Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/960726
SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE 2018 I I-CONNECT007 49 working group in Europe for standardization of PCB requirements for space application. I also joined PCB/SMT working group, a periodic forum for technical information exchange and technology development within the European space industry. I am graduated in electrical engi- neering, industrial and operation management, and I spent 17 years in various PCB manufac- turing plants including industrial, consumer and high-reliability applications. I joined Air- bus in 2010 as PCB technical authority, in the transnational organization in charge of EEE/PCB procurement for space flight applications. Goldman: How and when did you first get involved with IPC committees? Goutorbe: I attended IPC APEX EXPO for the first time in 2008 and started to understand how these committees were working. This is not straightforward for a European guy not used to attending such a huge conference to know how to be involved. However, after attending the IPC conference a couple of times and being registered to some committees, it was possible to see how the work is done and then get involved. It was interesting to see that during the meeting, there was sometime a bal- lot whereas in Europe, our working groups are more looking for a consensus. The approach is different but very enriching. The main trigger for me to get involved in committee meetings was the fact that new documents were being issued for my specific field (space) and I wanted to be part of it as it is our daily documentation for our business. The other interest was a real need from a tech- nical point of view to update the standard to improve the final product reliability and avoid late detection of PCB issues. Goldman: What committee and/or subcommit- tee are you involved with at IPC? Goutorbe: I am participating in the laminates/ prepreg materials and performance standards committees, as a contributing member. As a PCB expert, it is my role within the company to attend such standardization activities. Goldman: What contributions do you feel you have made? Goutorbe: I have been involved in the laminates/ prepreg materials for quite a long time and I was able to share our experience and allow the working group to understand the benefits of adding more stringent requirements relative to material cleanliness. The combination of more complex design features and higher power in electronic equipment used in the space busi- ness means that we were no longer able to use the rules defined several years ago. Goldman: Which documents have been pub- lished that you were involved with? Goutorbe: IPC-4101 was released in 2017, includ- ing Appendix A for cleanliness requirements. IPC-6012DS (space and military avionics appli- cations) was released in 2015. On top of this IPC activity, I am involved in the ECSS working group; an updated PCB standard will be issued this year in Europe with focus on improvement for high-reliability space applications. This document includes technical requirements but also quality assurance requirements for space projects. Goldman: What advice do you have for oth- ers regarding involvement with standards and specifications development at IPC? Goutorbe: A standard should be considered as a "live" document and it is key that end-users keep providing feedback to share their experi- ence, in order to improve the document in line with today's needs, and based on lessons learnt. Hence knowledge is spread within the PCB com- munity, including the newcomers. Also, they should consider that in case they have a solid technical justification, there is no real problem to consider their inputs for being in the next revi- sion of the standard. The committee members are open to that, they like the technical details and the associated discussion and exchange of points of view. Another point to consider is that you need to spend time and effort; it is not a single mee ting but at the end, it is worth it.