IPC Commends US EPA Proposal to Reduce Reporting Burden on Byproducts Sent for Recycling; Seeks Clarifications in Final TSCA CDR Rule

The electronics industry supports many of the U.S. EPA’s proposed changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) requirements and will continue to work with the agency to protect human health and the environment while streamlining reporting requirements.  

In comments filed at the agency, IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries says the proposed TSCA CDR rule offers regulatory relief for printed circuit board fabricators whose manufacturing byproducts are subsequently recycled offsite, a longtime goal of the association. Given IPC’s longstanding record of engaging with the EPA on CDR, “we would have liked to see the scope of our concerns better addressed,” IPC says. “However, the prospect of improvements to CDR … provides an outline for future relief that can address the scope of our concerns.”

For example, IPC supports efforts to better align reporting requirements under both TSCA and the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. IPC also supports the proposed use of NAICS codes to enable industry-specific analyses that will improve uniformity and comparability.

IPC also is requesting clarification from the EPA about how the data are used, given that the byproducts, all of which are directed to recycling at facilities within the U.S., are typically managed in pipes, tanks, and containers with little or no chance of exposure to workers or the general public; and that none of the chemicals in the byproducts are listed on the EPA’s 2014 update to the TSCA Work Plan for Chemical Assessments.

“We appreciate EPA’s decision to address the electronics industry’s concerns in the proposed CDR rule, as well as the agency’s willingness to continue a dialogue with us to better align the reporting burden with other EPA programs and with the minimal environmental and human health risks resulting from our members’ activities,” said Kelly Scanlon, IPC director of EHS policy and research.

Volunteers Honored for Contributions to IPC and the Electronics Industry

Committee Awards presented at IPC SummerCom

IPC presented Committee Leadership, Special Recognition and Distinguished Committee Service Awards on Monday, June 17 at IPC’s SummerCom Standards Development Committee Meetings in Raleigh, N.C. The awards were presented to individuals who made significant contributions to IPC and the industry by lending their time and expertise in the development of electronics manufacturing standards.

For their leadership of the IPC-TR-587, Conformal Coating Material and Application “State of the Industry” Assessment Report, Dave Hillman, Collins Aerospace; Jason Keeping, Celestica; Doug Pauls, Collins Aerospace; and Linda Woody, LWC Consulting, earned a Committee Leadership Award. For his contributions to IPC-TR-587, a Special Recognition Award was given to Ross Wilcoxon, Collins Aerospace. A Distinguished Committee Service Award was presented to Jim Blanche, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Ben Gumpert, Lockheed Martin Missile & Fire Control; Eric Harenburg, Boeing Company; Gary Latta, SAIC; Stephen Meschler, BAE Systems; Paul Zutter, U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command; and Dave Pinsky, Raytheon Company, for their contributions to IPC-TR-587. Eddie Hofer, Collins Aerospace, accepted a Distinguished Committee Service Award on the behalf of Collins Aerospace Engineering Co-op Students who were instrumental in helping complete the report.

For their leadership of the 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee that developed IPC-2591, Connected factory Exchange (CFX), Marc Peo, Heller Industries Inc.; Jason Spera, Aegis Software; and Matt Kelly, IBM Corporation, earned a Committee Leadership Award. For their contributions to IPC-2591, Michael Ford, Aegis Software; Michael Kimpton, Fuji America Corporation; Anh Ngyuen, Creative Electron, Inc.; John Walls, Aegis Software; and Alexis Fouquet, Europlacer, earned a Special Recognition Award. A Distinguished Committee Service Award was presented to Marybeth Allen, KIC; Dan Bailey, Mentor Graphics (Ireland) Ltd; Tom Blaszczyk, Celestica International L.P.; Ranjan Chatterjee, Cimetrix Inc.; Michael Collier, Teledyne Leeman Labs; Michelle Gray, Aegis Software; JeongUk Jo, Hanwha Precision Machinery; Terry Liu, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Thomas Marktscheffel, ASM (Assembly Systems) GmbH & Co. KG; Mark Ogden, ASM Assembly Systems; Matt Orlowski, TE Connectivity; Hoon Park, Parmi USA, Inc.; John Pendlebury, Keysight Technologies; John Perotta, Europlacer North America; Cameron Shearon, Shearon-Consulting; Peter Wang, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Johnny Zhu, Vayo (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd.; Ian Barnes, TE Connectivity; Mark Bartholomew, Europlacer Ltd.; Tom Bergeron, KIC; Bill Cardoso, Creative Electron, Inc.; Gary Carter, ThingWeaver Solutions, LLC; Marie Cole, IBM Corporation; Rob DiMatteo, BTU International; David Fenton, Europlacer Ltd.; Brent Fischthal, Koh Young Technology; Nicholas Francheteau, Europlacer; Eric Huang, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Yusaku Kono, Japan Unix Co., Ltd.; Positive Lee, Hanwha Precision Machinery; Chee Young (Gary), ViTrox Technologies Sdn. Bhd.; Michael Lo, Foxconn; Kristen Mattson, BTU International; Markus Moeller, Viscom AG; Miles Moreau, KIC; Hoa Nguyen, OK International; Petko Petkov, Tempo Automation; Tony Picciola, Fuji America Corporation; Florian Ritter, ASYS Group; Carsten Salewski, Viscom Inc.; Neaven Seo, Keysight Technologies; Simon Smith, Pillarhouse International, Ltd.; Bill Thomas, FlexLink Systems, Inc.; Dror Trifon, Heller Industries Inc.; Marco van Oosterhout, Kulicke & Soffa Netherlands B.V.; Christopher Wimmer, Microscan Systems Inc.; and Roberto Yerba, Test Research Inc., for their contributions to IPC-2591.

