PCB circuit design, even the smallest aspect you can't imagine. All these positions are committed to providing reliable and better electronic products.