IPC A-620 Training

IPC A-620 Training

Several years ago the IPC, the body covering the assembly of electronic assemblies and the Wire Harness Manufacturers Association, an assembly of cable and wire harness builders, came together to help drive the creation of the inspection criteria for wire and cable harnesses. This book, the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, is now in its second revision. It is the industry consensus document for cable and wire harness fabrication and installation. Different classes of products for differing end use environments are defined and include criteria for Target, Acceptable, Process Indicator and Defect conditions to support the collection of visual quality acceptability requirements for each class. These specifications are supported by over 650 color illustrations plus many other tables and sketches.

Since the launch of this book, a IPC-A-620 training program going along with how to look up the inspection criteria in this standard was developed. The certification program features two tiers of certification levels, the CIT or instructor level, and the CIS or technician/application specialist levels. These certifications are valid for a two-year period and belong to the individual and not the company that employed them during their original or recertification.

The IPC administers the IPC-A-620 training program through an online portal which performs the testing and administrative record keeping of the program. A record for each instructor or application specialist is kept in the database along with the ability to print out a certification or check the validity of the certification.

The course material is fixed for instructors and custom-made for each individual at the application specialist level as part of the IPC-A-620 level. Each of the certified instructors goes through a fixed number of instruction modules each covering a different topical area of the specification. Once the program gets inside a manufacturer’s building it can be customized within reason. The instruction book is the specification itself. After instruction in the module’s material a pretest is taken to prove that the concepts taught in the module are understood by the student. The material in the class tells the student how to look up and interpret the specification using a distinct method.

It is important to realize that no hands-on training is part of the IPC-A-620 training, rather it is strictly how to look up items or concepts in the IPC-A-620. The IPC-A-620 training program is strictly a lecture-based class and includes no hands-on skills development. Most training centers have developed a hands-on class in wire harnesses and cable preparation in order to augment the theoretical material taught in the IPC-A-620 certification class.

The IPC-A-620 training program can be taught in a variety of venues. BEST offers these classes onsite at a customer location, at a BEST training center (Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Huntsville, and Tennessee), in the BEST mobile training center or even a remote location. Remote locations should at least be comfortable rooms and contain a projector and whiteboard for instruction. Internet connections are also required as the testing for the IPC-A-620 training is done via the web.

In addition to the IPC-A-620 training, BEST instructors can also teach you hands-on skills for wire harness and cable assembly. The assembly class consists of numerous modules. One of the hands-on modules instructs students on both the acceptance criteria per the IPC-A-620 as well as the practical side of coaxial wire connectors. Another module will teach students about how to crimp and install both machined as well as stamped and formed contacts. Another module delves into the finer parts of IDC connectors while still another discusses how to inspect and crimp closed barrel crimp connectors. This class also teaches the students on how to read wire cut schedules as well as wiring harness drawings.

More detail about the course is available at IPC 620 Course

I am principal of BEST Inc. I have 18+ years experience in running small businesses. I am a practicing instructor in IPC certification and have a passion for teaching in a variety of life skills as well as in soldering and PCB repair.