Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1058015
34 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2018 Feature by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 IPC APEX EXPO 2019 will include the new IPC World Championship Hand Soldering and Rework Competition on the expo floor on January 29 and 30. IPC's website describes the contest as fol- lows: "Competitors will be presented with a sol- dered assembly that will be partially populated with components. Contestants will be required to remove six specific components, remove the old solder, and clean the area of removed com- ponents. The competitor's time to completion is paused while an IPC master instructor eval- uates the removal results and scores the board according to IPC standards. Once the eval- uation is completed, time to completion will resume, and the competitor will be required to place the remaining components includ- ing new parts in place of the removed compo- nents. The competitors will have a total of 75 minutes to complete the rework and soldering of the circuit board." Twelve competitors from Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand will compete for the crown and the title of the first-ever IPC World Hand Soldering and Rework Champion. The IPC hand soldering competition is a growing competitive program around the globe. Hand soldering has become even more skillful and challenging as parts technologies and dimensions have evolved. As a result, local competitions in Germany, the U.K., France, China (multiple), Vietnam, and Taiwan contin- ue to thrive, speaking to the artistry and tech- nique shown by master solder technicians. Though the hand soldering contest was pre- viously a part of the IPC APEX EXPO program, U.S. participation has been low in recent years. This year's strategy has two parts: bring the hand soldering world championships to IPC APEX EXPO and introduce high school stu- dents to this crucial professional discipline through on-site instruction. Over the two days, five soldering stations will be set up for competitor use. Judges will be certified master trainers for IPC. The fin- ished assembly will be judged based on the current IPC-A-610 standard. During the com- petition, judges will monitor competitors and Who's the Best of the Best in Hand Soldering?