Leaders of the Committee 2-19b, Trusted Supplier Task Group that developed IPC-1791-Am1, Trusted Electronic Designer, Fabricator and Assembler Requirements, William May, NSWC Crane and Richard Snogren, Bristlecone LLC, received a Committee Leadership Award. For their extraordinary contributions to IPC-1791-Am1, Peter Bigelow, IMI Inc.; Scott Bowles, L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Cincinnati; Don DuPriest, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Dennis Fritz, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Douglas Jeffery, Electrotek Corp.; Mark Kirkman, SAIC; Meredith LaBeau, Calumet Electronics Corp.; Thi Nguyen, Lockheed Martin Missile & Fire Control; Stephanie Richards, Labinal Salisbury; Marc Carter, SAIC; Chad Eckard, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Aman Gahoonia, Defense Microelectronics Activity; Suriyakan Kleitz, Schlumberger Well Services; Kevin Kusiak, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company; Catherine Ortiz, Analytic Services Inc; Ethan Plotkin, GDCA, Inc.; David Reichert, DuPont; Douglas Schueller, AbelConn, LLC; Roger Smith, NSWC Crane; John Timler, SAIC; Stephen Tisdale, Tisdale Environmental Consulting LLC; and Steve Vetter, NSWC Crane, received a Distinguished Committee Service Award.

For their leadership of the 2-18K, Materials and Substances Declaration for the Aerospace, Defense, HE and Other Industries Task Group that developed IPC-1754 WAM 1, Materials and Substances Declaration for Aerospace and Defense and Other Industries, Walter Jager, ECD Compliance and Rick Shanks, Pratt & Whitney, earned a Committee Leadership Award.

For more information on these awards or the award recipients, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at +1 847-597-2871.

Help Build the Industry’s Future: Become an IPC Emerging Engineer or Mentor

IPC now accepting applications for 2023 program

IPC’s Emerging Engineer program provides professionals early in their careers an opportunity to learn from industry mentors about IPC Standards development, and to obtain education and training for professional development. IPC is now actively seeking applications for engineers and mentors for the 2023 Emerging Engineer program.

To be eligible to participate as an Emerging Engineer, professionals must have worked in the industry for less than 5 years or be a university student. Mentors must have worked in the industry for a minimum of 7 years and on an IPC committee for at least five years.

Emerging Engineers Receive:

  • Education and mentoring for professional development
  • Recognition for the program participant and his/her company – industry awareness
  • Complimentary All-Access Package registration to IPC APEX EXPO, for three years (attendance required)
  • Complimentary registration to IPC SummerCom featuring Panelpalooza (attendance not required)
  • Limited number of University Student Emerging Engineers are eligible to receive reimbursement for travel, room, and incidentals.

Mentors Receive:

  • Experiences and connections for career enrichment
  • Opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills and technical expertise
  • Recognition for program participant and his/her company – industry awareness
  • Registration to recognition luncheons

“The IPC Emerging Engineer program gives new engineers a leg up early in their careers,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “And it enables industry experts a chance to share their knowledge and expertise with the next generation of engineers. We’re all working together to make our industry stronger.”

