Industry consensus developed IPC standards for the automotive electronics manufacturer have been available since 2016. We will look at the current IPC standards available in development and in revision, the standards development process, and the automotive application addendums for printed board fabrication and assembly soldering that provide unique criteria for the reliability of electronic interconnects that must survive the harsh environments within the automotive industry. Attention will be given to a new effort in development to provide links between existing automotive-centric IPC standards and other industry standards applicable to automotive applications for printed board material selection, design, and solder joint reliability testing. We will also discuss challenges facing the industry, including process changes and cleanliness requirements, e.g. ionic contaminants, that affect every manufacturer and customer.
