IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and certification
The IPC/WHMA-A-620 is a training document that documents the relevant aspects of the process of assembling Cable and Wire Harnesses and Cable and Wire Harness elements as well as the relevant requirements for the inspection of these Cable and Wire Harnesses. This training informs about tools and materials to be used during the assembly process of cable harnesses.
Furthermore, attention is paid to the layout of the rooms where this must be done, the correct handling of tools, with regard to cleaning and calibration of tools and how this should be done and the requirements that are applicable.
In addition, a number of chapters discuss the actions that are performed in the production of cable harnesses. Particularly, soldering and crimping on connectors, contacts in connectors and inspection of these connections, are part of this training.
Tolerances for soldered and crimped connections
How this should be done correctly and what the requirements and tolerances are for soldered and crimped connections. Other chapters and modules discuss the assembly of a cable harness, the installation of a cable harness, the end housing and tests carried out on a cable harness.
These are the main points of this training. For a specific application of cable harnesses there is a follow-up training, an add-on, the so-called IPC/WHMA-A-620 Space module that possibly be can trained as well.
The target group of the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and certification.
This training is important for everyone who performs inspections on cable harnesses and cable harness assemblies. Employees who do that during the production of cable harnesses and the final inspection for delivery to the customer, but also for employees who set up processes for this.
This training and this document discuss the tools that should be used, how the tools and materials should be used. This training is also important for employees who are responsible for the processes and who are responsible for purchasing the materials.
PIEK: Your knowledge provider for the electronics industry
The explanation of the term WHMA for this training.
WHMA stands for Wire Harness Manufacturing Association. This is an American trade union that is specifically focused on the cable harness producing industry.
They have people who are affiliated with this trade union and have started a working group in collaboration with IPC employees and developed this document. They are the founders of this document.
The IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and certification is interesting for employees of different companies
In general, the companies that conduct this type of training will be wiring harness producing companies. Companies that produce wiring harnesses for their customers in all sorts of fields and for all kinds of applications, from household applications to industrial, military, aerospace, aviation and automotive applications.
This is the main part, but you often also see that these training is attended by people who, within the companies that process cable harnesses in their end product, and use that in a housing and who possibly do the entry control of those cable harnesses or at a smaller, internal level work on cable harnesses. These are the most important target groups.
Application of the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and certification within companies.
What you learn in this training is threefold. First, you learn how to inspect cable harnesses, everything that has to do with cable harnesses (connectors, contacts, fastening parts of cable harnesses). Secondly, you learn which materials and tools you have to work with and how to deal with them, including how to deal with calibration.
Thirdly, part of this training is devoted to cable harness testing, electrical and mechanical testing required for the production of such cable harnesses.
CABLE AND WIRING TECHNIQUES
The added value of the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and certification.
The added value of this training lies in the fact that employees will be more accurate when making decisions about whether or not a cable harness and its elements meet the standard. Because they have more knowledge of these requirements and standard, they will carry out the inspection of the products more accurately and deliver fewer products that do not meet this standard.
Employees know which tests they have to perform, how to perform and interpret these tests correctly. They also learn the correct handling of tools and calibration. There are several things that come up in this training that are of benefit to the student and the company he / she works for.
Validity of the IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification
If you have not previously been certified for the IPC/WHMA-A-620 or your certificate has expired, you will need the initial IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification.
This has a validity of 2 years. You must recertify within 6 months before the certificate expires. You have the following options for recertification:
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Recertification: full training for recertification
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Challenge Test: only the exam
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Refreshment of the Standard + Challenge Test
Variant of the IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification
IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS (Certified IPC Specialist)
This IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) variant is intended for operators
IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIT (Certified IPC Trainer)
This IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) variant is intended for anyone who wants to train operators to CIS themselves
IPC/WHMA-A-620 (Certified Standards Expert)
This IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified Standard Expert (CSE) variant is intended for anyone who wants to become an expert in the field of the relevant standard. These experts are often used by companies as coordinators to correctly apply the standard within the company.
Upcoming regional IPC/WHMA-A-620 training courses
Frequently Asked Questions
Ultrasonic welding is a connection technique with which one or more copper wires can be joined together. This is done by means of high pressure and high friction frequency (in the ultrasonic range) in an ultrasonic welding machine. This causes the wires to become so hot that they fuse together and this creates a welding plug. You can evaluate this welding plug with the IPC/WHMA-A-620 standard. You can also weld wires to contacts with this technique (they often do this in the automotive industry).
WHMA is the abbreviation of “Wire Harness Manufacturing Association”, a group of cable manufacturers from America who have provided the pictures and technical information in the IPC/WHMA-A-620 standard. IPC has processed this information and structured it in the standard.
IPC has 3 product classes: class 1 (consumer electronics), class 2 (industrial electronics) and class 3 (high reliability electronics). The customer may determine the product class in which the product must be produced. It is important that the inspector knows according to which product class of IPC he must inspect, because otherwise too many products will be unnecessarily rejected!
This is stated in the IPC/WHMA-A-620 in a table. This depends on the type of coax cable (a flexible, fixed, semi-rigid or rigid coaxial cable). More information can be found in Table 14-1 in the standard.
There are 2 methods indicated by IPC:
- with cable ties (tyraps)
- with lacing (knots)
Illustrations and requirements can be found in IPC-A-610 and IPC/WHMA-A-620.
The official IPC/WHMA-A-620 training is a theory training (discrimination course). But you can book a few practical modules as an option. When desired, the customer must provide the tools (crimping pliers) and contacts (cable shoes) and the corresponding wire for crimping. PIEK can provide the soldering equipment to solder wires to different terminals / connections / connectors.
“Circular Mill Area – buid up” means building up the cross section of the wire / cable. This is sometimes necessary if you want to crimp a thin wire in a large cable lug / crimp contact. You can do this by, for example, folding the wire backwards (to double thickness) and then crimping it. There are also CMA adapters available that you slide over the wire so that the wire fits into the crimp contact. All this is discussed in the IPC/WHMA-A-620 training.
Yes that is allowed. It’s almost impossible that this will not happen. Due to the heat from the soldering iron, the insulation always melts slightly backwards …..unless you use a heat shunt (heat sink) or a heat-resistant insulation (such as Kapton/Teflon). The insulation may melt but not burn / char. For detailed pictures see IPC-A-610 or the IPC/WHMA-A-620 standard.
The origin 3 capital letters “IPC” stands for “Institute for Printed Circuits”, this was the original name of the institute that creates standards for the entire electronics industry. The new name is: IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries.
Yes, IPC has made a product classification in every standard, including the IPC/WHMA-A-620.
This product classification is as follows:
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 1 – General electronic products (e.g. consumer electronics, these are products where the main requirement is the function of the final product)
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 2 – Dedicated service electronics (e.g. industrial machines, test equipment, etc. these are products that have to work longer, if they fail, a lot of money will be lost)
- IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 – High reliability electronics (e.g. aircraft, military products and life-supporting medical equipment, these products may not fail otherwise it is life-threatening).
AABUS is the abbreviation of “As Agreed Between User and Supplier”. This abbreviation often occurs in an IPC standard.
IPC indicates that the minimum lighting in the workplace should be about 1000 lm / m2 in order to be able to work (solder) and inspect properly. The colour temperature is also indicated. For further information see the IPC-A-610, J-STD-001 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 standard.
The wire diameter is the total/overall diameter of the wire (including insulation). This is also called the outside diameter. This is described in the IPC-A-610, J-STD-001 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 standard.
A barcode and QR code must be readable within 3 attempts. The quality of the label and the printer is important, but also the accuracy of the scanner.