IPC is now accepting applications for the 2023 Emerging Engineer program and a limited number of university student positions are available. For more information, visit IPC Emerging Engineers - Plan for the Future | IPC International, Inc. To submit an application, send an e-mail to careerdevelopment@ipc.org. Deadline for applications is November 15, 2023.

U.S. House Approves Measure to Promote R&D on Lead-Free Electronics in Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, Medical Sectors

IPC, the global trade association for the electronics industry, is applauding the U.S. House of Representatives for approving a measure that would promote research and development into the performance of lead-free electronics in high-reliability sectors such as aerospace, defense, automotive, and medical equipment. 

The House this week voted 327-101 to approve an amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 2740), offered by Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), to “increase and decrease the defense-wide Research, Development, Test and Evaluation account by $5 million in order to support funding to develop lead-free defense electronics to ensure the defense industry can integrate cutting-edge civilian technology to meet military requirements.” The “increase-decrease” language is how Congress asks government agencies to find funds for specific requests within existing budget limits.

IPC is leading the advocacy effort to secure these funds because the aerospace, defense, and high performance (ADHP) electronics sectors remain reliant on lead-based solders and components even as the commercial sector has largely phased out the use of lead (Pb) due to human health and environmental concerns. ADHP products have more demanding performance requirements than consumer electronics because they need to perform flawlessly in harsh environments and in safety-related applications. However, to date, there has not been enough R&D on the performance and interoperability of Pb-free products in the ADHP sectors, which would be necessary to inform such a transition. DoD budget cuts within the last decade blocked a “Lead-Free Manhattan Project” from being completed, although some companies and universities continued to work on portions of the overall effort.  

IPC praised Reps. Kuster and Schneider for their leadership, as well as Reps. Pete Visclosky (D-IN), chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Ken Calvert (R-CA), ranking minority member of the subcommittee, for facilitating the amendment’s passage.

“The Department of Defense’s reliance on lead-based electronics presents serious challenges for the Armed Forces’ ability to continue to integrate cutting-edge civilian technology into the systems that help keep Americans safe,” said Rep. Kuster. “I’m proud the House adopted my amendment, which will help the DoD partner with civilian groups to develop lead-free electronics that will help our Armed Forces accomplish their important missions.”

“Without research and investment, our defense industrial base will continue to face challenges incorporating newly developed technologies, which ultimately will adversely affect our military readiness,” said Rep. Schneider.

“Leaded electronics are vital to the reliability of aerospace, defense, and other high-performance sectors,” said IPC President and CEO John Mitchell. “However, the migration of the commercial industry to lead-free electronics has introduced technical and supply-chain concerns that can only be addressed through new R&D. The R&D that the House backed this week will ensure that DoD strengthens its access to cutting-edge electronics.”

IPC and a consortium from industry and academia are also working with leaders in the U.S. Senate to secure as much as $15 million for the R&D program in 2020, with legislative action expected there in July.

For more information, see this IPC Blog article or visit the website of the Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) Council, which is housed at IPC.

IPC APEX EXPO Named in Trade Show News Network’s Top 25 List of Fastest-growing Shows in Attendance

IPC announces that IPC APEX EXPO®  has been recognized by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as one of the top 25 fastest-growing trade shows in attendance in the United States. In addition to IPC APEX EXPO, the additional winners were recognized for their overall attendance growth from 2016 to 2018 and include a diverse mix of industries, including amusement parks, baseball and boatbuilders.

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), there are approximately 13,000 tradeshows held annually in the United States each year. “For the nineteenth consecutive year, IPC APEX EXPO has been recognized by TSNN as a top U.S. Tradeshow. In the past several years, IPC APEX EXPO has seen both attendance growth and overall net-square footage growth,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director of trade shows and events. “Being ranked a top trade show out of 13,000 is a tremendous accomplishment for IPC APEX EXPO and for IPC,” she added. 

IPC APEX EXPO 2019 drew 5,292 attendees from 56 countries. The 440 exhibitors welcomed a busy three days of business development and qualified sales leads on 150,400 net square feet of show floor space. IPC APEX EXPO attracted 9,796 total visitors including attendees and exhibitor personnel.

IPC APEX EXPO 2020 will take place February 1–6, 2020, at the San Diego Convention Center. Companies interested in exhibiting should visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org or contact Balonek at +1 847-597-2898 or AliciaBalonek@ipc.org. More information on TSNN is available at www.TSNN.com.

