Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1509257
62 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 by designers of any level of experience, which is good for folks who are new to the industry. I believe that even if you never pick up a soldering iron in your life—which you should, by the way—it is important to understand how components are joined to boards, how those joints are assessed for acceptance, and so on. Having a copy of IPC-J-STD-001, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, and the like is a good idea to have around the office. Beyond that, building an understanding of design needs to start before standards come into the picture. In my opin- ion, even a cursory understanding of the mate- rials science and physics of electronics can help a new design engineer form an intuitive grasp on what they're working with. IPC's PCB Design Fundamentals courses provide a great primer in the physics of electronics, and there's a wealth of knowledge freely available on YouTube that can help designers bolster their background knowledge on electronics. I know you're working with committees to update some of the older standards. How does the updating process work? We call this process "reaffirmation," and it is essentially working with volunteer subject matter experts (SMEs) to determine whether an old document (i.e., a document published more than five years ago that has not been revised or amended since) is still valid for new products. In this case, "valid" means that every requirement and/or recommendation therein is still sound for contemporary design, fabrica- tion, assembly, etc. For any document being reaffirmed, we first convene a meeting of either the originat- ing group (i.e., the committee, subcommit- tee, or task group that first developed the document, revision, etc.) or an ad-hoc reaffirmation group (in cases where the originat- ing group no longer exists) and fill them with as many relevant SMEs as possi- ble. en, they are given a period to review the doc- ument. From there, it's a ballot vote on whether the document should be reaffirmed or retired. If a document is reaf- firmed, it will be given a new title page indicating as such and remain available in our store. It can also be revised or amended if the committee so desires. If it is retired, we will remove it from the store, but will still make it for sale upon request. Critically—and this is a concern I hear voiced frequently—a retired document is not obsolete. It is perfectly valid for old products that originally cite it as a requirement. We occasionally hear from designers who brag about not following IPC standards. What would you tell them to change their mind? is is akin to bragging about using the wrong gauge nail to frame a house. ere's a reason why building associations (read: manufac- turers) require contractors (read: suppliers, design houses, etc.) to build to code (read: standards). Great, you saved some money by skimping on nails, and the house should stand for a while. But when the hurricane comes, or the ground settles, or the everyday dynamic loads push those under-gauged nails beyond their sheer limits and the whole thing comes crashing down, was it worth it to save a bit of cash in the first place? I don't think so. Analogies aside, there are plenty of reasons why standards exist. ey are a wonderful example of collective wisdom learned from iterations of scientific rigor, advancement,