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52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 thickness does matter in terms of long-term reliability. • IPC-6012 specification requires a minimum of 0.8 mils of plating in holes for Class 3 products. On thicker PCBs, this plating thickness may produce occasional problems with plated through-hole reliability. • If the thickness is insufficient (especially in the center of the barrel of the through- hole), long term reliability with respect to lead-free assembly and harsh use environment (HUE) is compromised. An example of lower copper thickness is shown in Figure 2. e depiction in Figure 2 is somewhat com- mon, particularly as boards become thicker and via diameters become smaller. However, that is no reason to throw up one's hands and accept such a condition. ere are ways to mitigate this issue and improve the throwing power even in complex high aspect ratio board designs. Ensuring sufficient copper plating thickness is critical to meet and exceed long- term reliability requirements. More on this subject in my next column. PCB007 Michael Carano is VP of technology and business development for RBP Chemical Technology. To read past columns or contact Carano, click here. Figure 2: Poor throwing power results in lower copper thickness in the center of the via as compared to the surface. By Tracy Riggan IPC SENIOR DIRECTOR, SOLUTIONS A significant number of automotive activities made notable strides at this year's IPC APEX EXPO. Several committees dedicated to creating and updating automotive addenda for existing IPC stan- dards, like assembly processes, PCB fabrication, and high-voltage cable, met and were led by com- panies like Toyota, Bosch, Continental, and Elmatica. Automotive dedicated groups, like the Cold Joining/ Press-fit Task Group, also met and discussed inclu- sions in its next planned revision. As part of the IPC- 6012 Automotive Addendum Task Group meeting, the group brainstormed high voltage considerations in the next revision or as separate standards, build- ing on discussions that took place during task group meetings in conjunction with productronica 2021. Additionally, automotive was a component of educational programming, with several courses and technical papers presented throughout the week. The Press-fit Technology Deep Dive course outlined key design processes and how to use the standard for process, quality, and design/development engineers for manufacturers and OEMs who use electronic com- ponents. Vern Solberg, Solberg Technical Consulting, conducted a course on PCB design which addressed flexible and rigid-flex applications and design princi- ples for automotive use environments. To learn more about or become involved in IPC automotive initiatives, contact: TracyRiggan@ipc.org. Automotive Initiatives at IPC APEX EXPO 2022