IEC Electronics Corp. Has Recertified for IPC Qualified Manufacturers Listing

IPC's Validation Services Program is proud to announce the recertification of two IEC Electronics Corporation facilities, located in Newark, New York and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both facilities are certified to IPC-J-STD-001, IPC-A-610 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) at the Class 3 level.

“We are pleased to be certified and part of the IPC Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) for Validation Services,” said Mark Northrup, IEC’s vice president of Advanced Technical Operations & Strategy. “We know that IPC is a globally recognized trusted source for standards and training programs within the electronics manufacturing industry. We believe the QML certification process helps to bring those elements together and illustrate our commitment to quality with respect to the life-saving and mission critical products we manufacture. We are also honored to provide support for the upcoming DoD Executive Agent Defense Electronics Supplier Roundtable via the DoD Trusted Electronics Supplier Program as we continuously strive to minimize supply chain risk for our customers.”

IPC's Validations Services QPL/QML Program was developed to promote supply chain verification. It also provides auditing and certification of electronics companies' products, and identifies processes which conform to IPC standards.

"Different from other audit programs, IPC's Validation Services Programs uniquely provides technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes in accordance with IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to recognize both IEC Electronics Corporation Newark, New York and IEC Corporation Albuquerque, New Mexico for recertifying and continuing to be members of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers."

For more information about IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML Program, visit www.ipcvalidation.org or contact Randy Cherry at RandyCherry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2806.   

Show Floor Sells Out for IPC APEX EXPO 2018

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today that all 149,700 sq. ft. of exhibit floor space has sold out for IPC APEX EXPO® 2018, making it the largest IPC APEX EXPO in the last decade. The premier technical conference and exhibition will take place February 27–March 1, 2018, at the San Diego Convention Center.

To visitors, the sold-out status means that the show floor will be busy and informative, with 479 exhibitors introducing new product technologies, innovations and demonstrations of the industry's newest advancements, many of which will also be highlighted in the dedicated New Products Corridor on the show floor. Top-rated suppliers in every major electronics industry category will present best-in-class equipment, materials, processes and services to help attendees gain greater efficiency while improving their bottom lines.

"One of the top objectives for attendees is to see new products on the show floor. IPC APEX EXPO has been recognized as the 'best show to do business,' and provides ample opportunities to network with existing customers, meet new customers, grow business and increase revenue," said Alicia Balonek, senior director of trade shows and events. “For many attendees, IPC APEX EXPO provides them the unique opportunity to see the largest gathering of the electronics industry's top suppliers all under one roof,” Balonek added.  

Exhibit hours are Tuesday, February 27 from 10 am–6 pm, Wednesday, February 28 from 9 am–6 pm and Thursday, March 1 from 9 am–2 pm. To view a complete list of companies exhibiting at IPC APEX EXPO, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/exhibitors.

For more information about the show or to register, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org. Exhibits-Only registration is free to individuals who pre-register online ($35 on-site). To maximize event experience, individuals can take advantage of the All-Access Package which includes the technical conference; professional development courses; standards development meetings, IPC luncheons and more.

Best Technical Paper at IPC APEX EXPO 2018 Selected

The best technical conference paper of IPC APEX EXPO® 2018 has been selected. Voted on through a ballot process by members of the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Program Committee, the paper authors will receive their awards during the opening keynote session on Tuesday, February 27.

Taking top honors, the winning paper is, “Equivalent Capacitance Approach to Obtain Effective Roughness Dielectric Parameters for Copper Foils” by Marina Y. Koledintseva, Oracle. Her co-author was: Tracey Vincent, CST of America. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 16 (PCB Signal Integrity/ High Speed/ High Frequency) on Wednesday, February 28.

This year, two papers were selected in the honorable mention category. Honorable mention went to, “Derivation of Equation on Thermal Life Prediction of Plated Through Hole for Printed Wiring Board” by Yoshiyuki Hiroshima, Fujitsu Advanced Technologies Limited. His co-authors were: Shunichi Kikuchi and Akiko Matsui, Fujitsu Advanced Technologies Limited; Yoshiharu Kariya and Kazuki Watanabe, Shibaura Institute of Technology; Hiroshi Shimizu, Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.; and Jack Tan, HDP User Group International, Inc. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 12 (PCB Reliability) on Wednesday, February 28.

Honorable mention also goes to “Bottom Heating during Manual Rework” by Lars Bruno, Ericsson AB. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 20 (Rework) on Wednesday, February 28.

