Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1202019
26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 IPC's Randy Cherry previews what to expect from IPC APEX EXPO 2020, including a full line on display demonstrating CFX/Hermes, further development of the Validation Services program, as well as testimonials from mem- ber companies that have been participating in IPC's new trusted supplier program to the De- partment of Defense (DoD). Nolan Johnson: Randy, you work with IPC's Validation Services programs. Let's start with an overview of those programs. Randy Cherry: IPC Validation Services is com- prised of three programs. We have the certi- fication program based around the qualified manufacturers list (QML) and the qualified products list (QPL) where we certify the com- pany's manufacturing process to the IPC stan- dard. We also do gap analysis with companies that aren't interested in auditing but would like to get a snapshot of how their manufac- turing processes stack up to the IPC standards. The third program is our Technology Solutions program, which is more of a problem-solving, troubleshooting program where we work on very specific issues that the IPC member com- pany would come up with. We're constantly developing new programs as time goes on. One program I'd like to highlight is our new Trusted Supplier program based on the IPC- 1791 standard. This was a project that IPC worked on with the Executive Agent team, including folks from SAIC and the Naval Surface Warfare Cen- ter (NSWC) Crane Division in Crane, Indiana. Together, we developed this program focused on PCB manufacturing, from the designer to the fabricator that makes the raw PCB, and of course, the assembler that assembles the PCB. This program is based around companies who supply to the DoD and their contractors. There are four basic parts of this program. First, you must have a good quality system in place, but we build from the quality systems that the IPC member companies already have like AS9100, Nadcap, and IPC's QML, so noth- ing new has to be done. Second, there's also the supply chain risk management policy; we IPC Validation Services: What to Expect at IPC APEX EXPO 2020 Randy Cherry