Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1509873
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 Marc L'Hoste: IPC class 3 stands out for high- reliability printed circuit boards, but it also depends upon the type of industry and the type of customer. When we look at our own cus- tomers, about 20% of them are in the automo- tive industry, which has always been very com- plex to navigate. Automotive suppliers have very high standards to follow, such as the IATF ISO certification. For example, the quality lev- els are usually measured in parts per million (PPM) of manufactured parts. Over the past 15 years, we've been able to deliver fewer than 40 PPM for the automotive industry, which means less than 40 defective PCBs per mil- lion—significantly better than we see in stan- At PCB West, Andy Shaughnessy and Kelly Dack spoke with Marc L'Hoste, VP of West and South Americas for ICAPE Group, a com- pany that supplies and manufactures high-tech PCBs at locations around the world. We asked Marc to share some advice regard- ing high-reliability fab. In this conversation, Marc is clear that planning, pre-work, and inspection are the key ingredients to high-reli- ability success. Kelly Dack: Marc, you fabricate quite a few high-reliability PCBs. How do you define high reliability and what is your perspective on what high reliability means in our industry? Planning, DFM, and Inspection: Key to High-reliability Fab Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team