The papers were evaluated on their technical content, originality, test procedures and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry.

To register for the IPC APEX EXPO technical conference or for more information on all the activities taking place including standards development committee meetings, professional development courses, the exhibition and more, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

IPC APEX EXPO 2018

More than 20 companies to participate in IPC CFX Showcase

When the IPC APEX EXPO show floor opens on Tuesday, February 27, more than 20 equipment vendors, software providers and customers from across the electronics industry will participate in an IPC Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) Showcase. The IPC CFX Showcase -- a technological demonstration operating in real time -- will deliver standardized machine data from participating exhibitors through the cloud and onto visitors’ mobile phones.

“When visitors enter the show floor or a participating exhibitor’s booth, they will scan a QR code using their phone, which will bring up a mobile device website driven by the CFX cloud server,” said Dave Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and training.

“Visitors can then observe real-time analytical reports, such as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), unit counts and more as well as the live data stream showing actual machine activity. This is a first-of-its-kind demonstration and with no software to install, this illustrates the true nature of IoT, with IPC CFX as a one hundred percent open industry standard,” Bergman added. “We’re essentially turning the IPC APEX EXPO show floor into a factory floor!”

“The critical roadblock that has been keeping industry from accessing Industry 4.0 benefits has been the issue of reliable and meaningful data across disparate machines and devices,” said Jason Spera, co-chair of the 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee that is developing the IPC CFX standard, and CEO of Aegis Software. “IPC CFX is open, totally comprehensive in scope and native to the machines,” he added.

In addition to the IPC CFX Showcase, members of the 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee will review the current building blocks of the standard and will address new developments in how the standard enables complete digital modeling from design through manufacture with feedback paths of information from manufacturing back to design. On Wednesday, February 28, IPC will host an Industry 4.0 Buzz Session. The Buzz Session will feature short presentations, a panel discussion and opportunities for attendees to ask questions.

For more information on the IPC CFX Showcase or Buzz Session on Industry 4.0, visit www.ipcapexexpo.org and for more information on the CFX standard, visit, www.ipc.org/Connected-Factory-Initiative

IPC/WHMA to Sponsor M-EXPO Show

Established partnership of joint effort to strengthen the wire harness manufacturing industry

IPC and the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association® (WHMA) have joined M-EXPO to offer more value to their supplier and manufacturing members as well as offering cutting edge educational access to the Northern Mexico Maquiladora Wire Processing Industry.

The partnership brings together IPC/WHMA international manufacturing industry leadership in cutting edge education, training, and certification on relevant industry topics and M-EXPO's access to an exclusive show for the wire and cable industries in Northern México. It will also provide attendees to M-EXPO the opportunity to take part in free IPC seminars related to IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards and Workmanship and Repair.

"I am pleased to announce that we are moving forward with IPC/WHMA to make the upcoming M-EXPO 2019 an IPC/WHMA sponsored event. What this means is that we will work to make this the flagship "Wire Harness Expo" for México right here in our border region. Said Gustavo Farell, President of M-EXPO show. M-EXPO show will take place in Cd. Juárez, Chih. México on October 9-11, 2019 at the Cuatro Siglos Convention Center.

M-EXPO is the only Wire Processing Technology show in El Paso/Cd. Juárez region despite being an area with high concentration of manufacturing activity. In Cd. Juárez alone, there are over 300,000 manufacturing jobs and more than 300 maquiladoras and over 25% of these companies are in the Wire Harness or related industry. El Paso/Juárez and the State of Chihuahua region is comprised of the largest wire processing technology centers in the world! Sometimes called the "Wiring Harness Capital of the World."

 

About M-EXPO
This is M-EXPO 3rd year (co-located with the 9th Annual EXPO-MRO). It was initiated as a response to the interest of exhibitors who participated in previous EXPO-MRO shows. M-EXPO's goal is to introduce large CMs and OEMs with suppliers of latest wire processing technology, equipment, tools, materials for the Aerospace, Agriculture, Appliances, Automotive, Marine, Medical, and Military markets. For more information, visit M-EXPO at www.mexpowire.com.

About IPC
IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,400 member-company sites 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.; Atlanta, Ga.; Brussels, Belgium; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China. www.ipc.org

About WHMA
The Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association® (WHMA) was established in 1993 to serve and dedicate their resources to the global cable and wire harness industry. WHMA is the ONLY trade association exclusively representing the cable and wire harness manufacturing industry including manufacturers, their suppliers and customers. www.whma.org