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68 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2018 IPC's Automotive Addendum task group was started in November 2014 and the first edition of IPC 6012-DA was released in April 2016. We are now working on the revised version, and expect a release in Q2 2018. As standards need to evolve, develop and follow the needs of the industry, this work is continuous. This column will address some of the challenges the group faces and some of the issues we want to avoid by revising IPC 6012-DA. The automotive in- dustry is an industry with high-volume pro- duction; this needs to be considered when de- veloping a standard further. The First Challenge: Cleanliness We have so far focused on four areas for im- provement. One of these are the requirements and test methods for cleanliness in printed cir- cuits. The test requirements for cleanliness or ionic contamination used today date to the '80s and don't fill the demands for today's printed circuits, as these consist of more ad- vanced technology and requirements than in the '80s. However, new ways and equipment to test cleanliness have recently been developed. As soon as the methods have been thoroughly tested, they can be implemented as a demand in IPC 6012-DA. Close communication with the IPC task group for cleanliness and continuous monitoring of the development and progress is the way to move forward. However, the group have decided that the methods are so prom- ising, that we will implement them in the re- vised addendum—as a recommendation, not a demand. Changes with Industry 4.0 When the automotive industry embraced In- dustry 4.0 the demands for more complex and small-scale electronics increased. Smaller and more complex printed circuits naturally in- crease the need for cleanliness testing as well. The challenge is when the test methods are not equally developed and as advanced as the printed circuits. It's like building a new kitch- en but keeping the old and malfunctioning IPC 6012-DA Revisions: The Approach to Cleanliness, Thickness, Inspection, and Wicking The PCB Norseman by Jan Pedersen, ELMATICA