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IPC Soldering Contest 2022 Scoring Results!

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November 8, 2022
IPC Soldering Contest 2022 Scoring Results Announcement!

Contest Scoring Results Report Feature!

Table of Contents

What is IPC Hand Soldering Contest?

IPC Hand Soldering Contest is the Japanese tournament of the Hand Soldering Competition organized by the international standardization body IPC. It aims to highlight the skills of hand soldering technicians who have special techniques for soldering components on printed circuit board assemblies.
IPC organizes hand soldering competitions (Hand Soldering Competition) at various venues such as exhibitions worldwide, supporting soldering technicians from around the world and showcasing their skills on a global stage. In this competition, highly skilled hand soldering technicians representing companies participate and perform soldering on printed circuit boards within the specified time, competing for quality assessment based on IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 standards, as well as demonstrating rework and repair procedures and high-quality workmanship based on IPC-7711/21.
IPC holds competitions for professionals and students in the field, awarding cash prizes to the winners, runners-up, and third-place participants. The Japanese tournament used the UNIXJBC soldering station, a high-performance soldering iron, for the competition.

IPC Hand Soldering Champions

One of the important processes in printed circuit board assembly is manual soldering. Technicians who perform hand soldering work have special skills in soldering components onto printed circuit board assemblies.
IPC organizes hand soldering competitions (Hand Soldering Competition) in various countries and regions at venues such as exhibitions worldwide, supporting soldering technicians from around the world and showcasing their skills on a global stage. In this competition, highly skilled hand soldering technicians representing companies participate and perform soldering on printed circuit boards within the specified time, competing for quality assessment based on IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 standards, as well as demonstrating rework and repair procedures based on IPC-7711/21.
IPC holds competitions for professionals and students in the field, awarding cash prizes to the winners, runners-up, and third-place participants. The Japanese tournament used the UNIXJBC soldering station, a high-performance soldering iron.

10/26-28 IPC Hand Soldering Contest 2022 in Nagoya

This time, approximately 130 participants applied, 50 passed the preliminary round, and the final round was held last month in Nagoya with 24 participants who passed the second round. In the final round, top-notch hand soldering engineers from all over Japan, ranging from large companies’ teams to small companies proud of their craftsmanship, gathered to compete for the overall soldering skills in terms of component desoldering, component soldering, and functional testing of surface-mount components such as chips and QFPs.

productronica

The IPC Hand Soldering Contest winner earns the qualification to participate in IPC Hand Soldering Champions held in Germany. The event takes place at the productronica exhibition held in Germany. productronica is an electronics manufacturing trade fair held in Munich every two years since 1975.

Scoring Results Announcement!

1st Place Result Explanation and Main Deduction Points

The 1st place winner successfully completed component desoldering, component soldering, and functional testing. In this contest with time constraints and a high difficulty level for the test sample board, only the 1st and 2nd place winners were able to complete all three items among the high-level participants. The main deduction points that were identified (refer to the figure on the right) include deductions for “side protrusion” due to lead components of surface-mount components being misaligned with the pads, solder bridging between patterns, and solder balls adhering near components. Please use this as a reference for your future soldering work and evaluation.

2nd Place Result Explanation and Main Deduction Points

The 2nd place winner also successfully completed component desoldering, component soldering, and functional testing. Unfortunately, they became the 2nd place due to a difference in scores.

The main deduction points that were identified (refer to the figure on the right) include insufficient solder fill in through-hole components, i.e., insufficient wetting between the leads and the hole walls, “side protrusion,” non-compliant insulation clearance of coated lead wires, and no contact between components and spacers.

3rd Place Result Explanation and Main Deduction Points

The quality score was the second highest in this contest, but the 3rd place winner missed out due to one LED not lighting up during functional testing, as the evaluation of the three processes takes priority.

The main deduction points that were identified (refer to the figure on the right) include reverse mounting direction of polarized components, which was the reason for the LED not lighting up. Other deduction points include FOD, adhesion of carbonized foreign particles, non-compliant insulation clearance of coated lead wires, and no contact between components and spacers.

4th Place Result Explanation and Main Deduction Points

The quality score was the fifth highest in this contest, but the 4th place winner achieved 100% completion of component desoldering and soldering, leading to their 4th place position in this contest. Please refer to the overall results and scores for the 5th place and subsequent rankings. The main deduction points that were identified (refer to the figure on the right) include reverse mounting direction of polarized components, which caused the LED not to light up. Other deduction points include FOD, adhesion of carbonized foreign particles, insufficient wetting between leads and hole walls, and more.

Main Deduction Points for 5th-7th Place Winners

Please refer to the overall results for the rankings and scores of the 5th-7th place winners.

Here, we will list the main deduction points:
– Insufficient wetting of QFPs
– Adhesion of carbonized foreign particles
– Components not soldered
– Insufficient overlap between chip components and one side of the pads
– “Side protrusion” of J-leads
– Insufficient wetting at the end of terminals
– No contact between components and spacers
– Solder bridging
– Reverse mounting direction of polarized components

Main Deduction Points for 8th-10th Place Winners

Please refer to the overall results for the rankings and scores of the 8th-10th place winners.

Here, we will list the main deduction points:
– Components not soldered
– Abnormal protrusion length of leads
– Reverse mounting direction of polarized components
– Insufficient wetting of J-leads
– Adhesion of carbonized foreign particles
– Insufficient wetting between lead-insertion components and hole walls
– Solder bridging

Overall Results

The left table shows the rankings, scores, and numbers, while the right side lists the results of all 24 participants in the final round. Please refer to it for detailed information. Although the rankings may appear to change based on the quality score alone, please understand that the three categories of component desoldering, component soldering, and functional evaluation take precedence. Please use this as a reference for your future soldering work and evaluation.
Rank Score Number
1st 455/480 B-2
2nd 434/480 F-2
3rd 446/480 G-1
4th 398/480 G-3
5th 424/480 D-2
6th 378/480 C-3
7th 377/480 H-1
8th 376/480 F-1
9th 369/480 H-2
10th 363/480 C-1
11th 318/480 D-1
12th 277/480 D-3
Rank Score Number
13th 276/480 E-1
14th 217/480 A-3
15th 202/480 F-3
16th 242/480 G-2
17th 208/480 B-3
18th 93/480 H-3
19th 92/480 C-2
20th 80/480 A-1
21st 75/480 A-2
22nd 69/480 B-1
23rd 63/480 E-3
24th 60/480 E-2

IPC Standard Specifications Used in this Round

What is IPC?