IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 18 SUMMER 2024 tion videos. We've had a long history with IPC; in essence, we all grew up together. Aaron Caplan: When IPC-7711 and IPC-7721 were first developed, Dan Foster worked for PACE and was chairman of the standards task group. Essentially, we were instrumental in develop- ing these two standards. Circuit Technology Center focused on 7721, and we focused on 7711. Many of our techniques were taken directly from some of the manuals that we created for the U.S. Navy for its 2M ( M i n i a t u r e / M i c r o m i n - iature) Electronic Repair Program. In addition to produc- ing IPC training videos, we host training ses- sions. Instructors use our equipment, and they train on IPC-A-610 and IPC-7711/7721. Eric: At one time we had a large team of in-house instructors, and we did contract training for hire; we've done it all around the world, from Scotland to Spain. We even did a class in Jordan. We no longer have instructors on staff as we have a co-op pro- gram with schools that use our techniques, teaching materi- als, and equipment, in addition to providing IPC Certified Train- ing. Tell us about your business model. How did you start working together? Eric: Aaron and I were room- mates in college, and he joined the company in 1979. It was the typical school-of-hard-knocks thing. He has been with us, more or less, for about 40 years now. I'm an attorney and a financial planner by training. I started working for PACE in 1985, then left in 2003 to start my own financial planning business. I returned in 2009 to run the company again. What does PACE do? Eric: We develop techniques for soldering, rework, and repair of electronics. We make sol- dering irons, and rework systems up to semi-auto-